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Wines in Greece


Wines in Greece

To be able to purchase alcohol in Greece you must be 17, but there is no legal drinking age. IDing is infrequent, especially in venues that sell food. (many independant fast food outlets will serve alcohol) Greece, an ancient wine producing country, offer a wide variety of local wines, from indigenous and imported grape varieties, including fortified and even sparkling wines. Greek wines are generally not available on the international market, as production is relatively small, costs are quite high and little remains for export. However, in the past decade Greek wines have won many international prizes, with the rise of a new generation of wineries. Exports are rising as well. Wine (Krasi: κρασι / oenos: οίνος) is most Greeks' drink of choice. Almost every taverna has "barrel wine," usually local, which is usually of good quality and a bargain (6-8 EUR per kilo, but check this before ordering when you are in a touristy area!). If they have it, try also the Imiglyko (Half-Sweet) red, even if sweet wine is usually not your preferred thing, it is diffrent from anything you know. Retsina is a "resinated wine" with a strong, distinctive taste that can take some getting used to; the flavor comes from pine resin, which was once employed as a sealant for wine flasks and bottles. The most well-known and cheap-n-dirty is "Kourtaki Retsina". Bottled wines have gotten increasingly more expensive; some that the beginner may find worth trying are whites from Santorini and reds from Naoussa and Drama. Local producers include:
  • Boutari (regions: Peloponnese, Crete, Goumenissa, Santorini, Naoussa).
  • Skouras (region of Peloponnese). Good selection found in several tourist shops in Nafplion.
  • Mercouri Estate (region of Peloponnese).
  • Gentilini (region of Kefalonia). Recommended by Dorling Kindesley's Eyewitness Travel Guides: Greek Islands, 2001;
  • region of Santorini:
  • region of Crete:
  • Tsantali

  • The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Greece


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    Greece Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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