2-nd Stakeholders Meeting in Patras Focus on Mavrodaphne PDO
The University of Patras and the Departments of Civil Engineering and Sustainable Agriculture convened on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at Agora Argyri, in Patras, Western Greece, the 2nd Stakeholders’ Meeting of the European Interregional Cooperation Project Interreg Europe "SMEs & European Original Geographical Indications – SMEOrigin".
The aim of the meeting was to present tools to strengthen the products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) of the Western Greece Region, focusing on Mavrodaphne PDO wine.
In the context of the meeting, the speakers discussed the promotion of "Mavrodaphne" wine, both in sweet and dry vinification, quality and promotion issues and the ongoing exchange of knowledge in the field of PDO/PGI products at the European level. Also, the results of a relevant survey on a sample of companies producing "Mavrodaphne" and proposals for the support of the PDO/PGI products of Western Greece were presented.
In the context of the meeting, Prof. Vagelis G. Papadakis presented the objectives, activities and progress of the project implementation. The Deputy Governor of Achaia, Mr. Fokion Zaimis, referred to the actions of the Region of Western Greece for SMEs and PDO/PGI products and the need to address the challenges of climate change and the empowerment of businesses and producers in order for the agricultural economy of Western Greece to remain competitive and to enhance added value for the producers and local businesses. Mr. Georgios Karelas presented the digitization action of the archive of the company "Oiniki G. Karelas SA" and proposals for strengthening the PDO Mavrodaphne. Mrs. Ioanna Golemi presented the results of the questionnaire regarding the PDO Mavrodaphne, as well as data for the understanding of Political Cohesion within the framework of Interreg IVY. Dr. Konstantinos Antonopoulos presented examples and guides available to the project partners and referred to the actions of developing a Strategic Toolkit for PDO/PGI products that will be presented in its final form in May 2024. Finally, a discussion followed with PDO producers of Mavrodaphne and other PDO/PGI products.
Interventions were made by winemakers Mr. Angelos Rouvalis, president of the "Oinoxenia" Quality Network, who emphasized the need for innovation and support for the winemakers and winegrowers of the region with modern means, Mr. E. Argyropoulos, Mr. I. Kotrotsos, Mr. P. Koukos, Mr. P. Mpaltas, Mr. N. Sofopoulos, the oenologist Mrs. M. Siampani, the manager of the wine club, Mr. V. Kapogiannopoulos, while Mr. Stathis Papachristopoulos made an intervention in relation to the entrepreneurship support mechanism of the Region of Western Greece.
In order to strengthen and promote the Mavrodaphne product, the following proposals were concluded:
- Formation of an interprofessional association for wine and formation of an association of Mavrodaphne PDO producers.
- Acquiring a roof-landmark for the presentation and promotion of the PDO/PGI in Patras (e.g. Barry warehouses), including the Mavrodaphne PDO of Patras.
- Creation of a local celebration "Mavrodaphne Day".
- Update, upgrade – improvement of the product. Ensuring constant quality in all PDO Mavrodaphnes on the market.
- Inform the public about the historicity of the sweet Mavrodaphne and make a targeted effort to differentiate it from the imitations that are available on the market without being in accordance with the applicable provisions and defined specifications and without the necessary quality controls.
- Highlight the dry Mavrodaphne and its dynamic as well as the overall nutritional benefits. Promote the presentation of prize-winning wines in international competitions to enhance the prestige of dry Mavrodaphne. Change existing legislation to allow producers to write on the bottle of dry Mavrodaphne the term "Mavrodaphne".
The meeting is expected to be an opportunity to further strengthen the cooperation between SMEs, local and regional bodies and University Departments.
Subsequently, two (2) more meetings took place with the aim of further discussion on the subject, the presentation of the product to the general and specialized public and the restoration of its reputation:
- On 16/1 there was a presentation of Mavrodaphnes of Oiniki Karela produced in various years up to the historical production of 1944. The public had the opportunity to taste these great Mavrodaphnes and form an opinion on their protection and need for promotion.
- Also on 29/2, a wider wine tasting and Masterclass of 10 dry Mavrodaphne of the Western Greece region took place where internationally renowned oenologists analyzed the strong and competitive points and the public realized the great potential but also the need for the inclusion of dry Mavrodaphne as a PDO.