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This festive season, we're exploring Europe courtesy of Wines of Greece. Despite its volcanic soils, an ideal climate and one of the oldest cultures of wine history, Greek wine frequently flies under the radar. Greece is a wine producer that you need to get acquainted with, and their incredible cost-to-quality ratio will help seal the deal.
Although Greek wine is made all over the country, the Aegean islands of Crete, Samos, Paros and Santorini are all famous for their viticulture. Lively white wines might be what they're most celebrated for, but Greece also produces several interesting red and rosé wines.
Crete has a wealth of native, high-quality grape varieties, with producers who are focused on capitalizing on their potential. Vidiano is a rising star of the local vineyard, but many other indigenous Greek wine grapes such as dafni, plyto, muscat of Spina and romeiko make up a complex mosaic of distinct aromas and flavours.
Assyrtiko is the most-praised Greek wine variety by professionals all over the world. The grape, which is indigenous to the island of Santorini, produces high-quality wines that are powerful, terroir-driven and bursting with sea-salt minerality.
We've rounded up eight great Greek wines to try, across several grapes and styles, so you can start exploring Wines of Greece today.
8 Greek wines to add to your holiday wish list
Renowned winemaker Michel Rolland has weaved his magic into this Greek wine, which takes cabernet sauvignon, merlot and agiorgitiko and turns it into a robust and pairable wine. The fruit and spice aromas, and noble tannins are a match made in heaven for lamb or soft, mature brie and camembert.
Oenops, a sustainable, low-intervention winery, has produced an elegant white. Winemaker Nikos Karatzas sources indigenous and rare grape varieties, focusing on cool-climate sites and old-vine plots, from carefully selected vineyards in Drama and Macedonia. A lively lemon-green in the glass, this wine has tons of great aromatic intensity and freshness, which comes from the aromas of citrus fruits and stone fruits.
This equal blend of assyrtiko and sauvignon blanc undergoes a controlled fermentation to fully exploit the potential of the two grapes. The result is a richly balanced Greek wine with aromatic notes of exotic fruits, citrus, white pepper and minerality, and a crisp, fruity aftertaste.
Kechribari Retsina comes in an eye-catching 500 ml bottle — and that's not the only thing that impresses us. This wine is pale yellow-green in colour, with a smooth taste of fresh white fruits and spearmint. Balanced and aromatic, this smooth Greek wine pairs beautifully with Greek and Mediterranean mezes.
This white Greek wine, which James Suckling scored 91 points, is vinified in French oak barrels and strikes the perfect balance between acidity and oiliness. Expect aromas of lemon, grapefruit, white peach, nectarine, quince peel and subtle notes of hazelnut paste, oak and salted cashews.
This dry red was made with a blend of grapes from higher-altitude parcels around the village of Fytia and the warmer, lower-elevation parcels adjacent to the village of Trilofos. Cooling winds from the Vermio mountain are crucial for the quality of the grapes. Sip lightly chilled and enjoy the cranberry and herbaceous notes.
Artemis Karamolegos, one of Santorini's most dynamic wineries, was founded in 2004 and has been cultivating beautiful wine ever since. This relatively young assyrtiko was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, on lees for six months. Expect notes of green apple and pink grapefruit with a salinic tension.
This deep red Greek wine — a blend of cabernet sauvignon, mavrodaphne and agiorgitiko grapes — has a complex nose of black fruit and syrups, plus soft tannins and a long aftertaste of sweet spices. Pair with yellow cheeses or roast meat. Drink now or save and use within the next three years.
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