Today, Attica is the largest wine region in Greece with 16,000 acres of vineyards. Many of the wineries can be reached within a 30 minute drive from the centre of Athens where you’ll also find significant archaeological sites and stunning beaches along the way, but that’s the magic of Athens.
Does Athens have good wine?
Stores and restaurants in Athens are full of good Greek wines. Here are six labels that will not let you down—and will also make great gifts. Wine writers abhor doing lists of “best” wines because this goes against the mystique we have so patiently built around the “nectar of the gods”.
Did Athens drink wine?
Athens itself provided a large and lucrative market for wine, with significant vineyard estates forming in the Attican region and on the island of Thasos to help satisfy demand.
Is Greece a wine drinking country?
However, a recent map puts this affection into a relative perspective. According to a statistical map that compares annual per capita wine consumption in Europe, Greeks are the eighth highest wine consumers in the continent, as the country drinks 37 litres of wine per capita on an annual basis.
Are Greeks known for wine?
Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world and among the first wine-producing territories in Europe. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis.
Is wine cheap in Greece?
1 – It’s relatively inexpensive, especially in Greece. You’ll pick up quality Greek wine in Greece for around ten Euro or even less. Twenty Euro will get you a superb bottle of wine. Above that there’s some really special wine produced but there’s often no need to be that extravagant.
Is Greek wine good?
Ancient winemaking history aside, what Greek wines do best these days is deliver on value. According to MINA Group’s Wine Director and Master Sommelier Jeremy Shanker, who created the wine list for Estiatorio Ornos, “Greek wines are currently some of the greatest values in the wine world.
What is ancient Athens known for?
Athens was the largest and most influential of the Greek city-states. It had many fine buildings and was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. The Athenians invented democracy, a new type of government where every citizen could vote on important issues, such as whether or not to declare war.
What did the Athens drink?
Wine and Water
Besides water, wine was the main drink of the ancient Greeks. (Fetching the water was a daily task for the women of the house.) The Greeks drank wine at all meals and during the day. They made red, white, rose, and port wines, with the main areas of production being Thasos, Lesbos, and Chios.
Who invented wine?
In Greek mythology, Dionysus, son of Zeus and his mistress Semele, invented wine while living in the ancient Mount Nysa amongst nymphs. This is one of the reasons why Dionysus is often referred to as the “God of Wine.”
Do people get drunk in Greece?
Drinking Culture in Greece
While Greeks consume incredible amounts of wine, beer, and ouzo, public displays of drunkenness are a rare occasion outside the seediest areas of big cities.
What do Greeks drink most of?
12 Most Popular Greek Drinks & Beverages You Must Try In Greece
- Popular Greek Wines. Retsina Wine. Vinsanto Wine.
- Greek Spirits. Metaxa. Ouzo. Tsikoudia. Tsipouro.
- Greek Liqueurs. Kitron. Mastiha.
- Greek Beers. Greek Beer.
- Non-Alcoholic Greek Drinks. Greek-style Frappe. Greek Mountain Tea (Tsai Tou Vounou) Visináda.
What wine do the Greeks drink?
Retsina from Central Greece
A specialty of Greece is a white wine infused with the sap of the Allepo pine tree. Retsina wines have aromas of linseed oil and lime peel that lead into flavors of apples and roses, with a subtle piney, saline finish.
Is Greece known for red or white wine?
For the most part, you’ll find an abundance of delightful aromatic white wines here along with one ringer, Agiorgitiko, which is Greece’s other top, and most-planted red variety. Agiorgitiko (Ah-your-yeek-tee-ko) is well known from Nemea, a region in Peloponnese which is most famous for this grape.
Who is the Greek god of wine?
Dionysus
Originally Dionysus was the Greek god of fertility. Later, he came to be known chiefly as the god of wine and pleasure. The Romans called him Bacchus. Dionysus was the son of the supreme god Zeus and Semele, the daughter of a king.
Is red wine from Greece good?
While the country is better known for its white wines, it also produces distinctive, superb reds from a number of little-known grapes.
What wine is best in Greece?
Top 5 Greek Wines
- LIMNIONA FROM THESSALY.
- SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO.
- NAOUSSA XINOMAVRO. Greece’s world-class grape.
- NEMEA AGIORGITIKO. An indigenous Greek version of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon.
- PELOPONNESE MOSCHOFILERO. If you like good-quality Pinot Grigio, this local Greek grape’s for you.
How much is a glass of wine in Greece?
Prices in supermarkets in Greece.
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 1.20 EUR (0.90-1.60) |
|---|---|
| A bottle of wine (Mid-Range) | 6.00 EUR (4.00-10.00) |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.40 EUR (0.80-2.40) |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.90 EUR (1.00-3.20) |
| Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) | 4.60 EUR (4.30-5.30) |
Is Athens expensive?
Athens is certainly not cheap, but it is not very expensive either. In comparison to other European capitals, we would say that Athens is somewhere in the middle. It all depends on what type of traveler you are and how much budget you wish to spend during your visit.
How much is wine in Athens?
Most wines are dry and you can find drinkable1. 5 l blended bottles for around 5 euros. There are also many good wines bottled by the producer for around 7 to 10 euros .
Is Greek wine sweet or dry?
sweet wines
Greece is a country known for its sweet wines since antiquity, and holds a good place among today’s sweet wine producing countries.