📍 Zakynthos

Zakynthos (Zante) is an island in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece, not far from Kefalonia and the western shore of the Peloponnese. It belongs to the Ionian Islands, which also include Corfu, Lefkada, Ithaca and Kefalonia. For many centuries the island was under Venetian rule, and this is reflected in its culture and cooking.

The island's main agricultural products are olive oil, currants, grapes and citrus fruit. The Zante currant is a small, sweet, seedless berry long grown on the island and dried like a raisin rather than used for wine. But wine is made on Zakynthos too.

The main local wine is Verdea of Zakynthos. It is a traditional white wine from local white grapes; the name is protected as a geographical indication and carries the name of the island. Besides white, Zakynthos makes red wines, usually from local red grapes, for example Avgoustiatis.

The climate on the island is Mediterranean with hot dry summers. For island Greece growing grapes is a familiar occupation: Greek wine has a very long history, and on many islands the vine has grown for centuries. The island is also called Zante in Italian.