ABSTRACT
For the Byzantine Trade symposium, Marlia Mango asked me to discuss the scope of the wine trade radiating from the north shore of the Sea of Marmara, in particular that centred on the monastery of Ganos (modern Gaziköy)1 near Raidestos (modern Tekirdağ), an area of wine production as confirmed by Ottoman documents. In fact, until then my research on ‘Ganos wine’ had focused on trying to find places that it had not reached! Given the perceived role of nearby Constantinople in its distribution and the possible extent of its circulation, the Ganos wine trade can be viewed as both regional and international. Before embarking on this subject, it is necessary to clarify what we mean by ‘Ganos wine’, and before that to place it within an historical tradition.
