NEW YORK – Dimitris Manousakis created Greek Wine School as a passion project to promote the appreciation and understanding of Greek wine. He spoke with The National Herald about the Greek Wine School and also shared some recommendations to pair with the Thanksgiving feast.  

When asked about the roots of Greek Wine School, Manousakis explained, “we live in a world that every answer we are looking for is at the tips of our fingers. It’s not a matter of finding the right answers, but a matter of posing the right questions. For the past seven years, working in the hospitality industry, has made me question one thing: why is Greek wine not more widely accepted in the American market? Subsequently, coming from a marketing/branding background, I have come to ask: what can we do to make Greek wine more appealing to the market and spread the gospel of the unique Greek flavors?  

“Answering these questions has been the motivation to create the Greek Wine School. It is a passion project that started by aggregating all the necessary knowledge that I needed throughout the years to encourage people in exploring Greek wine. At first, it was a Facebook page with all the interesting articles on Greek wine that can get one excited about it. Then, during the lockdown, I decided to learn more about Greek wine by interviewing experts from Greece and the United States. My personal learning would chart everybody else’s learning.” 

He continued, “while the School part connotes that it might be an educational institution, it refers more to the Venetian Scuolas of the 15th century; these were organizations that promoted the interests of a specific professional group. In this way, Greek Wine School is more of a community rather than an institution. It aims to promote the appreciation and understanding of Greek wine, thus reinforcing the brand to generate more value for this quality product that has been overlooked for years.”  

He added that, “most importantly, Greek Wine School aims to tell the stories around the wine, rather than what goes into the wine. It is not a matter of proving the quality; it is rather a matter of gestating the relatability that Greek wine deserves. It is an answer to today’s globalization of flavors from the first civilization that promoted globalization. And if your question is: what am I drinking this Thanksgiving? Then be sure that the answer is Greek wine, as it represents the quality of hospitality that pervades this holiday and more so than anything right now, it brings people together,” Manousakis concluded.  

Manousakis’ Greek wine recommendations:  

Nemea Reserve, Parparoussis  

An elegant wine from one of the first revolutionary Greek winemakers of the 70s. A wine that is rich with flavors, but not gaudy, and as it has been previously described an aristocratic wine. It is a wine that will warm up your conversations at the dinner table without making them heated.  

Mandilaria, Venetsanos  

A different approach from the previous wine, it is one that comes from the island of Santorini. It is volcanic, deeply colored, and very flavorful. This is a wine for the heated conversations you might have avoided with the previous wine.  

Manousakis told TNH, “Also for all the readers of The National Herald I will be offering free introductory Greek wine classes as long as they book the class from the website (greekwineschool.com) and enter the code: ilovegreekwine.”