Where to go and what to taste, when you are keen on tasting Greek wines? That's a question I'm going to help you with. Of course you can travel around in Greece, visit as many as possible wineries, taste wines from all different regios, like I did when I was writing my book (in the Dutch language) Druiven en droesem, een reis langs Griekse wijngaarden (2011). That's of course not necessary, you can also start in Athens.
I will guide you to some of the winebars in Athens, tell you which are my favorite wines, and give you some other advices about Greek wines in general.
Wine tasting in ‘Fine Wine’ in Plaka >
How nice would it be to experience some of the best Greek wines, enjoy some finger food, at a really nice location in the heart of the Plaka?
Let Sofia and Dimitris Athanasopoulous of ‘Fine Wine’ educate you on Greek wines, varieties and wineries, like I did in the winter of 2024.
They know all about it, and can’t stop sharing their knowledge with you.
I tasted the Malagousia and the Nemea of Papaioannou winery, Kydonitsa of Tsimpidis Winery, Selection Cuvée and the Vinsanto of Santo Wines, Xinomavro of Ktima Gerovassiliou, Goumenissa of Mikro Ktima Titos en Gi kai ouranos of Thymiopoulos Vineyards.
You can find Fine Wine in the heart of the Plaka, at Thespidos 12. Or book a Wine Tasting Private Session at their shop via Be a Greek – Wine-tasting.
My personal favorites >
Megas Oenos – Domaine Skouras
Domaine Skouras is located in the Nemea-region on the Peloponnese. This red wine is made from two different grapes: the well known Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and the indigenous grape Agiorgitiko (80%). It’s a silky, almost purple wine. More information: Domaine Skouras
Malagousia – Ktima Gerovassiliou
One of my favourite white wines in Greece. The Malagousia grape was saved due to the efforts of Vangelis Gerovassiliou himself, years ago in his winery in Epanomi, south of Thessaloniki. This well-balanced wine has an aroma of pear and citrus. More information: Ktima Gerovassiliou
Rosé – Alpha Estate
In the hills of Amyndeo, in the region of Florina in northern Greece, you can find Alpha Estate. Makis Mavridis and Angelos Iatridis, started in 1997. I’m a big fan of all their wines, and I especially like their rosé. This wine is made of the grape Xinomavro, a well known grape in the north of Greece. It has a bright rose color, with salmon colour hints.
More information: Alpha Estate
Where can you find those typical Greek wine jugs? >
Do you like these typical Greek wine jugs as much as I do? Using these jugs is the traditional way of serving water or wine from the barrel, in Greek taverns and family houses.
The jugs are made from aluminium and are very light. You can find them in three different sizes: a litre, half a litre and a quarter. And in four different colours: metallic, blue, copper/red and gold.
During each trip, I buy one or two. This photo was taken during my trip in the summer of 2023 to Amorgos, in the shop of Yannis en Merith of Paschalitsa/ Lady Bird in the village of Aegiali. I’m not only buying them as a souvenir. I also really use them at home, or I give them away as a present.
My favorite spot to buy them in Athens, is in the Athinas Street. This is the street that runs from Monastiraki Square to Omonia Square. It’s thé location for shops with authentic kitchen supplies.
< Oenorama, the Wine Fair of Athens
Oenorama is the largest wine exhibition of Greek wines in the world and the most important wine fair of the country. It was created in 1994, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024. With more than 250 exhibitors and over 2.500 wines and distillates, it is the only place in the world that offers a complete overview of the Greek wine industry.
You don’t have to be an expert or a professional to visit the exhibition! Everybody can join. You just have to buy a ticket (15 euro), grap a glass and start tasting.
The next Oenorama will take place on March 7 – 10 2025, in the Zappeion in the park in the centre of Athens, just behind Syntagma Square.
For more information:
Oenorama
List of winebars
Head for one of the excellent wine bars in the city and try a few different wines – from white, rosé to red. Do this for a few nights, in the meantime exploring this vibrant city.
Try for example:
Oinoscent, in Voulis Street in the centre
Heteroclito, on the corner of Fokionos/Petraki in the centre
By The Glass, at Souris street in the centre
Wine With Eleni, in Koukaki
Junior Does Wine, in the Hilton-area
Warehouse, on the corner Mavromichali & Valtetsiou 21 in Exarchia
Wine Point, in Koukaki
Can Greek wines compete?
Yes! Definitely! In the last few decades, Greek wines have started to pick up prestigious prices and medals in international wine contests. But this fact is still unknown to most consumers from abroad. Why is that?
Partly, it has to do with the quantity of wines made. In 2022 Greece produced 2,1 million hectoliters. The total area of vineyards is approximately 110.000 hectares. Just a small part of this quantity is exported– some 10%.
Another reason for the fact that consumers are not familiar with quality Greek wines is the obscurity of the names of the grapes. They easily choose a Merlot from France or a Chianti from Italy, but not a Greek wine with a difficult name like Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro, Malagousia or Assyrtiko.
I think that’s a missed opportunity. Step out of your comfort zone and try something unknown!
A Journey through Greek Vineyards
Did you get enthousiastic and do you want to know more about Greek wines? Take a look at those websites:
- Wine Roads of Greece
- Wines of Greece
- Greek Master of Wine Yiannis Karakasis.
The newspaper Ekathimerini published a magazine in 2016 about Greek wines. It’s still online available through: Greece Is… Wine
Niko Dudler of the Dutch company Elxis did an interview with me in November 2023 on Greek wines. You can read the whole interview on the website of Elxis: A Journey Through Greek Vineyards
