In 1895, Vassili Kourtakis (1865-1946) founded his company in Kolokotroni Street, Athens. In 1905 he established a small winery at Markopoulo, in the Mesogea, some 30 klms outside Athens. His son, Dimitris Kourtakis (1908-2005) started the commercialization of bottled wine and expanded distribution all over Greece. Now, more than a century later, the company remains fully owned and managed by the Kourtakis family. It has played a lead role in the modern history of Greek wine. The third generation is represented by Vassili Kourtakis, under whose management the company has become one of the largest wine producing and bottling companies in Greece. In 1992, a commercial partnership began with Oenoexagogiki S.A. This company was later fully absorbed and now its wines under the Calliga brand are produced and marketed by Vassili Kourtakis. In 2000 the company changed its name to “Greek Wine Cellars S.A.”. In 2004 the company began a commercial partnership with vintner Angelos Rouvalis, and purchased 50 % of “Oenoforos S.A.” based in Aigio. At this time the company’s operations were split into 3 divisions : Kourtaki, Calliga and Oenoforos.

The annual production of Greek Wine Cellars is approximately 30 mil bottles, 50 % of which is exported. The company has always been at the forefront in implementing new methods and investing in modern technology with the aim of constantly improving the wines it produces and being in the vanguard of the developments taking place in Greek wine-making.

The main Greek Wine Cellars winery is at Markopoulo, Attica. Here bottling takes place. The Ritsona winery in central Greece uses some of the most modern vinification technology in Europe. Other regional wineries exist in the Peloponnese on the plateau of Mantinia, and in the regions of Nemea, Patras and Aigio and near to Heraclion in Crete. Here are produced wines with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

In particular, Greek Wine Cellars produces a considerable volume of wine in Crete. In 2004, the company received and vinified grapes in excess of 8 million kilograms. Since then, the company has restricted its production, abandoning table wines in favor of premium wines produced under a Protected Geographical Indication. The well-known Vin de Crete wines have already become a best-selling wine range in Germany, France and other export markets. The company collaborates with a number of local growers from whom it directly buys its grapes for vinification. Vinification takes place at the Vinobon Winery, near Heraklion, with state-of-the-art equipment.