Get to Know Greek Wine with These 9 Bottles (2023)

FAQs

What is the most popular wine in Greece? ›

Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko is one of the most popular Greek products and recognized wine varieties in Greece and can be found all across the country since its production is not limited to one specific region but rather covers the majority of the land.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Olly Smith's 14 Greek wine recommendations. I was particularly thrilled to pick out a Xinomavro from Apostolos Thymiopoulos on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, which led to Majestic reporting a sales rise of over 1,300% – equivalent to three months' sales in a single morning.

Champagne Nebuchadnezzar 15L

Nebuchadnezzars are 15 Litres of Champagne and are equal to 20 standard Champagne bottles.

Retsina from Central Greece

A specialty of Greece is a white wine infused with the sap of the Allepo pine tree. Retsina wines have aromas of linseed oil and lime peel that lead into flavors of apples and roses, with a subtle piney, saline finish.

Ouzo. Ouzo is considered the national drink of Greece. In technical terms, it is either produced by partial distillation or the admixture of plain alcohol with aromatic herbs.

Child: It has to be a good, healthy wine, not necessarily expensive. I often use Italian Chianti. Or Noilly Pratt (dry vermouth) for white wine.

Nama (Greek: Νάμα) is a sweet red wine that is usually used in Greek Orthodox Churches in Holy Communion. It is similar to Mavrodaphne, with the difference that it is sweeter and it contains less alcohol.

Ambrosia was the drink of choice for the Greek Gods: a sweet and ethereal wine so magical that merely tasting it could make you immortal. Ambrosia appears often in classical Greek poetry, but the origins of the word are obscure.

Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Methuselah, Salmanzar

A Rehoboam holds 4.5 litres (six bottles), a Methuselah holds 6 litres (eight bottles), and a Salmanzar holds 9 litres (twelve bottles).

Jeroboam: 3 Liters (4 bottles)

A Jeroboam is also known as a “Double Magnum.” It is typically 18″ in height and 5” wide.

What Biblical name is given to a bottle of wine that holds 4 times as much as a standard bottle? ›

Bee d'Vine magnum bottle is a double-magnum, or a Jeroboam, holding 3 liters of wine which is the equivalent of 4 standard size bottles.

The oldest Greek wine (2,000 years old) served today is the famous white wine, Retsina. The very same wine that the ancient Greeks drank can be tasted today.

VINSANTO wine is still produced in the same way. The name of the wine, VINSANTO (vino-santo: the wine of Santorini) proves wine's unique relation with the island.

Retsina and Assyrtiko, for example, are very well-known wines for Greek food pairing. Malagousia and Spilitsa Argolida are other popular wines that taste great and pair well with traditional Greek dishes. All these wines are great options to sip on wine while enjoying your meal.

Traditionally, Greeks drink at every meal – even young children will be given a glass of watered-down wine. But drinking to excess is frowned on, and you are expected to stay "nice". Most Greeks do this by drinking moderately and eating mezze as they go.

Ouzo is a clear liquid. However, when water or ice is added, ouzo turns a milky-white colour. This is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is completely soluble in alcohol at approximately 38% ABV and above, but not in water.

The official legal drinking age in Greece is 18 in public and you also have to be 18 to buy alcohol. In reality, these laws are not strictly enforced and in many tourist zones, they're not enforced at all.

Considered Greece's national spirit, ouzo (the anise-flavored liqueur) is a fairly boozy drink that is typically served neat in small skinny glasses. (Yes, it's the stuff you see in the infamous drinking scene in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where they raise their glasses and say OPA!)

Kitro of Naxos

Flourishing on the Cycladic island of Naxos, the citron tree produces citron leaves from which the exclusive Kitro liqueur is made. According to the website Greek Federation of Spirit Producers, this is the driest and strongest of all Greek liqueurs, with 36% vol.

In Greece, mastiha (Greek: μαστίχα) or mastichato (Greek: μαστιχάτο) is a sweet liqueur produced with the mastika resin from the Greek island of Chios, which is distilled after hardening to crystals. Sugar is typically added. It is a sweet liqueur that is typically consumed at the end of a meal.

What wine did Johnny Depp buy Amber Heard? ›

The wine, Vega Sicilia says, is ideal for ageing thanks to its terroir and French and American oak barrels used during the 10-year ageing process. “We use new and used 225-litre French and American oak barrels and 22,000-litre wooden vats.

They are saying Mega Pint because Hollywood Actor Johnny Depp made the term famous via it's use in the defamation trial.

It's a spectacular Brunello wine with a full-bodied, rich flavor. For their final meal in Tuscany, Bobby and Giada invite Alessandro and Emanuela back to Montalcino to cook something special. Bobby tackles the task of the Bistecca Fiorentina, and Giada makes something local: gnudi!

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, for example, sacramental wine used in the Divine Liturgy must usually be fermented pure sweet red grape wine. The Greek Orthodox Church favours the use of Mavrodaphne or Nama, while the Russian Orthodox Church favours Kagor.

Approach the Priest/Eucharistic minister and he will hold the chalice in front of you and say, "The Blood of Christ,. to which you respond, "Amen.

Communion wine is a type of altar wine, which is used for religious ceremonies. It is typically made from red or white grape juice, and can be either still or sparkling. In the Catholic Church, communion wine must meet certain requirements to be considered valid for use in Communion.

Amphictyonis/Amphictyonis, Greek goddess of wine and friendship. Bacchus, Roman god of wine, usually identified with the Greek Dionysus.

In the ancient Greek myths, ambrosia (/æmˈbroʊziə, -ʒə/, Ancient Greek: ἀμβροσία 'immortality'), the food or drink of the Greek gods, is often depicted as conferring longevity or immortality upon whoever consumed it.

Greek winemakers enjoy a Mediterranean climate with a long, warm growing season and short winters. White wines are predominant, with about 62 percent of the wines produced being white.

Salmanazars are 9 Litres of Champagne and are equal to 12 Standard Champagne Bottles. Large Bottles of Champagne are named after Biblical figures and the Salmanazar is named after five Assyrian kings, the most famous being Salmanazar III (858-824 BC) who is remembered as a great builder.

What does split mean on a wine menu? ›

Piccolo or Split – The smallest wine bottle that you'll find, these ones are usually used with champagne and offer you a single serving at 187.5 milliliters.

A 15L bottle is referred to as a 'Nebuchadnezzar' and is equal to twenty (yes 20!) bottles, roughly 100 glasses of wine!

oenophile • \EE-nuh-fyle\ • noun. : a lover or connoisseur of wine.

Double magnums are equivalent to two magnums – except in Burgundy and Champagne where the 3-litre format is known as a Jeroboam.

So wines at the time of the Bible were big, round, juicy, austere wines, red or amber in color. That austerity was often cut with water. It was basically required in the ancient world to dilute your wine with a little bit of water to round it out, and you were seen as a barbarian if you didn't do so.

In parallel, it relates these utopian foundations to the development of the four pillars of winemaking: terroir, viticulture, degustation and cellars.

After the account of the great flood, the biblical Noah is said to have cultivated a vineyard, made wine, and become intoxicated. Thus, the discovery of fermentation is traditionally attributed to Noah because this is the first time alcohol appears in the Bible.

Limnio is one of the oldest grape varieties allover the world. Its origin is the Island of Lemnos, but it's widely cultivated in Northern Greece. It's a red grape variety with botanic character accompanied by aromas of red fruits.

Unique Varietals

Greece has over 200 indigenous grape varietals, including Xinomavro, Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko and Savatino. As Greece is the only country using these grapes, they produce wines that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Why did Greeks dilute their wine? ›

The Greeks diluted their wine with water (1 part wine to 3 parts water), although the Macedonians scandalously drank theirs neat. This dilution helped prevent excessive alcoholism, which was (at least by the elite) considered a trait of 'barbarian' foreign cultures and which was widely parodied in Greek comedy plays.

Vinsanto. Vinsanto is a dessert wine hailing from Santorini. It is made with sun-dried Assyrtiko and Aidani grapes. Despite a surprisingly similar name, this Greek wine does not have much in common with the more famous Vin Santo from Tuscany.

The most expensive Greek wine, LΛPO , is a Rose that you can find at the price of 1200.00 Euro / bottle, produced in very small quantity, about 700 bottles per year . LΛΡΟ dry rose wine, is an outstanding member of the wine club, created with true passion for wine trips, modern winemaking, beautiful aromas and nature.

LIMNIONA FROM THESSALY

Limniona (“lim-nee-ona”) is Greece's answer to Pinot Noir, producing wines with fragrant aromas of red-berries and rose petals, over delicate, rounded, silky texture.

Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko is one of the most popular Greek products and recognized wine varieties in Greece and can be found all across the country since its production is not limited to one specific region but rather covers the majority of the land.

Be prepared to always have your cup runneth over when having dinner with Greeks. Wine, Saltiel says, "always was and still is" served at every dinner.

Greece is primarily known for its white grape varieties. Among them, Assyrtiko tops the list of the finest Greek wine varieties. Indigenous to the island of Santorini, Assyrtiko is now grown in other places in Greece too, mainly on the Cyclades Islands.

Greek Red is a catch-all category of traditional Greek red varieties. Examples of these wines include Agiorgitiko, Mavrodaphne, Xinomavro, St. George and Moschomavro.

Nowadays a lot of the wine produced in Greece is of outstanding quality and a large number of Greek wine producers have gained international recognition for the quality of their wines, their excellent viticulture skills and their unique grape varieties that they cultivate (some nearly extinct and others that go back to ...

What is the best Greek pinot noir? ›

1. LIMNIONA FROM THESSALY. Greece's answer to Pinot Noir. Limniona (“lim-nee-ona”) is Greece's answer to Pinot Noir, producing wines with fragrant aromas of red-berries and rose petals, over delicate, rounded, silky texture.

Most wines are dry and you can find drinkable1. 5 l blended bottles for around 5 euros. There are also many good wines bottled by the producer for around 7 to 10 euros .

Agiorgitiko

The flagship of Greek red wine varieties is Agiorgitiko, the most widely planted red grape in Greece.

Retsina and Assyrtiko, for example, are very well-known wines for Greek food pairing. Malagousia and Spilitsa Argolida are other popular wines that taste great and pair well with traditional Greek dishes. All these wines are great options to sip on wine while enjoying your meal.

Santorini is also renowned for its excellent Vinsanto wines—made from late-harvest, sun-dried white grapes and aged for at least two years in oak. These can include rich flavors of rum, sultanas, plums and menthol.

In Greece only 29 wine regions are designated PDO or Protected Designation of Origin. Wine with this designation has to be one of the 300 Greek varietals, indigenous, and historically grown and produced within the boundaries of the region.