Greek wine Odyssey

“Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, Make the sage frolic, and the serious smile,” the ancient Greek poet Homer wrote some 2,700 years ago.

In his epic works, the Odyssey and the Iliad, the poet we know as Homer famously described of the Aegean’s choppy waters as the “wine-dark sea.” His works frequently allude to wine’s ability both to delight and to confuse. “Wine sets even a thoughtful man to singing, or sets him into softly laughing, sets him to dancing. Sometimes it tosses out a word that was better unspoken.”

Yes, wine enjoys a very long history in Greece, where worship of the wine god Dionysius goes back 500 years before Homer’s epics.

The wine-dark sea: Odysseus and Polyphemus (1896), oil and tempera painting on panel by Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901). The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

But, with the possible exception of the resin-scented retsina served in Greek tavernas (itself boasting a 2,000-year heritage), Greek wine doesn’t get much attention in modern times.

In contrast with Mediterranean neighbor Italy, where the Romans happily adopted wine and made it their own, Greek wine fell out of sight around the 4th century CE. “From the 4th Century onwards Greece’s tumultuous history as part of the Byzantine Empire [and later the Turkish Ottoman Empire] meant that winemaking did not flourish as it did in neighboring Italy,” explains the Wine-Searcher article Greek Wine. “As a result, Greece’s importance in the modern wine world is far less than one might assume, given its early success.”

Greek wine finally returned to the international marketplace in the 20th century, with new wine makers and modern technology developing quality wines for export.

The Sigalas winery website speaks lovingly of Santorini: “There are no words to describe the magnificence of Santorini, whose wines are a delight to savour and, like the island’s sunsets, draw applause and appreciation. Wine has always been part of life on Santorini that prides itself on having some of the oldest vineyards in the world.”

But unless you live in a sizable Greek-American community, chances are you’ll be lucky to find more than a few Greek wines on your local retailer’s shelf. That’s a shame, because Greek wines are worth seeking out. Many of them offer the opportunity to try wines made from traditional Greek varieties that may not seem familiar: The red Agiorgitiko and Xynomavro varieties, for example, and the impressive white grape that dominates today’s featured wine, the Assyrtiko of the Greek island Santorini.

At an average U.S. retail price of $32, Domaine Sigalas 2021 Santorini AA (Assyrtiko/Athiri) is above my range for everyday enjoyment. I’m sorry to have to limit my tasting report to our paid-tier subscribers, whose subscriptions help me cover the cost of these special wines.

But not all Greek wines are that pricey, and they’re well worth seeking out. Have you tried Greek wines or, specifically, wine from Santorini? Tell us about your experiences on Substack Chat!

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