Exploring the Greek Wine Business by Leah Dietrich, Food Science major

As part of my six weeks in Greece, I studied the Greek wine business and the Greek culture at Perrotis College. Our classes consisted of us meeting twice a week, and outside of classes we would go on excursions. Our first Greek wine-related excursion, we visited Santorini and toured multiple wineries on the island. We noticed the vast differences between the few; some were corporations, and some were partnerships. One major difference between the vineyards on Santorini compared to the mainland is the way they grow their grapes. Normally we know vineyards as rows and walls of grape vines. However, since Santorini has such a hot and humid climate, the grapes are grown low to the ground and the leaves and vines cover the grapes similar to a basket. This prevents the grapes from being destroyed by the heat of the sun and still be able to grow in that type of climate. Along with the Santorini excursion, we visited a few local wineries and vineyards near the college. One vineyard that stood out to me was a vineyard that produced no wine. They used the grapes to make sauces, spirits, and other food and beverage varieties. The most fascinating quality of this business is that there is no waste in this vineyard, so every part of the grape is used, even down to the leaves. Overall, it was interesting to learn the business aspect of how the Greeks market their wine, as well as how their vineyards function.

From this study abroad trip, there were a few new skills I developed such as communication, teamwork, and self-management. Communication included verbal and nonverbal communication. Even though I couldn’t quite communicate with the Greek locals, I learned to use nonverbal gestures to express my thoughts and feelings. As for teamwork, we would work together when participating in our cooking class and when we would work on some cultural assignments. I feel that I learned the most in self-management because I would have a decent amount of free time to satisfy myself. During this time, I went on trips to a few islands or just trips to explore the local city of Thessaloniki. If I were to describe this experience to a potential employer, I would explain that this study abroad trip helped me broaden my knowledge of the wine business, along with becoming more independent and self-sufficient. I feel more comfortable navigating my way through unknown territory whether it is domestic or international.

I spoke a lot about my experience within the college, but I also learned a lot from outside the college. I had the opportunity to simply explore the country around me. I did this by taking buses into the city, as well as planes and ferries to other islands. On one of our ferry trips, we traveled from Corfu to the blue caves in Paxos, and later touring the small town of Antipaxos. As a large group, we took a bus trip to the city of Meteora to see the monasteries, then traveled to Athens for some more sightseeing. The college also offered an included sailing trip within our last week. This adventure gave us a chance to enjoy time with the friends we've made along the way.

As I have stated previously, we have had plenty of opportunities to explore the beautiful country of Greece whether it was on our own or with the college. I have learned so much educationally and culturally from this study abroad experience, and I would easily go back for more in a heartbeat.