Participants
Yiannis KarakasisMaster of Wine (Greece)
Yiannis was born in Athens, Greece. His path into the wine world was an unconventional one as he had graduated from the Hellenic Navy Academy as an Ensign. Thereafter he served in various warships, having as well flown 2.000 flying hours as a pilot, instructor and test-pilot with AB-212 navy helicopters. He retired as a Commander in 2011 to pursue his passion for wine. “I have always known that my real destination and my true passion has been hiding in the world of wine and I am very happy that my dream has come true”, he says.
He completed his WSET Diploma in 2011 and applied for the MW course. He became a Master of Wine in 2015. His Research Paper was on the hot topic of “The Rise of Alcohol in Naoussa PDO Region Over a 20 Year Period”.
Yiannis consults for wineries and wine companies and he is involved with Greece and Grapes, the largest on-line wine shop in Greece focusing exclusively on Greek wine. He is also one of the strongest voices for Greek and Cypriot wines through his blog www.karakasis.mw which was founded in 2016. He regularly promotes Greek wine all over the world from Australia to Europe and USA. In 2017 he published his first e-book on Greek wine titled “The Vineyards and Wines of Greece 2017”. There he describes in detail the current wine scene in Greek wine including ratings and producers’ classification. He contributes for international magazines and websites.
Yiannis takes great pleasure in teaching and educating being involved with MW seminars and academic or regional master classes. He spreads the wine knowledge among novice consumers as well. He is also a judge for Decanter World Wine Awards. His greatest wine passion is pre-phylloxera wines.