Dramoinognosia
The “Regional Unit of Drama”, is an administrative division (Prefecture) of the “Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace”, a regional authority.
Read more: www.pedramas.eu
ECONOMY
MUNICIPALITIES: 75 PRACTICES
TOPIC:
Initiative
SUBMITTED FROM:
REGION OF EASTERN MACEDONIA THRACE - REGION OF DRAMAS
Objective Action
To promote and eventually establish Drama as a recognizable, attractive tourist destination for oenophiles and build a competitive brand identity as a food and wine attraction.
Dramoinognosia serves a vision for Drama: to become the wine and taste capital of Northern Greece! This is a feasible goal since the land of Drama displays several qualities:
- The history and the “myth” - culture and traditions linked to the ancient greek god Dionysus, who was worshiped in the region (temple of Dionysus).
- A product of superior quality, highly recognizable nowadays, with plenty of international awards: the wine of Drama.
- Famous wineries within a range of only a few kms!
- A gastronomic variety and wealth due to a vibrant, mobile and inclusive community, a blend of local cuisine with a twist of taste from immigrants from eastern Thrace and Asia minor in the 1920's.
- No one has yet claimed the title!
Target Audience
Connoisseur oenophiles as well as tourists who seek to discover authentic food and wine experience. This distinct, worldwide trend is addressed by Dramoinognosia.
Duration
It was held in 2016 for the third consecutive year, as an annual event lasting one week and will continue for as long as there are vineyards in Drama.
Description
What is it?
A true celebration of wine beginning in the vineyard around the wineries and ending up in bars, restaurants and hangouts and even in the streets of Drama, with smiling faces and music bands all around. The festivity lasts a week and is focused on the celebrated, high quality, local wine. The visitor may taste famous brands of exquisite Drama wine at special prices in selected restaurants and bars. The celebration consists of wine and food itineraries that include art and cultural attractions, as well as conferences on food and wine pairing, wine tasting and qualities of the terroir.
During the weekend the wineries are open for visitors for guided tours, offering an overview of the winemaking process and winemaking techniques and of course free wine tasting.
What does it mean?
Short, unique and easy to remember, it is a play on words:
Drama (the name of the place) + oinos (wine) + geusignosia (wine tasting) = Dramoinognosia
Slogan
“Taste of wine, aftertaste of culture”
How was it created?
It was an initiative from the local government (Regional Unit of Drama – Region of East Macedonia & Thrace) since 2011. The project went through a long period of consultations and designing in order to mature and come to fruition. The initial, pilot implementation of Dramoinognosia, took place in 2014.
Planning, coordination and assessment is performed by the Organizing Committee, presided over by the Regional Vice-Governor.
Why is it unique?
The local community embraced this initiative since the very beginning by supporting, participating lively in the various events and creating publicity.
Nevertheless, what really distinguishes this project is the fact that success is based on synergies among different stakeholders, situated in different layers of the social structure:
- Local government
- Entrepreneurs
- Cultural community
- Scientific community
- Volunteers
This diversity may inspire and engage stakeholders in communities throughout Greece. Dramoinognosia could be a role model for local communities in exploring their full potential, identifying strengths and opportunities and finding ways to differentiate by presenting a Unique Selling Proposition - USP.
Web presence
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Impact on Society
The number of visitors during the weekend’s peak of the festivities, ranged from 1.200 to 2.000 per winery. The total number of visitors is estimated from 11.000 to 12.000 visitors in all seven wineries, 20-25% of which have come from neighboring regions. Cellar door sales, ranged from 2.000€ to 5.000€ per winery while 200 up to 550 bottles were opened per winery (from lower to higher visitor capacity) for wine tasting purposes.
Mass media coverage, especially in dedicated publications, blogs and websites for wine and gastronomy tourism, made a high impact on the public awareness of Dramoinognosia.
The event was well received by highly-esteemed professional journalists who act as opinion leaders, clearly an indication of a growing appeal and potential.
Examples (links):
Initiative Location
Events take place in Drama as well as in nearby villages and of course at the wineries. 3 out of 7 wineries lie within the municipality of Paranesti, 2 within the municipality of Doxato, 1 within the municipality of Prosotsani and 1 within the municipality of Drama.
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Working with Organization
- Municipalities of the Prefecture of Drama, Drama Development S.A., Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Commerce Association, Hotels Association, Restaurants Association, Nightclub Association, several cultural and folklore clubs as well as scientific associations such as the Geotechnical Chamber.
- The Department of Oenology and Beverage Technology in Drama, Eastern Macedonia & Thrace Institute of Technology.
- Last but not least, the local wineries:
Nico Lazaridi (est. 1987)
Domaine Costa Lazaridi (est. 1992)
Wine Art Estate (est. 1995)
Ktima Pavlidis (est. 1998)
Estate Manolesaki (est. 1998)
Domaine Michaelidi (est. 2005)
Oenogenesis (est. 2008)
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Workers Participation
Drama Regional Unit employees involved in Dramoinognosia project team, as well as employees in local wineries, in the field of visitor reception (hotels, restaurants, café-bars), events management (sound systems, graphic arts) and in local shops.
Important contribution from volunteers, especially students from the Department of Oenology and Beverage Technology in Drama. Their participation in numerous events, such as guided tours in wineries, brings them closer to their future employers, bridging the gap between university education and the workplace.
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Benefits for Οrganization
Dramoinognosia’s growing appeal benefits the local community by creating a food and wine tourist attraction. This serves the goal of sustainable growth and also serves the region’s actual need of substantial outreach, since it lacks access to all major traffic networks and is plagued by high unemployment and de-industrialization. Dramoinognosia adresses this need.
Another benefit is an increase in sales for local businesses during the festivities, including the wineries as well as the restaurants, café-bars and shops.
Moreover, through publicity creation and proper communications, Dramoinognosia managed to attract sponsors and thus succeed, even on a very tight budget.
Last but not least, the creation of ‘Wines of Drama’, an association of local winemakers. It is a cluster comprising 6 out of 7 accessible wineries, as a result of the winemakers' will to help build Drama’s identity as a wine tourism destination and promote the local wine beyond its borders.
Connection with Global Goals
No Connection with Global Goals found
