Homer mentioned wine in The Iliad and The Odyssey, and Dionysus, the god of celebration, embodied it. Ancient Greeks gathered for symposia centered on wine. For nearly 4,000 years wine has been integral to Greek life, but only in the past decade—after significant modernization of winemaking—has Greek wine gained wider international recognition. Produced largely from native grape varieties seldom found elsewhere, many Greek wines are now available in shops worldwide, often priced between about $10 and $23.
Among Greece’s white wines, Domaine Mercouri’s Roditis 2008 from the Foloi area of Ilia is a pale, fresh, dry wine that works beautifully as an apéritif. By contrast, Sigalas Assyrtiko 2008 from Santoríni is full-bodied and assertive, well suited to heartier dishes.
Agiorgitiko is Greece’s principal red grape and yields some of the country’s finest rosés and reds. For a rosé, Gaia Estate’s Agiorgitiko 14–18 2008 from Nemea offers a delicate strawberry-pink hue and a long, pleasing finish. As a red, Gaia Estate’s Agiorgitiko 2005, also from Nemea, is round and velvety with a hint of cardamom in the aroma and a lingering aftertaste. Xinomavro, the country’s second-most widely planted red, is frequently blended; for example, it appears alongside Krasato and Stavroto in Tsantali’s 2003 reserve from the Rapsani region.
For dessert, consider Parparousis’s Muscat of Rio-Patras 2003, an elixir-like sweet wine. Greece also produces its own fortified-style dessert wine, Mavrodaphne; Kourtaki Mavrodaphne from Patras is a non-vintage example with a liqueur-like texture and high sugar content. It’s enjoyable sipped after a meal, often served over ice with a twist of lemon to balance the sweetness.
Because Greek grape names and wine labels are transliterated from the Greek alphabet, spellings can vary—an “i” on one label may appear as a “y” on another. Regardless of spelling, the tradition of wine in Greece endures, and Dionysus’s legacy still feels present in its vineyards and tables.