Top 10 Wineries in Greece
Greece has been producing wine for over three thousand years. The ancient connection has sometimes been a burden — for decades, Greek wine was dismissed as tourist retsina — but a generation of quality-focused winemakers trained in France and Australia has transformed the country's reputation since the 1980s. The key discovery is the quality of Greece's indigenous varieties: Assyrtiko, with its volcanic mineral intensity on Santorini; Xinomavro, the brooding, high-acid, high-tannin red of Naoussa that rewards comparison to Nebbiolo; and Agiorgitiko from Nemea, plush and versatile. These ten estates represent the finest producers working with these varieties.
1. Domaine Sigalas, Santorini
Paris Sigalas established his estate in 1991 on the island of Santorini, where Assyrtiko grows in the traditional kouloura (basket) vine training that protects the grapes from the island's fierce winds. Sigalas Assyrtiko is the benchmark for the variety — a bone-dry white of volcanic mineral intensity, citrus concentration, and saline freshness that ages magnificently for a decade or more. The Kavalieros single-vineyard Assyrtiko, from a specific coastal site, is the prestige expression; the Barrel Assyrtiko demonstrates the variety's capacity for oak-integrated complexity. Domaine Sigalas also produces the traditional Santorini sweet wine Vinsanto from sun-dried Assyrtiko and Aidani — a wine with its own PDO status, deep amber in colour and extraordinarily complex.
2. Estate Argyros, Santorini
The Argyros family has farmed Santorini's volcanic pumice soils for over a century, and the estate under Mattheos Argyros is now widely considered the finest producer on the island. The Argyros Assyrtiko is the benchmark wine; the Cuvée Monsignori is a single-vineyard expression from the estate's oldest vines (some over 200 years old) in Episkopi Gonia. The old-vine expression of Santorini Assyrtiko achieves a concentration and complexity that places it among the world's great dry whites. The Argyros Vinsanto 20-year-aged and the amber Nykteri (a traditionally night-harvested style) are historically important expressions of the island's diversity.
3. Gaia Wines, Nemea and Santorini
Gaia is unique among Greek estates in producing benchmark wines in two completely different regions: Nemea in the Peloponnese and Santorini in the Aegean. The Gaia Estate Agiorgitiko from Nemea is one of the finest expressions of the variety — deep colour, plum and cherry fruit, silky tannin — while the Gaia Wild Ferment Assyrtiko from Santorini is one of the most complex and mineral expressions of the island's flagship variety. Co-founders Yiannis Paraskevopoulos (winemaker) and Leon Karatsalos (viticulturist) established the brand in 1994 and have built it into one of Greece's most internationally recognised labels.
4. Tselepos, Mantinia and Nemea
Yiannis Tselepos trained at Dijon and returned to Mantinia in the Peloponnese to produce benchmark Moschofilero — the fragrant, pale-copper-skinned variety that makes delicate, aromatic dry whites and rosés from the 650-metre altitude plateau of Mantinia PDO. The Tselepos Mantinia Moschofilero is a perennial reference for the variety: floral, watermelon, and citrus, with the natural low alcohol (around 11%) that the cool high altitude produces. The estate also produces serious Nemea Agiorgitiko under the Kokkinohori label. Tselepos was instrumental in lobbying for the creation of quality appellations for both Mantinia and Nemea.
5. Skouras, Nemea
George Skouras is among the most important figures in modern Greek wine: trained in Dijon and Bordeaux, he returned to the Peloponnese in 1986 and established his estate near Argos. The Megas Oenos — a blend of Agiorgitiko and Cabernet Sauvignon from Nemea — was one of the first Greek wines to achieve significant international recognition for blending indigenous with international varieties. The Saint George Agiorgitiko is the flagship 100% varietal expression; the Zoe Agiorgitiko and Moscofilero are the accessible range. Skouras's winemaking precision and Bordeaux training are visible in the wines' structure and ageing potential.
6. Boutari, Naoussa and Santorini
Boutari, founded in Naoussa in 1879, is the oldest family-owned wine company in northern Greece and the most important historical producer of Xinomavro — the indigenous red grape of Naoussa PDO, Macedonia. The Grande Reserve Naoussa Xinomavro, aged for at least two years in oak and two years in bottle before release, is one of Greece's most age-worthy reds — with the high acidity, elevated tannin, and tomato-paste aromatics that characterise the variety at its best. Boutari also produces serious Santorini Assyrtiko from estate vineyards on the island. The company's investment in multiple Greek PDO regions has made it a de facto ambassador for Greek wine quality internationally.
7. Ktima Biblia Chora, Kavala, Macedonia
Vangelis Gerovassiliou (one of Greece's most respected winemakers) and Vassilis Tsaktsarlis established Biblia Chora in Kokkinohori, near Kavala in eastern Macedonia, in 1998. The volcanic and limestone soils of this relatively cool sub-region of northern Greece prove suited to both white and red varieties. The Biblia Chora White (Semillon-Assyrtico blend) and Biblia Chora Red (Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot) are the flagship expressions — the red in particular has established itself as one of northern Greece's most internationally acclaimed wines. The Ovilos White (pure Semillon from old vines) is a distinctive curiosity that demonstrates the variety's adaptation to Greek conditions.
8. Domaine Schinas, Mantinia
A smaller Mantinia estate producing focused Moschofilero from high-altitude vineyards, Domaine Schinas represents the artisan tier of Peloponnese winemaking. The estate's Moschofilero expresses the variety's characteristic rose petal, mandarin, and spice aromatics with particular precision and freshness. Relatively small production and a commitment to minimal-intervention winemaking have built Schinas a following among sommelier-focused buyers in European export markets, where Mantinia Moschofilero occupies an increasingly important position as an unusual dry white with genuine gastronomic versatility.
9. Antonopoulos Vineyards, Patras and Achaia
The Antonopoulos family estate in Achaia, in the northwestern Peloponnese near Patras, produces Chardonnay and Roditis (the local white variety) alongside Cabernet Sauvignon from a well-sited hill vineyard. The Antonopoulos Adoli Ghis White (Chardonnay-Roditis) is the flagship, demonstrating the Peloponnese's capacity for complex, mineral-driven dry whites at altitude. The Nero d'Avola parallel (a local grape planted experimentally) and the Cabernet Sauvignon represent the red wine range. Antonopoulos is also known for producing one of the better sweet Muscat wines in the Patras designation — Muscat of Patras PDO is one of Greece's oldest and most traditional sweet wine appellations.
10. Manousakis Winery, Crete
Nikos Manousakis established his estate in Vatolakkos, Chania, on the western tip of Crete, planting Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Roussanne alongside the Cretan indigenous variety Vidiano. The Nostos range (Grenache, Roussanne, and blends) has established Manousakis as one of Crete's most internationally focused producers. The Nostos Grenache is particularly acclaimed — from Mediterranean garrigue-influenced vineyards at modest altitude, producing a dark, spicy, fruit-saturated red that rivals southern Rhône in weight and complexity. Crete's wine industry, dominated historically by bulk cooperatives, has a growing artisan tier of which Manousakis is among the most visible representatives.
Indigenous Varieties: The Key to Understanding Greek Wine
The quality revolution in Greek wine is inseparable from the rediscovery and promotion of indigenous varieties. Assyrtiko (Santorini and mainland plantings) is now recognised globally as one of the finest white wine varieties in existence for mineral, ageable dry wine. Xinomavro (Naoussa, Amyntaio, Goumenissa), with its combination of high acid, high tannin, and distinctive tomato and dried rose aromatics, invites comparison to Nebbiolo and rewards long cellaring. Agiorgitiko (Nemea) is more approachable, producing deeply coloured, plum-fruited reds of varying ambition. Moschofilero (Mantinia) offers a distinctive aromatic dry white of genuine gastronomic interest. These are not obscure varieties for novelty's sake but genuinely world-class grapes that deserve the same attention as Chardonnay and Cabernet.
Explore Greek Wineries on the Map
Greek producers from Naoussa in Macedonia to Santorini in the Cyclades are all plotted on the winery map. Filter to Greece, select a region, and build a tasting itinerary around the country's extraordinary range of indigenous varieties and appellations.