Giving an account of the history of Greek wine can well amount to a fascinating journey down the passage of time, being such a multi-faceted and complex endeavor that can only be compared to giving an account of Greek history itself!
The mere mention of the key points of the history of Greek wine would require an inter-disciplinary study that would take many years and tens of volumes to cover the innumerable sources: the archeological finds, the historical references, the research, studies and publications on viticulture, winemaking, the wines themselves and their importance for Greece and its people over the centuries.
Still, every true wine lover stands to gain much even from a brief overview of the history of Greek winethat will initiate him into the exploration of a “magical” wine world; even though it would concern the most ancient part of the “old world” of wine, it can steer wine lovers into an experience of discovery and exploration by proposing something even newer than “New World” wines: the new wines of Greece.
Throughout the age-old history of Greek wine, the association of vine and wine has been inextricably linked with the inhabitants of this corner of the world, in every nook and cranny of the country. And so, inevitably, any account of the history of Greek wine will encompass elements relating to Greece’s culture, economy, religion, social as well as everyday life, and include the regions where viticulture, winemaking and wine consumption flourished.
The history of Greek wine spans a remarkably long period of time in the annals of History. When it comes to vine cultivation and wine production on an uninterrupted basis that period is the longest one worldwide. The beginnings of winegrowing in the Greek domain lay behind recorded history and are lost in the mists of time. Since time immemorial, vine and wine have faithfully traveled together with Greece and its inhabitants on their historical journey, time after time, insouciantly moving forth without ever pausing or ceasing! There have been times when both vine and wine have received their due and have been touted. Yet, there have been other times when they have remained in obscurity, cast in the shadow by the momentous events occurring in the much-tormented land they have been born of. In each and every case, plunging into the unchartered depths of time undoubtedly indicates the degree of maturity behind Greek terroirs and winegrowers in the creation of the new wines of Greece.
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- Prehistoric times
Wine grape vines are self-sown in Greece, and evidence of their existence can be traced to times even beyond the Ice Age. Vine growing and wine making in Greece are age-old and are among the primordial activities of humankind in prehistoric times (4500-1050 AD).
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- The early historic times
After 1000 BC and following a period of decline (Greece’s so-called “dark ages”), in the early historic times (1050-700 BC), the Geometric period began when Greeks began moving towards the Aegean and the coast of Asia Minor.
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- The Archaic period
By the Archaic period, in the 7th century BC, winegrowing has spread throughout the Greek realm since both climate and soil favor it.
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- The Classical period
The Golden Age of Athens (5th century BC) is part of the Classical period (480-323 BC). It was an age which has become interwoven with perfection and timelessness; with the birth of democracy and philosophy; with the building of the Parthenon, and with Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine” and so much more; it was the age of great classical writers, tragedists, and philosophers whose works and deeds sang the praises of Greek wine; it was the age of the greatest wines of antiquity; it was a time when, by the standards of that time, international wine commerce experienced its most remarkable growth ever. Transactions were often carried out with “wine” coinage as payment and advanced viticultural and winegrowing means and techniques were being firmly established.
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- Hellenistic times
The end of the Classical period, which was Greek wine’s most illustrious time period, came after the death of Alexander the Great who was one of the greatest military leaders in world history. Not only did he spread Greek civilization to such places as Egypt and India but he also promoted winegrowing colonization.
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- The Roman period
As of the middle of the 2nd century BC, during the Roman period (146 BC-324 AD) Greece was under Roman rule. On encountering Greek culture, the Romans would adopt many a Greek cultural elements out of which the “Graeco-Roman” civilization would emerge.
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- Byzantine times
In the early 4th century, the capital of the Roman Empire moved to Byzantium (324-1453) and was named Constantinople after Emperor Constantine, its founder. Christianity had become Byzantium’s official religion and had spread throughout the Empire (two centuries before the fall of Constantinople, a Christian saint, Agios Tryfon, would become the patron saint of vintners).
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- Venetian rule
Even during the Crusades and after Constantinople had been taken by the Ottomans in 1453, the Europeans (the Franks, Venetians and Genoese) had been conspicuously present in Greece, especially in the south and on the islands where they still pitted themselves against the fleet of the Ottoman Empire.
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- Ottoman rule
Under Ottoman rule (1453-1821), the wealth of the Greek vineyard was left untapped as, in contrast to preceding rulers, the Ottoman Turks, whose Moslem religion forbade wine, saw no need to take advantage of it.
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- Independent Greece
The 1821 Greek War of Independence, which with intervals went on for about six years and left much of the resources of the country in tatters, was inevitably disastrous for the Greek vineyard.
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- Modern times
Greece was ushered into modern times (1945-1975) with most of its infrastructure and productive potential ruined after World War II and the ensuring bitter civil war. It was reduced to a mere viewer of global wine developments.
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- The new Greek wine revival
The new Greek wine revival, as it is called by many, occurred during the last decades of the 20thcentury, marked by various events in both the vine growing and winemaking domains. In those days, the large winemaking concerns aside, small-to-medium size producers began to emerge.
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- “Yia mas!”
Today, wine lovers the world over can enjoy the excellence of the new Greek wines, produced from varieties and vineyards which for millennia on end have yielded wines which were renowned in their time and have been entered in the annals of worl wine history.
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- 1999 – The Thessaloniki International Wine Competition
The Thessaloniki International Wine Competition is Greece’s official wine competition run according to modern standards. It was established in 1999 by the “Wine Producers Association of the Northern Greece Vineyard” whose name, as of 2010, has been changed to “Wines of Northern Greece”. The competition takes place under the auspices of and in collaboration with all […]
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- 1997 – The Panhellenic Union of Greek Sommeliers
PENO, the Panhellenic Union of Greek Sommeliers, was established in 1997 with a view to upgrading the role of wine in all venues where it appears and is consumed. The Union has had some significant landmarks in its history such as the two “Best Sommelier in the World” competitions it has organized in Greece.
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- 1994 – Oenorama and Dionyssia
The two most comprehensive and significant wine exhibitions in Greece are Oenorama and Dionyssia. Oenorama was held for the first time in 1994 and Dionyssia in 2000. The two events, held in Athens, rotate in February or March, with Dionyssia held on odd years and Oenorama on even ones. Both are organized by Vinetum, the wine […]
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- 1971 – Protected Designation of Origin of Greek wines
The effort to protect and safeguard the Protected Designation of Origin of Greek wines by legislation began in 1971. It was then that the first, modern Protected Designations of Origin of Greek wineswere established. A few years later more wines followed, together with the recognition of Local Wines. As of the end of the 21st century’s first decade, Greece […]
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- 1952 – The Wine Institute
Although established since 1937, the Wine Institute has operated as a scientific and research center on Greek wine since 1952, in collaboration with the Vine Institute. Directed by Stavroula Kourakou-Dragona, a former president of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), the Institute studied the viticultural characteristics of the main Greek grape varieties. The resulting data […]
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- 1949 – Establishment of Greek wine agencies
The establishment of Greek wine agencies began after World War II. The Federation of Greek Wines and Spirits Industries (SEVOP) was established in 1949. In 1995, due to the difference in the dynamics of its products, the Federation was divided into the Greek Federation of Spirits Producers (SEAOP) and the Greek Wine Federation (SEO). SEO, in tandem […]
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- 1898 – Phylloxera in Greece
Phylloxera is a pest which eats away at the roots of vines and withers the plants’ leaves. Arriving from America in the second half of the 19th century, it nearly wiped out Europe’s vineyards. But it was also from America that the solution arrived, in the form of pest-resistant rootstocks (rootstocks: the underground part of […]
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- 1879 – The currant crisis
As of 1879, Greece had been exporting large quantities of currants to France, due to the fact that the French vineyards had been blighted by phylloxera. Demand, with a view to producing currant wine, was enormous. About a decade later, however, French production was restored, resulting in the 1893 Greek currant crisis which not only drove many […]
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- 1858 – The advent of modern Greek winemaking
The advent of modern Greek winemaking can be traced to 1855 when the Greek state established a model winery in Athens. In 1858, the companies exporting currants established the first Greek wine industries in the currant-dominated areas of Patras and Cephalonia. In the 1870’s, the first large-scale winegrowers-winemakers would make their appearance in Attica (Kifissia), while […]
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- 1841 – Santorini wine exports
In the 19th century, before the establishment of the first large Greek wineries which marked the advent of modern winemaking, the largest exporter of wine in Greece was Santorini, with Samos in second place. During that time, Santorini would send its wines chiefly to Russia on ships flying the Russian flag. Still, Santorini wine exports did not stop […]
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- 1836 – The first Greek oenologists
In 1836, the first Greek winemaking guidebook was published, written by agriculturist Grigorios Palaiologos. The following year, St. Valezis left for France on a scholarship and became the first Greek oenologist. Three more young people, Nikolaidis, Mikroulis, and Georgiadis followed on scholarships in 1885. In 1926, a number of oenologists who had newly graduated from Greek […]
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- 18th century – Travelers
Already from the 16th century many foreign travelers, mostly French and British, would visit Greece and become familiar with the country’s vineyards. The trend accelerated in the early 18th century and continued well into the 19th. Returning home, the travelers took back with them their travel journals where they had faithfully recorded their impressions of Greek wines -impressions […]
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- 1629 – Ban on wine drinking
In 1629, Sultan Murat IV imposed a ban on wine drinkingin taverns. Wine included in a list of substances whose consumption was forbidden and tavern owners faced the risk of having their establishements torn down. However, the decree never actually went into effect as reactions (by Turks as well) but mainly the fall in tax revenues […]
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- 1580 – Wine commerce on the islands
In 1580, Sultan Murat III granted the Aegean islands privileges, allowing them to be self-governed. Taking advantage of their change in status, the Aegean islanders went back to wine production and wine commerce on the islands prospered again at an even briskier pace than before.
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- 1525 – The Advent of Distillation
In 1525, through the treaty of Tamasi, the inhabitants of the inaccessible areas on Thessaly’s Agrafa mountain range became autonomous. The combination of the first “liberated” Greek vineyard; the inability to sell the wine it produced; and knowledge of copper smithing laid the ground for the advent of distillation in Constantinople and Mount Athos by Agrafa inhabitants […]
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- 1453 – Wine after the fall of Constantinople
In 1453, the Ottomans conquered Constantinople and gradually all of Greece. Wine after the fall of Constantinople began to move at an atrophied, dull pace. Many vineyards fell into decay, while cultivation of others continued for tax purposes alone and only the monasteries continued their systematic winegrowing practices. Apart from the Aegean islands, some areas mentioned as […]
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- 1685 – Venetian rule and Peloponnesian wine
As of 1685 and for the next 30 years, the Peloponnese came under the rule of the Venetians who set out to reorganize the region. Public land, including vineyards, was redistributed and taxes were imposed. Venetian rule and Peloponnesian wine did benefit from each other, but when the Ottomans seized the Peloponnese in 1715, Venetian control over the […]
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- 1657 – Santorini wines in Paris
During Venetian rule in the Aegean, Santorini was counted as one of the producers of great wines and especially of Vinsanto. That is also the time when the long tradition of making barrels for storage of wine began on the island. Many foreign travelers who discovered the vineyard of Santorini and its wines faithfully transferred […]
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- 1645 – Ushering warfare into the realm of wine
Around 1645 the continuous conflict and sea battles between the Venetians and the Ottomans in the Aegean also came to impact on winegrowing, ushering warfare into the realm of wine as well. On Santorini, the naval supply station of the Venetian fleet at the time, the new taxes imposed on wine resulted in the wine commerce’s being […]
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- 1601 – The poem of grapes
In 1601, an anonymous poet from Zakynthos cited tens of native grape varieties in the few stanzas of a poem known as the poem of grapes. In the two centuries following that poem, many were those who sang the praises of the Greek vineyard including Cretan novelists, Fanariot intellectuals and poets of the diaspora, while Greece’s […]
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- 1200 – Malvasias Oenos
For more than half a millennium (approximately 1200-1800), Malvasias oenos, was the most famous wine. It had been named after Monemvasia (a.k.a Malvasia), the port of southeastern Peloponnese. On and off and depending on the time period, Malvasias was not produced only in Monemvasia, but in Crete and such Cycladic islands as Paros and Santorini as […]
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- 1400 – The sea routes of wine
From 1400 on, two were the main, commercial sea routes of wine: Via the first route wines from Crete, Rhodes, the Peloponnese, western Asia Minor and Cyprus would head for western Europe. The second route would take wines from Crete, the Peloponnese, Macedonia and Thrace to Constantinople and the Black Sea. Predominant among the Greek wines […]
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- 1300 – The comeback of Greek wines
With the gradual onset of Ottoman rule in Bithynia, an area famous for its vineyards which supplied Constantinople, the wines of Greece began again to occupy center stage. Thus, the comeback of Greek wines (around 1300) again turned all eyes to the areas of Thrace, Halkidiki, Evia, the Peloponnese and Crete, where the Athiri variety had already […]
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- 1204 – Aghios Tryphon: the vintners’ patron saint
Constantinople was captured by the Crusaders in 1204 and remained under their control until 1261. The seat of the Empire was transferred to Nicaea, Bithynia, where we find the first mention of Monemvasios oenos, later known as Malvasias wine, by the traveler Nikolaos Messaritis. It was also in Nicaea that the church of Aghios Tryphon, the vintners’ […]
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- 972 AD – The Wine Trade on Mount Athos
The establishment of the Mount Athos (Aghion Oros) monasteries led to systematic cultivation of vineyards and to wine production on a large scale. A special text, which is the first ‘typikon” of the monastic community and concerns the wine trade on Mount Athos (972), laid down the procedures governing the wine commerce within the boundaries of the […]
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- 565 AD – Byzantine wine
By the middle of the 6th century (565) when Justin II succeeded Emperor Justinian on the Byzantine throne, Christianity had completely prevailed over the cult of Dionysus and Byzantine wine was at its apogee. Wine, which was no longer called “oenos” but “krasi”, would reach Constantinople from all over Greece, originating mainly in the Peloponnese, Rhodes, Chios […]
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- 200 AD – Athenaeus’ Deipnosophistae
Athenaeus’ Deipnosophistae is a literary work written around 200 AD which, sadly, has not survived in its entirety. The work is an invaluable guide to the culinary art of Classical Greece as well as to Greek wines. As it is essentially a work of literary and antiquarian research, Deipnosophistae (the Banquet of the Learned) does not only cite wines […]
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- 125 AD – The origins of Roman wines
For Roman Emperor Hadrian, a great admirer of Greece, the cult of Dionysus held such allure that he even participated in the Dionysia celebrations in Athens in 125 AD. Overall, the Romans, irresistibly drawn to the culture of Greek classical times, adopted many of its features, altering them to fit their own patterns. When it […]
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- 67 BC – Cretan wine captivates Rome
A few decades after the birth of Christ Cretan wine captivates Rome. Winegrowing and winemaking were developing by leaps and bounds on the island -already a part of the Roman Empire- and Cretan wine was introduced to Rome around 67 BC. Crete was on the sea route between Rome, Egypt, and the East. A new, golden […]
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- 146 BC – Wine comes under the control of the Romans
With the onset of Roman rule in Greece, the center of wine commerce, with the exception of the south Aegean, shifted to the eastern Mediterranean. Macedonia, which had already become a Roman province, continued to produce highly acclaimed wines, as did the islands of the north Aegean which, however were past their heyday. Due to […]
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- 257 BC – Winegrowing colonization
Papyri found in Philadelphia, Egypt, and dating back to approximately 257 BC confirmed the presence of Greek grape varieties in other parts of the Mediterranean basin.Winegrowing colonization is only part of an earlier practice which had begun centuries before with various plants carried in the form of grafts to the Greek colonies of Lower Italy, Marseilles […]
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- 275 BC – “Wine” mosaics – Macedonian symposia
In Macedonia, the long tradition of decorating wine vessels with themes inspired from wine continued after the time of Alexander the Great but a new element appeared: the art of “wine” mosaics, with Dionysus riding the sacred panther being the most characteristic representation of such mosaics (around 275 BC). The cult of Dionysus also continued, as […]
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- 317 BC – The first book on wine
The first book on wine in history is said to have been written by Theophrastus, a philosopher from Lesvos who was Aristotle’s disciple and successor. The book was called “Of Wine and Olive Oil” but, sadly, it has been lost to us. Be that as it may, wine was one of Theophrastus’ major literary engagements. Around […]
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- 323 BC – The Prosperity of Winemaking in the South
At the time of Alexander the Great’s death (323 BC), winemaking prosperity in the south was exceptional. To be more precise, by that time, Greek winemaking and wine commerce had already shifted their center of interest towards that area of the known world of the time: The scarce and exorbitantly priced wines produced on the small islands […]
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- 336 BC – Wine and Alexander the Great
At the zenith of Macedonian rule, when Alexander the Great succeeded Philip (336 BC), the large hubs of winemaking and wine commerce of the Aegean came to add their mite to that of Pella’s, the capital of the Macedonian kingdom, where “pellaea staphyle”, the native grape variety of Amphipolis, near Philippi, was cultivated. The royal tombs […]
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- 416 BC – Attica’s symposia – symposium vessels
At the time when Plato, the great philosopher, is said to have written his “Symposium” (416 BC), ancient Athens was at the apogee of its democracy and its citizens engaged in the entertainment and philosophical discourse that Attica’s symposiaoffered them. Perhaps at no other time did wine consumption produce such constructive thought. The symposia were social gatherings of […]
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- 435 BC – Wine in Hippocratic medicine
Wine in Hippocratic medicine was considered an effective means of therapy. Hippocrates (circa 460-360 BC), known as the “Father of Medicine”, had researched the nature of wine and had written down the guidelines as to the manner in which wine should be used. He recommended that water be mixed with wine (kekramenos oenos), so as it […]
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- 475 BC – The world’s first PDO wine
Inscriptions discovered on the northern Aegean island of Thassos contained legislative texts which decreed that the wine produced be transported in sealed amphorae. The inscriptions also reveal that local laws forbade Thassos ships transporting wine from foreign places to approach the island. That was how the lawmakers of Thassos monitored, protected, and promoted the island’s […]
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- 480 BC – “Wine” Coinage
In the wake of the Persian Wars, the wine trade began to flourish, with Samos and Mendi strengthening their presence along Chios and Lesvos. As early as the 6th c BC, Greek “wine” coinage makes its appearance in various regions such as Sicily, Thrace, Thessaly and the Aegean, depicting themes inspired from vine and wine. Most of […]
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- 540 BC – The Kylix of Exekias – wine vessels
There were many special wine vessels for the drinking of wine, mainly made of clay or metal. An exquisite example of such a wine vessel is the kylix of Exekias (circa 540 BC), a wine cup which, in its crater, depicts the sea voyage of Dionysus to Europe. Initially, clay wine vessels were mostly painted black and later red.The art of crafting and […]
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- 600 BC – Amphorae
The abundance of amphorae which have been discovered and date back to the 6th c. BC (around 600 BC) suggests a widespread trade in Greek wine, originating mostly in the islands of the northern Aegean Sea. The amphorae were clay wine vessels with two handles, destined chiefly for transportation of wine by sea, and their large number indicates the extent […]
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- 700 BC – The Cult of Dionysus
The cult of Dionysus goes back to time immemorial. Dionysus was the beloved god of wine, vegetative growth, joy and liberated expression -to be enjoyed by all, be they rich or poor, city dweller or farmer. Around 700 BC, the cult of Dionysus was at its peak, with everyone honoring the god daily either by participating in the important […]
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- 750 BC – Hesiod and Vivlinos Oenos
Hesiod, who lived in the 8th century BC, wrote his famous poem “Works and Days” in the area of Viotia around 750 BC, while enjoying wine he made himself from “imported” vines of the Vivlia grape variety. Hesiod and Vivlinos oenos have provided us with invaluable information on winegrowing and winemaking techniques of the times which included production of straw wines or […]
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- 8th century BC – Wine in the Homeric Epics
Homer, the unrivalled bard, lived in the 8th century BC. Through his epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer bestowed on humankind not only unrivalled literary masterpieces but also unique evidence salient to antiquity’s Greek wines. Numerous accounts citing wine in the Homeric epics provide invaluable information on winegrowing, methods and techniques of winemaking, wine commerce, wine consumption, and wine tasting. […]
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- 1400 BC – Wine and the Mycenaean Civilization
The city of Mycenae, Peloponnese, became the hub of a mighty Greek civilization which reached its peak around 1400 BC: wine and the Mycenaean civilization went hand in hand since wine held a predominant position in the society, economy, and life of the Mycenaeans. The kings of Mycenae showed their appreciation of wine by enjoying it in […]
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- 1700 BC – Wine and the Minoan Civilization
In the palace of Minos, the king of Crete after whom both the Minoan era and the Minoan civilization, which reached its peak around 1700 BC, were named after, archeologists discovered huge vessels destined for storage of the wine that the Minoans produced and sold. As it is evidenced by ancient inscriptions (1450 BC), wine and […]
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- 2000 BC – Traces of wine – the oldest wine press
Archeological excavations in Myrtos, Crete, unearthed vessels bearing traces of wine (2000 BC). At a later date, a wine press where grapes were pressed and must was yielded was found in its entirety at Vathipetro, in the Archanes vineyards. It is the world’s oldest wine press, a part of the age-old, Greek winemaking tradition of building lena (wine presses) with […]
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- 4500 BC – The First Evidence of Vinification
The first evidence of vinification in Greece was discovered in Philippi, eastern Macedonia. Archaeological excavations at the Dikili Tash prehistoric settlement site commenced in 1961 by the Athens Archaeological Society in collaboration with the École française d΄Athènes. Recent finds were carbon-dated by means of the C-14 method and were found to date back to the middle […]
