GuildSomm International
GuildSomm International
Menu
  • Join
  • Sign in
  • Site
  • Search
  • User

Guides

  • Staff Training Guides
  • Entrenamiento del Personal
  • Study Guides
  • Expert Guides

Articles

  • Feature Articles
  • MW Perspectives

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Webinars

E-Learning

  • 101 Courses
  • Regional Courses

Resources

  • Producer Profiles
  • Vintages
  • Wine Law Compendium
  • Review Quizzes
  • Blind Tasting
  • Maps

Community

  • Discussions
  • Study Forums

Explore

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Beer
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Coffee & Tea
  • Eastern Europe
  • Eastern Mediterranean
  • Fortified Wines
  • France
  • Germany
  • Grape Varieties
  • Greece
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Portugal
  • Sake
  • Service & Hospitality
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Spirits
  • Studying & Certification
  • Switzerland
  • Tasting
  • United States
  • Viticulture & Vinification
  • Wine Business
  • About GuildSomm
  • GuildSomm Events
  • Industry Events
  • Find Members
  • Job Board
  • Shop
  • +General Topics
  • -Wine Regions
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Bordeaux
    • Burgundy
    • Canada
    • Champagne Part I: Introduction
    • Champagne Part II: Viticulture and Winemaking
    • Chile
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy Part I: Introduction to Italy
    • Italy Part II: Central Italy
    • Italy Part III: Northern Italy
    • Italy Part IV: Southern Italy
    • Loire Valley
    • Napa Valley
    • New Zealand
    • Pacific Northwest
    • Portugal: Dry Wines
    • Sonoma County and North Coast
    • South Africa
    • Spain
  • +History
  • +Other Beverages

You are currently reviewing an older revision of this page.

  • History View current version

Greece

If Greek wine has already seen a new dawn, one thing is for sure: it is just the beginning.
New wineries, new faces, and new ideas crop up at every harvest and at an ever-accelerating pace,
making Greece one of the most vibrant wine regions in the world.
-Konstantinos Lazarakis, MW, "The Wines of Greece"
Contents
  1. History of Greece
  2. Greek Wine in Context
  3. The Land
  4. Climate
  5. Greek Wine Law
  6. The Grapes of Greece
  7. Regions of Greece
  8. Bibliography

History of Greece

The Greeks played a fundamental role in the history of wine. They not only spread vines and knowledge of winemaking to many nations but also were extremely enthusiastic consumers, incorporating wine into a range of cultural activities. This created lasting associations that continue to inform wine’s elevated reputation and stature. Wine was of religious importance (Dionysus, god of wine and therefore hedonism, which evolved to become Rome’s Bacchus) and military consequence (it was rationed to soldiers), was celebrated for its medicinal properties, was the liquid fuel of philosophers, and was drunk both by leaders and the lower classes. It was also a yardstick against which the Greeks measured their enemies. Beer-drinking societies such as the Gauls were looked down upon, and those that consumed undiluted wine, such as Thracians, were equally scorned. In short, the Greeks viewed not just the consumption of wine, but the proper consumption of wine, as essential to keeping civilization civilized. Toward this end, the Greek oenohoos could even be considered the forerunner to the sommelier. These proto-sommeliers were responsible for blending wine and water during the era’s many symposia, in an effort to stoke spirited discourse while avoiding crass drunkenness—a fine balance indeed.

 Depiction of an oenohoos

What is defined today as “Greek wine” is wine made within Greece’s current political boundaries. This sounds straightforward, but those boundaries have changed many times over the

GuildSomm
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Incident Reporting
  • Contact
  • How to Pitch
  • Policies
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
App Store Google Play
© 2025 GuildSomm

Join to continue reading.

GuildSomm members enjoy exclusive access to educational content, classes, and a robust professional network. If you're a wine professional, GuildSomm is for you! Our members represent every facet of the industry and stage of a beverage career.

Join now