Greece Wine Tours
Explore Greece's Rich Wine Heritage with feast
Get to know brilliant winemakers on these journeys
Embark on a Culinary Adventure Through Greece's Famed Vineyards
Greek wine is one of the most intricate systems to understand, with around 300 official Greek wine varieties. Some suggest there may be up to 1,300 different Greek grape varieties, though this could be an overstatement.
Greece produces a vast array of table wines, as well as renowned dessert and fortified wines. Three primary regions known for their high-quality wines are Macedonia, the Peloponnese, and Crete.
With feast travel, we'll take you on wine tours, where we can discover ancient, indigenous grape varieties and traditional wine-making methods. Each wine is a story in a glass, and we want to experience these remarkable stories together.
Greece's wines
Greek wines are organized according to the European system of PDO and PGI products. For wines, the three quality categories are Epitrapezios (table wine), PGE (Prostatevomenis Geografikis Endixis - protected geographical indication), and POP (Prostatevomenis Onomasías Proelefsis - protected designation of origin). All three must adhere to strict regulations regarding the vineyards, grapes, yield, chemical characteristics, and more.
POP wines undergo additional testing and tasting by an official panel before bottling to ensure high standards.
However, also in Greece many young producers now choose not to follow the rigid and sometimes outdated system of PDO wines, seeking more freedom to express their vineyards and terroir.
This diversity can make navigating Greek wines challenging, which is why we want to take you on our wine tours to feast-approved winemakers.
Climate and Soil
Despite its strong maritime character, Greece has a high proportion of mountainous terrain. The soils of limestone, granite and volcanic rock and the prevailing Mediterranean climate with short, humid, mild winters and dry, hot summers have a favourable effect on viticulture. The often dry autumns usually produce fully ripe grapes with relatively low acidity. Most of the wine-growing areas are located near the coast with moderating sea breezes. In order to give the wines more structure, vineyards are deliberately planted at high altitudes. The extended vegetation cycle allows the vines to build up more extract and achieve higher acidity levels. One effective method of slowing down the ripening process is to deliberately plant vineyards on north-facing slopes.
Growing areas and Regions
In 2022, the vineyards covered 95,922 hectares and the wine production volume was 2.1 million hectolitres.
Viticulture is practiced, often on a small scale on a few hectares, throughout Greece on the mainland and also on all the larger islands.
- Aegan and Cyclades
- Epirus
- Ionian Islands
- Thessaly
- Thrace
- Central Greece
Peloponnese (~25% overall production) Explore Agiorgitiko and Moschofilero wines from Peloponnese. Nemea is within the Peloponnese, close to the Gulf of Corinth. Agiorgitiko is the red wine produced here, known for its rich and complex flavors; it’s lighter and more “pinot-like” than some of its northern counterparts. The Peloponnese also produces excellent Moschofilero, a fragrant white wine, especially around the Mantinia region.
Crete (~12% overall production) Discover Liatiko and Vidiano wines from Crete. Heraklion is a key wine region within Crete, near the northern coast. Liatiko is the red wine produced here, known for its light, aromatic profile, reminiscent of Pinot Noir. Crete also produces exceptional Vidiano, a versatile white wine, particularly in the regions around Rethymno.
Greek Macedonia (~7% overall production) Explore Xinomavro and sparkling wines from Northern Macedonia. Naoussa is a key wine region within Northern Macedonia, near Mount Vermio. Xinomavro is the red wine produced here, known for its complex and age-worthy profile; it’s lighter and more “pinot-like” than some of its counterparts from other regions. Northern Macedonia also produces some excellent sparkling wines, particularly around the Amyndeon region, which are celebrated for their crisp and refreshing qualities.
