Greece Wine Guide

Greek wine is one of the oldest continuously practised viticultures on earth: archaeological evidence of grape pressing in Greece dates back roughly 6,500 years, and the wines of Chios, Lesbos and Thasos were luxury exports across the ancient Mediterranean. The modern industry, by contrast, is young. After centuries of Ottoman rule, two World Wars and a long period of cooperative bulk production, the Greek wine renaissance began in earnest in the 1980s and accelerated after EU accession in 1981 brought new investment and appellation rules. Today Greece has more than 200 indigenous grape varieties in commercial cultivation, organised under a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) framework that mirrors the broader EU quality system. The country's wine geography is unusually diverse for its size. Macedonia in the north grows Xinomavro at PDO Naoussa and PDO Amyndeon, producing red wines of structure and longevity often compared by writers to Nebbiolo. The Peloponnese hosts PDO Nemea (the home of Agiorgitiko, the most-planted Greek red) and PDO Mantinia (high-altitude Moschofilero). The Aegean islands carry the country's most distinctive terroir-driven white wine: PDO Santorini, where ungrafted Assyrtiko on volcanic soil produces a saline, mineral white of international reputation, and PDO Vinsanto, the sun-dried sweet wine to which the Vinsanto name was legally tied by EU regulation in 2002. The Ionian islands grow PDO Robola of Cephalonia, a stony white from limestone slopes. Crete in the south spans 27 PDO and PGI zones across its four prefectures, producing reds from Liatiko, Kotsifali and Mandilaria and whites from Vidiano, Vilana and Thrapsathiri. The modern Greek wine map continues to expand. PDO Tinos (2024) joined the Aegean PDO roster; Drama (Macedonia) and the northern Peloponnese (Patras, Achaia) have built international export distribution; and Athens and Thessaloniki have wine-bar scenes that pour Greek by-the-glass lists in serious competition with French and Italian imports. Wine tourism is anchored by Santorini for the international visitor, by Nemea and Naoussa for the wine-focused traveller, and by Crete for travellers combining viticulture with archaeology and beach. The Greek wine trade body, ENOABE, and the Wines of Greece marketing arm coordinate export promotion under the New Wines of Greece banner.

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