Corfu (Kerkyra) is the second largest of the Ionian Islands off the north-west coast of mainland Greece. Wine has been made here for centuries, although today, Corfu's industry is dominated by just a few small producers. Local grape varieties such as Kakotrygis and Petrokoritho are cultivated here, making light, delicate white wines.
The long, thin island stretches 40 miles (65km) from north to south and is only 3 miles from the southern coast of Albania at its closest point. Corfu is home to a wide variety of terrain, from the flat land in the south to the more-mountainous land in the north. Most white-wine production takes place in the south, while red grape varieties are planted in the more-sheltered climes of the north.
Homer, the famed Greek poet of the 8th Century BC, describes the wines of Corfu in 'The Odyssey', which suggests that wine has been made on the island for thousands of years. Vineyards covered Corfu until the period of Venetian rule in the Middle Ages, when many grapevines were removed in favor of olive trees. This legacy endures today, and the olive-oil industry is far more extensive on the island than the wine industry.
Corfu has a Mediterranean climate that is significantly wetter than that of the Aegean Islands on the eastern side of Greece. While summers are hot and dry, winters are much wetter due to Corfu's position in the path of moisture-laden winds from the Mediterranean Sea. The island's limestone soils store enough water during winter to keep the vines hydrated over summer.
Corfu is best known for white wines, and although there are no Protected Designation of Origin categories on the island, there is a regional wine appellation that requires wines labeled as Corfu to contain at least 60 percent Kakotrygis. The other 40 percent can sometimes include better-known Greek varieties such as Robola and Moschato.
Corfu is much more famous as a center of tourism than as a wine-producing region, although the island's wines have received some high praise from an unusual source. In the 1981 007 film 'For Your Eyes Only', James Bond forgoes his usual martini for a glass of white wine from Corfu producer Theotoky Estate.
