A sailing trip along the sun-drenched Cyclades. And then dine at dusk in a picturesque harbour where time stands still. With a sparkling glass of wine, of course. Because Greece offers a surprising variety of wines in 2025.
Text: Peter Bijpost
Greece is not only a beautiful holiday country, but also the cradle of Western civilisation. In areas such as art, literature, philosophy, democracy and science, the country reached great heights in Classical Antiquity. The introduction of viticulture in the Mediterranean is also due to the ancient Greeks. Greek colonists settled in Sicily and southern Italy, Spain and France some 2,500 years ago, and introduced the first vines there. After the Romans took over the (wine) baton and further spread wine culture, Greece quickly lost its hegemony as a wine country.
Only in the second half of the 20th century did we learn about Greek wine in the Netherlands, on holiday, on the radio (Udo Jürgens - Griechischer Wein, 1974), and in Greek restaurants.
In particular, retsina became famous. The typical taste of this white wine is due to the pine resin added - a relic from the time when Greek wine amphorae were sealed airtight with resin. In addition, mostly powerful red wines with a considerable wood influence came from Greece, matching simple meat dishes like gyros and souvlaki. Qualitatively, the wines were quite basic and the resin flavour of retsina soon started to be disappointing. Add to this the difficult names on the labels, and it makes sense that Greek wine never really became successful.
Much has changed in recent decades. Greece's wine landscape is characterised by a wide variety of soil types, altitudes, microclimates, autochthonous grape varieties and regional wine styles. Younger winemakers - who are better educated, have international experience and successfully combine tradition and innovation - are now managing to turn these characteristics into contemporary wines that do catch on abroad.
Pitsilia, Tsiakkas, Pitsilia, Greece 2022
The Tsiakkas company in the Pitsilia wine region, in the middle of the island of Cyprus, started planting grapes such as chardonnay, cabernet and merlot in the early 1990s. Today, they focus more on grapes found only in Cyprus, such as xynisteri. The vineyard is located over 1,000 metres above sea level and the wine is characterised by fresh, fruity impressions of melon and bergamot and a slight wood support. Delicious with lunch!
Importer: Oenopolis € 22,90 | Pouring temperature 8-12 degrees
Cuvée Prestige Extra Brut, Domaine Karanika, Amyntaion, Greece 2017
Laurens Hartman, son of a Greek mother, and his wife Anette van Kampen, decided in 2004 to say goodbye to the publishing world and start making wine. Preferably sparkling, but something special. In western Macedonia, they found what they were looking for: a 110-year-old vineyard high in the mountains of Amyndeon, a cool climate, and regional grapes with potential (the red xinomauro and the white assyrtiko) - grown organically. The sparkling wines they make can now be found in restaurants and wine bars around the world. The Cuvée Prestige is a blend of 70% assyrtiko and 30% xinomauro that ages for four years in bottle. Lots of substance in aroma and flavour: pear, apricot, caramel, fresh acidity and lingering fine bubbles.
Importer: Champagnist € 39 | Pouring temperature 10-12 degrees
Roditis Maceration, Ktima Ligas, IGP Pella, Greece 2021
Pella in Macedonia was known as one of the best wine regions in Classical Antiquity, but by the 20th century it was almost devoid of viticulture. Thomas Ligas was one of the pioneers who rediscovered the area around 1985. By strengthening the biodiversity of his vineyards and adopting biodynamic cultivation methods, the Ligas family now makes characterful natural wines of great depth based on regional grape varieties. Like this expressive roditis, an orange wine with three weeks of ageing on the skins: soft in flavour with impressions of spices, apricot and orange peel.
Importer: Pure Wines € 31,50 | Pouring temperature 12 degrees
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