Jun 5, 2026 – 5.00amI’m sitting in Seven Thalasses, a bustling seafood restaurant in the heart of Thessaloniki, with veteran Macedonian winemaker Vangelis Gerovassiliou. He has been a major figure in the Greek wine industry since its renaissance in the late 1970s and ’80s and helped pioneer the adoption of French grapes in Greek vineyards. Gerovassiliou has brought along some bottles of white to wash down the calamari and sea bass and, as we eat, he pours a splash of fragrant sauvignon, then some fruity chardonnay.Greek winemaker Vangelis Gerovassiliou. Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Max AllenDrinks columnistMax Allen is The Australian Financial Review's drinks columnist. He is an award-winning journalist and author who has written about wine and drinks for close to 25 years.Fetching latest articles