Section 3 · Still Wines of the World
Greece
Greece is one of the oldest winemaking countries in the world, with a viticultural history stretching back over 4,000 years. Today it is experiencing a modern renaissance built on its extraordinary wealth of indigenous grape varieties. For the exam, Greece tests your knowledge of specific grapes, how producers manage extreme heat, and why certain volcanic and mountainous sites produce wines of surprising freshness and quality.
Aroma kit focus: lemon, mineral/saline, dried herbs, cherry, plum, rose petal, anise
Why Greece Matters
Greece has been making wine since the Bronze Age, yet for most of the 20th century its wines were poorly regarded internationally. Since the 1990s, a new generation of producers, many trained abroad, has invested in modern winemaking while championing Greece’s extraordinary roster of native grapes. The result is wines that taste like nowhere else on earth.
For WSET Level 3, Greece matters because:
- It showcases indigenous grape varieties not found anywhere else: Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Moschofilero
- Santorini is one of the most distinctive terroirs in the world, volcanic soil, extreme wind, no rain, basket-trained vines
- It illustrates how hot Mediterranean climates can still produce fresh, structured wines when altitude, wind, and volcanic soils are in play
- Greece’s wine quality system (PDO/PGI) follows the EU framework, and you need to know the key appellations
Greek Wine Regions Map
Tap or hover over any region to see its key details. Greece’s wine regions span the mainland and the islands, each with distinct climates and grapes.
Climate and Geography
Greece has a hot Mediterranean climate: long, dry, sunny summers that regularly pass 30°C, and mild, wet winters. This means the primary viticultural challenge is managing heat and drought, not lack of ripeness. Even the wetter west sees almost no rain in the growing season; the east sits in a rain shadow, so drought is a constant worry and there is little water available for irrigation. The best sites are the cooler ones.
How Producers Manage Heat
- Altitude: Many of Greece’s best vineyard sites are high up. Nemea’s vineyards run from about 230 m to 900 m, Mantinia sits on a plateau at 650 m and above, and Naoussa’s reach up to about 400 m, which is enough to make it noticeably cooler. Higher altitude means cooler temperatures, greater diurnal range, and better acidity retention in the grapes.
- Wind: On the islands, especially Santorini, constant strong winds (the meltemi) cool the vines and reduce fungal disease risk. The wind is so strong on Santorini that vines are trained into low basket shapes (kouloura) to protect them.
- Volcanic and poor soils: Santorini’s volcanic pumice and ash soils retain some moisture from sea mists and morning dew, helping vines survive without irrigation in an essentially rainless summer.
- Sea influence: Coastal and island vineyards benefit from cooling sea breezes that moderate temperatures
- Bush-trained vines: Traditional bush vines (gobelet/kouloura) shade the grape clusters from direct sun, reducing sunburn and preserving acidity
Key Indigenous Grape Varieties
Greece’s indigenous grapes are the stars of the exam. You need to know what each tastes like, where it grows, and what PDO it’s associated with.
White Grapes
Assyrtiko
Assyrtiko is arguably Greece’s greatest grape and one of the most exciting white varieties in the world. Its home is Santorini, though it is now planted on the mainland too.
Key characteristics:
- Bone-dry with very high acidity: even in the blazing heat of Santorini, Assyrtiko retains its acid structure. This is its superpower and what makes it unique among Mediterranean whites.
- Lemon, citrus peel, mineral/saline character, Santorini Assyrtiko often has a pronounced mineral, almost salty quality, likely influenced by the volcanic soil and proximity to the sea
- Medium to full body: more weight and substance than you might expect from such a crisp wine
- Age-worthy: top Santorini Assyrtiko can age for a decade, developing honey, toasted nut, and smoky complexity
- Some producers make barrel-aged versions (sometimes labelled Nykteri on Santorini), which add richness and beeswax notes
Moschofilero
A pink-skinned aromatic grape grown in the high-altitude (650m+) vineyards of Mantinia in the Peloponnese. Moschofilero produces light, fragrant, off-dry to dry whites with floral (rose petal, violet), citrus, and spicy aromas. Think of it as Greece’s answer to Gewürztraminer, but lighter and crisper. The high altitude preserves the delicate aromatics and fresh acidity.
Red Grapes
Xinomavro
Xinomavro (“acid-black”) is Greece’s most complex and age-worthy red grape. It is often compared to Nebbiolo (the grape of Barolo) because of its similar structural profile:
- High acidity and high tannin: can be austere and grippy in youth
- Medium colour: despite the name (“black”), Xinomavro is not deeply pigmented. Wines show garnet rather than deep purple.
- Aromas of tomato, dried herbs, olive, red fruits (sour cherry, strawberry), dried rose: a distinctively savoury, Mediterranean aromatic profile
- With age: develops tar, leather, truffle, dried fruit, remarkably similar to aged Barolo
- Excellent ageing potential: the best Naoussa wines can age for 15–20+ years. The colour fades to tawny quickly, and even young wines show little fresh fruit; the reward is long life and spice and earth with age
- Newer styles: some producers now make deeper-coloured, less tannic versions, or age the wine in new oak
Main PDO: Naoussa (100% Xinomavro) in northern Greece (Macedonia), with vineyards up to about 400 m. Also grown in Amynteo (one of the coolest wine regions in Greece, at altitude).
Agiorgitiko
Agiorgitiko (“Saint George”) is Greece’s most widely planted red grape and the star of Nemea in the Peloponnese. It is the friendlier, more approachable counterpart to Xinomavro:
- Deep ruby colour: much darker than Xinomavro
- Red fruit, plum, cherry and spice: generous, ripe fruit character; the grape takes well to new oak
- Medium to full body with high but smooth tannins and low to moderate acidity
- Nemea runs from about 230 m to 900 m. Low slopes: jammy, early-drinking wines. Mid-slopes: the best fruit. High slopes: higher acidity but less fine tannin, so better suited to rosé and blends
- Versatile: can make rosé, young fruity reds, and serious oak-aged wines
If Xinomavro is Greece’s Nebbiolo, Agiorgitiko is its Merlot: plenty of tannin, but smooth and ripe, with the generosity that makes it immediately appealing.
Exam Angle: Xinomavro vs Agiorgitiko
This comparison is highly testable. Xinomavro = high acid, high tannin, medium colour, savoury/herbal, age-worthy (like Nebbiolo). Agiorgitiko = low to moderate acid, high but smooth tannin, deep colour, fruity/approachable (like Merlot). Same country, completely different grapes and styles.
Santorini: A Unique Terroir
Santorini is one of the most extraordinary vineyard sites on earth. This small volcanic island in the Cyclades produces wines of shocking intensity and freshness despite its punishing climate.
What Makes Santorini Special
- Volcanic soil: The island is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. The soil is pumice, volcanic ash, and mineral-rich tephra, extremely poor and porous, with virtually no organic matter. There is no clay or loam to retain water.
- No rain in summer: Santorini receives almost no rainfall from May to September. The vines survive on moisture captured from morning sea mists and overnight dew, which the porous volcanic soil absorbs.
- Extreme wind: The meltemi winds blow hard and constantly. To protect the vines, growers train them into a distinctive basket shape called kouloura (or stefani), the vine canes are woven into a low, circular wreath that sits close to the ground, with the grape bunches hanging inside, protected from wind and sun.
- No phylloxera: The sandy, volcanic soil has never been affected by phylloxera (the root-eating pest that devastated European vineyards in the 19th century). Santorini’s vines are among the oldest in the world, some are over 200 years old, still on their original rootstocks.
- Old vines, low yields: The harsh conditions and ancient vines produce tiny quantities of intensely concentrated fruit. Yields are some of the lowest in Europe.
Santorini PDO Wines
Santorini PDO covers dry and sweet whites, mainly Assyrtiko (minimum 75%), producing bone-dry whites with extraordinary acidity and mineral character. Nykteri is a barrel-aged version, richer, with more weight and complexity. Vinsanto is the sweet wine: late-harvested grapes (Assyrtiko with Aidani) are sun-dried for up to 14 days, then the wine is aged for at least two years in old oak, picking up oxidative caramel and nut notes alongside dried fig and coffee.
Key Appellations (PDOs)
Greece uses the EU’s quality framework: PDO (Protected Designation of Origin, equivalent to France’s AOC) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication, equivalent to IGP). One label quirk: dry PDO wines for export may say either PDO or the older term Appellation d’origine de qualité supérieure (AOQS), a PDO sub-category, while the Greek-language term on domestic labels is different again. The key PDOs for the exam are:
Retsina
Retsina is Greece’s most famous (and infamous) traditional wine. It is a white or rosé wine flavoured with pine resin, which is added during fermentation. The resin gives the wine a distinctive piney, herbal, slightly turpentine-like aroma and flavour.
The practice dates back thousands of years, ancient Greeks sealed their clay amphorae with pine resin to prevent oxidation, and the resin flavour became part of the wine’s identity. Today, Retsina has its own official designation and can be made anywhere in Greece, though it is most associated with the Attica region around Athens. The main grape used is Savatiano.
Modern Retsina ranges from aggressively piney (traditional) to delicate and nuanced (artisan producers using light resin and quality grapes). It’s experiencing a small renaissance among quality-focused producers.
Greece’s Key Grapes: Side by Side
| Grape | Colour | Key PDO | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assyrtiko | White | Santorini | Bone-dry, very high acidity, lemon, mineral/saline, medium(+) body |
| Moschofilero | White (pink skin) | Mantinia | Light, aromatic, floral (rose, violet), citrus, crisp |
| Xinomavro | Red | Naoussa | High acid, high tannin, medium colour, tomato, herbs, age-worthy |
| Agiorgitiko | Red | Nemea | Deep colour, high but smooth tannin, low to moderate acidity, plum, cherry, approachable |
What Greek Wines Taste Like: SAT Notes
Santorini Assyrtiko
Naoussa Xinomavro
Aroma Kit Integration
Greek Wine Aroma Session (20 min)
For Assyrtiko: lemon, mineral/chalk, saline. For Xinomavro: tomato, dried herbs, cherry, rose petal. The tomato and dried herb combination is particularly diagnostic for Xinomavro in a blind tasting, it’s unlike any other major red grape.
Wine drill: Taste a Santorini Assyrtiko (~$15–25) alongside any other crisp white (Chablis, Muscadet, Albariño). Notice how Assyrtiko has similar acidity but more body and mineral weight. That combination of high acid + medium(+) body + mineral depth is Assyrtiko’s signature.
Stretch option: Naoussa Xinomavro (~$15–30) vs a Barolo or Barbaresco. The structural similarities (high acid, high tannin, medium colour, savoury character) are striking, even though the flavour profiles differ.
What the Exam Expects You to Know
- The four key indigenous grapes: Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Moschofilero, characteristics and associated PDOs
- Santorini: volcanic terroir, kouloura training, Assyrtiko, no phylloxera, extreme conditions
- Naoussa: 100% Xinomavro, comparison to Nebbiolo, age-worthy
- Nemea: Agiorgitiko (high smooth tannin, low to moderate acidity), 230 to 900 m, how altitude affects style
- Greece has over 200 native varieties; the three best-known pairings (Xinomavro/Naoussa, Agiorgitiko/Nemea, Assyrtiko/Santorini)
- How Greek producers manage hot Mediterranean conditions (altitude, wind, bush vines, volcanic soil)
- The PDO/PGI system and key appellations
- What Retsina is and how it’s made
Short Answer Strategy
If asked about Santorini, build your answer around the extreme terroir: volcanic soil + no rain + extreme wind + ancient ungrafted vines → very low yields of intensely concentrated Assyrtiko → bone-dry wines with remarkably high acidity, medium(+) body, and pronounced mineral/saline character. Every detail of the terroir connects directly to the wine style.
Active Recall Prompts
Close this page and try to answer these from memory:
- What is the kouloura training system and why is it used on Santorini?
- Name the four key Greek grapes and the PDO each is most associated with.
- Compare Xinomavro and Agiorgitiko in terms of colour, tannin, acidity, and approachability.
- Why can Santorini produce high-acid wines in a hot Mediterranean climate?
- What is Retsina and what gives it its distinctive flavour?
- How does altitude affect the style of Agiorgitiko in Nemea?
- Why has Santorini never been affected by phylloxera?
- If you had a medium-coloured red wine with high acid, high tannin, and aromas of tomato and dried herbs, what Greek grape would you suspect?