It’s Greek to me
I don’t often see Greek wine in local shops, but when I do (with the possible exception of retsina), I’ll grab a bottle with happy anticipation.
Upgrade to Paid: Every paid subscription helps sustain our work at The 30 Second Wine Advisor. We appreciate you! Click here now to subscribe.
The other day I noticed a bottle of Thymiopoulos Macedonia Xinomavro on the smallish corner of my neighborhood wine shop’s shelf that’s carved out for “other” wine regions. Naturally I grabbed it, and I was not sorry.
As I mentioned in a November 2024 column, the last time I picked up a tasty Greek item, I developed my love for the wines of Greece back in the early ’90s, when we lived for several years in Astoria, Queens, New York City, which inhabitants proudly proclaim one of the largest Greek cities in the world outside Greece.
There was a wonderful Greek restaurant or coffee shop on just about every corner, and the other corners usually housed someone with a charcoal grill making delicious souvlaki to order.
The Souvlaki Lady, a.k.a. Elpida Vasiliadis, has been a fixture on the corner of 33rd Street and Ditmars Boulevard for 28 years. Photo by Elizabeth Bick for Nancy A. Ruhling’s 2018 article, In Astoria, Lining Up for the Souvlaki Lady, in The New York Times.
It didn’t take me long to learn to love Greek food and wine, to enjoy the wine out of tumblers, and even, under the right circumstances and in the context of food, to tolerate the pine-resin-scented retsina.
But setting aside jokes about retsina and gulping modest Greek wine from squat tumblers on taverna tables, Greece does produce serious wines that can be competitive on the world’s tables.
I’ve often wondered why Greece and Italy, both nations of historic power in the times of Alexander the Great and the Caesars, both sun-washed, mountainous peninsular nations jutting far into the Mediterranean’s warm waters, both seemingly welcoming to wine-grape culture, seem to have enjoyed such different wine-industry journeys.
While Italy and its top wines stand near the top of the stack in wine lovers’ attention, Greece remains in that hard-to-find corner of the wine-shop shelves. Perhaps history played a role, as Greece ended up for centuries as part of the Ottoman Empire. Homer’s favorite metaphor in The Odyssey, “the wine-dark sea,” might not have played well under that long-lived regime with religious objections to alcohol.
In more modern times, it might be as simple as Greece’s proud use of indigenous grapes like Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko, and the Xinomavro featured today. These grapes make great wines, but while we were busy learning about Italy’s Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and more, we just didn’t glance across the Adriatic toward Greece.
It’s our loss. But it’s not too late to take a closer look at Greek wine, if you can find it. Today’s wine would be a good place to start.
Are you a fan of Greek wine? Tell us your favorite types or producers or bring your questions!
Today’s Tasting Report
Thymiopoulos 2024 Macedonia Xinomavro Young Vines ($19.99)
Clear ruby color, not too dark, Thymiopoulos Xinomavro offers an appealing introduction to the Greek Xinomavro grape. Its red-fruit and herbal aromas are fresh and inviting, with a hint of fresh tomatoes on the vine joining strawberry and notes of red cherries and brown spice. Fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeast, then aged in concrete tanks for eight months, it sees no oak. 13% alcohol. U.S. importer: Athenee Importers & Distributors Ltd., Hempstead, N.Y. (July 5, 2026)
FOOD MATCH: Greek char-grilled lamb souvlaki would make a perfect match; we approximated a plant-based alternative with Beyond Burgers brushed with olive oil and lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. More broadly, it would go well in general with grilled meat, poultry, eggplant, or squash.
WHEN TO DRINK: This young wine from young vines isn’t a candidate for long-term cellaring, but given proper storage, it should remain good to drink for three to five more years.
VALUE:
The upper teens or lower $20s is a fair asking price. Wine-Searcher.com lists a $19 average U.S. retail price.
WEB LINK:
Here’s an importer fact sheet.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Thymiopoulos Xinomavro on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read about Greece’s Macedonia wine region and browse its wines at this Wine-Searcher link.
Read this Wine-Searcher link to read more about the Xinomavro grape and its wines.
Find the wines you want
Explore Wine-Searcher
Wine-Searcher.com is the place to go online if you want to find where to buy a particular wine that interests you. What’s more, Wine-Searcher.com offers so much more. It’s well worth a visit just to discover its many features, including its popular list of the world’s Top 10 Best Value Wines.
Good wines we’ve tried under $12!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $12 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
Sponsor the Wine Advisor.
Support The 30 Second Wine Advisor and help us pay the rent while reaching 25,000 dedicated readers with your sponsorship message in this space, at the top of this E-letter, and on our social media. If you’re an established business in wine, food, and similar ventures, there’s no better way to focus your message toward an audience that comes here for just those topics. See our Sponsorship Page, or email Robin Garr for more information.
Wine Forum and Social Media
You’re always welcome to drop by our WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet’s first and most civil online community. Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. To request registration, please contact me at wine@wineloverspage.com, tell me your name, mention the Wine Advisor, and briefly say why you’d like to participate in the forum. Sorry about the minor red tape, but this is our simple, low-tech way to deter spammers and bots.
I’d also be delighted to have you visit and “like” our WineLovers Facebook Page.
Read more articles from The 30 Second Wine Advisor
Previous Issue: « Wine and pickles? Don’t try this at home!
Thank you for all the recommendations! It is really great read, and I also don't know enough about Greek wines.