Southern Greece

SOUTHERN GREECE - CRETE - SANTORINI

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Does wine taste better when sipped on its home soil? Greek wine is ancient, and bottles made from the country’s 300-plus indigenous grapes are food-friendly with serious value for money. Greek wines are ripe for discovery. The country’s winemakers produce everything from flinty white wines grown in volcanic soils to dynamic rosés to red wines with racy acidity and grippy tannins. They’re increasingly available, too.

The Southern Greece wine region is situated on the mainland of Greece and includes regions such as Peloponnese, Kefalonia, and Crete. The climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild winters, and the terrain is hilly and mountainous.

Primary grape varieties include Agiorgitiko, Moschofilero, Assyrtiko, and Robola. The wines produced here are known for their complexity and depth of flavor, with red wines typically being full-bodied and rich, while white wines tend to be crisp and aromatic.

This region is particularly renowned for its dry red wines, with the Agiorgitiko grape being the star player. In Peloponnese, the red Agiorgitiko grape is prominent, producing full-bodied, fruity wines.

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Let's hop over to a few wine islands while we're in town to feel ourselves relax as we lie in the sun on a scenic volcanic black sand beach.

Wine-making is not an activity that many people associate with the Greek islands, but several islands are noted for their wines and vineyards including Crete, Samos and Santorini. These three islands have a long history of winemaking, with Crete being very highly-rated recently by Wine Enthusiast magazine. Samos makes some of the best dessert wines in the world. Santorini is the perfect place to sip and nibble and learn about Santorini’s unique vine management techniques, discover local varieties such as assyrtiko, and taste at least 12 wines. We'll stop at a cliff-top winery, which offers spectacular views of the Aegean by day.

The U.S. is a major export market for Greek wine, and the caliber of bottles sent our way continues to climb. There are more importers bringing in really high quality wines from both small and larger wineries, and it feels now that a good range of wines are being represented! One thing we wish people knew about Greek wines is that if it’s been a while since you’ve given them a go, the market has come a long way from the table wine at the Greek restaurants of the past.

southern greece - CRETE - santorini