The beginning was made in Episkopi!
The initiative of the Crete Winemakers Network, with the support of the Region of Crete, attempts to connect the island's hundreds of summer festivals with local production and Cretan products.
A new effort to support and promote Cretan products through festivals and local events is underway in Crete.
This is the initiative "We Listen, Eat and Drink Cretan", of the Crete Winemakers Network, which is implemented with the support of the Region of Crete and aspires to utilize the potential of the hundreds of festivals organized every summer throughout the island.
The logic of the action is simple: the events that bring together thousands of Cretans and visitors every year can constitute an important showcase for local production, giving more space to Cretan wine and the products produced on the island.
Through this connection, the aim is to gradually create a broader network between producers, event organizers and local communities. The goal is for Cretan products to gain greater visibility and added value, as well as another channel for distribution and introduction to the public.
At the same time, the initiative attempts to strengthen the very identity of Cretan festivals, further connecting music and tradition with gastronomy, wine and local products.
The beginning was made in Episkopi!
A first attempt to promote the action took place in recent days at a festival in Episkopi, on Friday, August 7, at the "Party as usual", essentially giving the first sample of the philosophy of "We Listen, Eat and Drink Cretan".
The event was organized by the Cultural and Folklore Association of Episkopi, in collaboration with the Cretan Winemakers Network and Ploigos, within the framework of "Crete - Gastronomic Region of Europe".
And while the Episkopi festival may not have been one of the big events of the summer, it proved to be an ideal place to start. The response of those present to the proposal was impressive and showed in practice that the famous Cretan wine can gain the place it deserves in the musical and cultural events of the island.
The aim now is for the initiative to gain greater scope, so that more and more events on the island include local products at their center and that Cretan festivals, in addition to meeting and entertainment points, also function as spaces for promoting and supporting Cretan production.
The ultimate success for the ultimate cultural event
“What made us move forward with this initiative is the fact that, while visiting other regions of Europe, such as Tuscany, Sicily, Bordeaux and Burgundy, we saw that local products are consumed at popular events in restaurants – in local shops dealing with all forms of catering –” Mr. Stelios Zacharioudakis, president of the Crete Winemakers Network, told Cretalive.
While for decades, the concept of fun at parties was identified with the consumption of "hard" drinks (vodka and whiskey), the initiators and exponents of this initiative came to present their own proposal: "This top cultural event of Crete can be completed and have an absolute relationship with our culture and civilization only when we consume Cretan products," added Mr. Zacharioudakis.
Cretan wine has entered the tables
Bottled, branded Cretan wine, chilled, in a champagne flute and in a columnar glass, was served at the tables of the feast in Episkopi. An image that at first may have seemed unusual at a traditional Cretan feast, but it quickly won over the audience.
The guests tasted the selected wines, got to know better the quality and flavors of modern Cretan wine production and enthusiastically embraced the proposal. It is noteworthy that all the wines selected from member wineries of the Crete Winemakers Network were sold out during the evening.
The presentation of the wine — at the right temperature, in a champagne flute and a columnar glass — also gave a different aesthetic and qualitative dimension to the feast, proving that tradition can not only coexist with a modern hospitality proposal, but also stand out through it.
The wine was accompanied by a rich platter of local products from the region, which was also very well received by the audience. Through information on the origin and identity of the products, attendees had the opportunity to experience a comprehensive proposal that connects wine, taste, local production and Cretan music.
A cultural change with benefits for the place
This is precisely what lies at the heart of the "We Listen, We Eat, We Drink Cretan" initiative: to rediscover the products of Crete's natural place in local events.
For many years, Cretan feasts were dominated by drinks with no connection to the production, gastronomy and cultural identity of the island. The new initiative comes to present a different proposal: alongside Cretan music and Cretan feast, there should be wine produced in Crete and the products of the Cretan land.
"The beginning has been made and the message is clear"
The president of the Crete Winemakers Network, Stelios Zacharioudakis, in his statement during the evening, referred to the value of the initiative and warmly thanked the president, Mr. Hatzidakis Dimitris, and the Board of Directors of the Episkopi Cultural and Folklore Association for the immediate response, the adoption of the proposal "We Listen, We Eat, We Drink Cretan" and its implementation in the traditional village feast.
At the same time, he thanked the president of Ploigos, Haris Roditakis, for the cooperation of Ploigos with the Network of Winemakers of Crete, with the aim of ensuring that the presence of the famous Cretan wine at Cretan festivities is complete and accompanied by the quality and presentation that befits the product.
He also thanked the president of the Crete Chefs Association, Mr. Tasos Papadakis, for the editing of the platter and the chefs' support for the proposal "We Listen, We Eat, We Drink Cretan"
As he stated:
Tonight's evening proves that we can have fun with Cretan music, enjoy the products that our land produces and choose branded Cretan wine. The wine of Crete and our local products are not just consumer products. They are part of our production, our economy, our identity and our culture.
The beginning was made here, in Episkopi, and the response of the people gives us strength to continue. Our goal is for this proposal to travel to other festivities and cultural events in Crete. To gradually become a conscious choice: when we hear Cretan and eat Cretan, to choose and drink Cretan."
Mr. Zacharioudakis also referred to the fact that the initiative was launched by the Cretan Winemakers Network, within the framework of "Crete - Gastronomic Region of Europe", and was adopted by the Region of Crete, as it serves a broader goal: supporting local production and its connection with the culture and everyday life of the place.
The Region of Crete supports the effort
The Deputy Regional Governor for the Primary Sector, Stavros Tzedakis, also moved in the same direction, emphasizing the importance of the effort and the support of the Region of Crete.
He particularly referred to the need to enhance the consumption of products produced in our country and linked to the economy and culture of Crete, instead of products that have no corresponding relationship with local production. The choice of Cretan wine, but also of the local products that accompany it, creates a chain of added value that returns to the producers and the local economy.
Stelios Vasilakis: Let's support what our land produces
Of particular importance was the position of lyre player Stelios Vassilakis, who, on behalf of the artists, supported the message of the initiative.
He referred to the need to support Cretan wine and local products, pointing out that they are part of the identity and culture of Crete.
The participation of the artists themselves in the effort takes on special significance, as Cretan music, feasting, wine and gastronomy are not separate elements, but different expressions of the same culture.
The continuation of the next Cretan festivities
The success of the first implementation in Episkopi confirmed that the proposal can find a substantial response from the public. The positive reactions of those present, the comments on the quality and presentation of the wines and, most importantly, the fact that the selected wines were sold out, constitute the best message for the continuation.
The Episcopate was only the beginning.
The initiative "We Listen, We Eat, We Drink Cretan" will continue at other Cretan festivals until the end of the summer season, with the aim of spreading a simple but essential idea:
When we hear Cretan and celebrate Cretan, we can choose and drink Cretan. Supporting the wine, the products, the producers, the economy and ultimately the culture of our land itself.
source: CRETALIVE