Greek vineyards and wines

Three things shape the personality of wines: grape variety, territory characteristics and winegrowers care. All three are there in the case of Greece. The territory seems ideal since it lies between latitude 35° to 41° and benefits from the proximity to the sea. The indigenous grape varieties are numerous and excellent in quality. Further the vinification has a tradition counting millennia. Equally important is that today’s Greek winemakers complement this tradition with the added benefit of studies and work experience in France where some of them learned the secrets of modern winemaking.

Unless you are a professional you do not need to go into an elaborate and detailed presentation of all Greek vineyard traits. For the informed visitor some initial orientation is a good starting point. Tasting and asking will contribute the rest in a most pleasant way. We therefore give, here, a first initiation.

Five grape varieties closely associated with five wine producing regions emerge as important in the Greek vineyard:

Xinomavro grapes are cultivated in several parts of Northern Greece, four of which give excellent dry red PDO wines

Agiorgitico grapes in Peloponnesus give Nemea, another very popular PDO red wine.

Moschofílero in Peloponnesus gives Mantinea a dry white PDO wine.

Asyrtiko in the island of Santorini gives a homonym PDO dry white wine and a sweet white wine by the name of Vinsanto (Vino di Santorini).

Several varieties of grapes indigenous in Greece.