Wine & Drinks — Greece
From Assyrtiko vines on volcanic Santorini to ouzo poured in a Lesbos harbour, Greece drinks with extraordinary variety and an ancient confidence.
The waiter pours without measuring. Chilled Assyrtiko from a jug — bone-dry, with the taste of salt and sun — arrives before you've asked. In Greece, drinking has never been separate from eating, conversation, or the particular slowness of a harbour afternoon. Wine here is older than almost anywhere: the ancient Greeks exported it across the Mediterranean, and many of the indigenous varieties grown today were already old when Rome was young.
What changed was the world's awareness. Greece's wine renaissance began in the 1980s, led by producers who studied abroad and returned to work with volcanic soils, high-altitude vineyards, and forgotten grapes no one else was growing. The result is one of Europe's most distinctive wine cultures: Santorini's Assyrtiko, Naoussa's Xinomavro, Nemea's Agiorgitiko — names that mean almost nothing outside Greece but produce wines of serious international standing.
Spirits, beer, and coffee are woven into Greek daily life with the same ease — ouzo at noon, tsipouro with a meze plate, freddo espresso in a plastic cup at a pavement table. Drinking slowly, with friends, is not a style here. It is the point.
Wine — Regions & Wineries
Greece has over 300 indigenous grape varieties and 33 PDO wine regions. The finest expressions run from Santorini's volcanic Assyrtiko to the tannic Xinomavro of Macedonia — grapes that thrive nowhere else on earth.
Santorini & the Cyclades
Santorini's wines are grown in one of the world's most extreme viticultural environments: near-zero rainfall, volcanic ash soils, and fierce Aegean winds that force vines to grow in low basket shapes (kouloura) close to the ground. The island's ungrafted old vines — some over 200 years old — produce Assyrtiko of extraordinary mineral intensity. Almost all wine produced here is white, and it is exceptional.
Key varieties: Assyrtiko (dominant), Athiri, Aidani · Style: High acidity, volcanic minerality, citrus and sea-salt character
Santo Wines
Pyrgos, Santorini
Santorini's largest producer and most-visited winery, built into the hillside at Pyrgos with panoramic caldera views from its terrace. Santo Wines is a cooperative of 1,200 vine-growers across the island, and its Wine Tourism Centre is the most comprehensive introduction to Santorini's volcanic wine culture available. The winery tour — recommended before the tasting — covers the traditional kouloura training system, the island's pumice-ash soils, and the striking industrial architecture of the facility itself. Wine flights range from a four-glass Santorini PDO tasting (Assyrtiko, Nykteri, Vinsanto) to extended cellar experiences. The restaurant terrace is one of the finest sunset-dining positions on the island. Booking online is recommended during summer.
⏱ Open year-round · 🍷 Wine flights from €12 · 📍 Pyrgos Kallistis, 84701 Santorini
Visit Santo Wines → Reviews and book →
Gaia Wines
Exo Gonia, Santorini
One of Santorini's most internationally admired producers, housed in a beautifully restored early 20th-century tomato paste factory — a piece of the island's industrial history reborn as a winery. Gaia is known for its two Assyrtiko expressions: the steely, mineral classic and the acclaimed Wild Ferment, made from the Pyrgos vineyard using spontaneous natural fermentation that produces a wine of exceptional complexity and texture. Vineyard visits and tastings are offered from the winery on the island's eastern coast, between Kamari and Monolithos. Gaia also produces wines at their Nemea estate in the Peloponnese — two of Greece's most important regions in one winery.
⏱ Open for visits and tastings · 🍷 Tastings available · 📍 Exo Gonia, Santorini
Visit Gaia Wines → Reviews and book →Northern Greece — Naoussa & Macedonia
Macedonia in northern Greece produces some of the country's most age-worthy reds. Naoussa, on the eastern slopes of Mount Vermio, is the PDO heartland of Xinomavro — Greece's greatest red grape, a variety that divides opinion but rewards patience. The region around Thessaloniki has also produced a generation of quality estates working with international varieties alongside indigenous ones.
Key varieties: Xinomavro, Malagousia, Limnio · Style: Structured reds with high tannin and acidity; elegant whites with floral aromatics
Ktima Gerovassiliou
Epanomi, 25 km SE of Thessaloniki
One of the defining estates of Greece's modern wine renaissance — founded by Vangelis Gerovassiliou on a 95-hectare private vineyard in Epanomi, 25 km southeast of Thessaloniki. Gerovassiliou studied at Bordeaux and returned to revive the ancient Malagousia grape from near-extinction, creating a white wine of extraordinary aromatic richness that has become a benchmark of modern Greek wine. The estate also produces outstanding Xinomavro and international blends. The Wine Museum on site — containing one of Europe's finest collections of antique corkscrews and wine tools — is reason alone to visit. Open to the public most days; closed Tuesdays.
⏱ Mon, Thu–Fri 10:00–16:00 · Wed 13:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–17:00 · 📍 Epanomi 57500, Thessaloniki
Visit Ktima Gerovassiliou → Reviews and book →
Boutari — Naoussa
Naoussa, Macedonia
Greece's most historic wine family — founded in 1879 and present in 25 export markets with over 600 international awards. Boutari's Naoussa winery was instrumental in establishing Xinomavro as a PDO zone and remains the most recognisable ambassador of the variety internationally. The Naoussa Boutari red — one of Greece's first bottled PDO wines — spends 12 months in French oak and delivers the variety's classic profile: deep colour, notes of ripe cherry, sun-dried tomato, cinnamon, and a structure built for a decade of ageing. The estate is in the village of Naoussa, at the foot of Mount Vermio, surrounded by vines. Contact the winery to arrange a visit.
🍷 Naoussa PDO Xinomavro · 12 months French oak · 📍 Naoussa, Macedonia · Contact: info@boutari.gr
Visit Boutari →Peloponnese & Crete
The Peloponnese is the home of Agiorgitiko — the friendly, fruit-forward red grape of Nemea that produces everything from easy-drinking rosé to concentrated, oak-aged reds. Crete, with 4,000 years of winemaking history, is home to some of Greece's rarest indigenous varieties, led by producers who have revived ancient grapes that grow nowhere else on earth.
Key varieties: Agiorgitiko, Moscofilero (Peloponnese) · Dafni, Plyto, Vilana (Crete) · Style: Accessible reds and aromatic whites; rare indigenous varieties
Domaine Skouras
Gimno, Nemea, Peloponnese
One of the Peloponnese's finest estates — founded in 1986 by George Skouras, who studied oenology at the University of Dijon before returning to Nemea to work with Agiorgitiko. The estate is located in Gimno, within the Nemea appellation, and produces a range that includes the flagship Megas Oenos (80% Agiorgitiko, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) and the 100% Agiorgitiko Grande Cuvée Nemea — two wines that demonstrate how well Greece's most versatile red grape performs with careful winemaking. The winery also produces distinctive whites from Moscofilero and Chardonnay. Tastings and vineyard visits available by appointment at the Nemea estate.
⏱ Visits by appointment · 🍷 Tastings at the estate · 📍 Gimno, Nemea, Corinthia
Visit Domaine Skouras → Reviews and book →
Lyrarakis Winery
Alagni, Heraklion, Crete
Crete's most celebrated family winery and the producer most responsible for rescuing the island's rarest indigenous grapes from extinction. Since the early 1990s, Lyrarakis has revived three ancient Cretan varieties — Dafni, Plyto, and Melissaki — that were on the verge of disappearing, and transformed them into single-variety wines that have won recognition from Decanter, Wine Advocate, and Jancis Robinson. The Dafni is the standout: intensely herbal, with laurel and citrus character, unlike any other white wine in Europe. The winery is located at Alagni, 480m above sea level, surrounded by the Psarades vineyard and the Lassithi mountains. Tastings from €20; picnic experiences from €70. Open April–October.
⏱ Apr–Oct, daily 11:30–17:00 · 🍷 Tastings from €20 · 📍 Alagni, 70300 Heraklion, Crete
Visit Lyrarakis Winery → Reviews and book →🍷 Practical Wine Tips for Greece
- 🏺 House wine (χύμα κρασί) — poured from large clay jugs or carafes at tavernas, is often excellent and very inexpensive. Always ask what the local variety is: you may discover something remarkable.
- 🌡️ Assyrtiko is best very cold — serve at 8–10°C. The acidity and mineral character open beautifully when properly chilled. Don't compromise with lukewarm wine from a warm bottle.
- 🍇 Greek wine is still underpriced — top-quality PDO wines from Santorini, Naoussa, and Nemea cost a fraction of equivalent Burgundy or Bordeaux. A premium bottle from a serious estate rarely exceeds €25 in a shop.
- 🌿 Retsina is not a relic — the ancient pine-resin wine is experiencing a revival. Modern versions from producers like Gaia (Ritinitis Nobilis) are subtle and food-friendly, bearing little resemblance to the cheap bottled version.
- 🏆 Vinsanto is the island treasure — Santorini's sun-dried dessert wine, made from late-harvested Assyrtiko left to dry on the roof for 10–14 days. Sweet, complex, and extraordinary with aged cheeses or dried fruit. Decant it slightly before serving.
Bars — Athens & Beyond
Athens has quietly become one of Europe's most serious cocktail cities. Two bars have held positions in The World's 50 Best Bars for over a decade. The city's bar culture is inventive, unpretentious, and still underrated.
The Clumsies
Praxitelous 30, Athens
Athens's most celebrated all-day bar — opened in 2012 by Greek World Class winners Vasilis Kyritsis and Nikos Bakoulis in a charming villa near Syntagma. The Clumsies has held a consistent position among the world's best bars for over a decade, known for cocktails that combine cutting-edge technique (sous-vide, rotary evaporation) with genuine hospitality. The bar operates from morning coffee to late-night cocktails, making it one of the few serious cocktail destinations in the world that also does a decent breakfast. The Room — a private space with fireplace, billiard table, and vinyl records — can be booked for groups of 6–10 by phone. Walk-ins welcome at the bar.
⏱ Open daily, all-day · 🍸 Craft cocktails, coffee, food · 📍 Praxitelous 30, Athens
Visit The Clumsies → Reviews and book →
Baba au Rum
Klitiou 6, Psirri, Athens
The bar that changed Athens's cocktail culture — a rum and cocktail society opened in 2009 by Thanos Prunarus in the Psirri neighbourhood. Baba au Rum has appeared on The World's 50 Best Bars list for 11 consecutive years, ranking No. 27 in 2025. The bar holds Europe's most extensive rum collection: over 400 labels from the Caribbean and Latin America, sourced directly from distilleries. The cocktail menu is divided into curated sections — classics, tiki, contemporary — each executed with precision and care. The outdoor seating on the pedestrian street is one of Athens's most pleasant spots on a summer evening. Open daily from 19:00.
⏱ Daily 19:00–03:00 (Sat until 03:30) · 🥃 400+ rums, craft cocktails · 📍 Klitiou 6, Psirri, Athens
Visit Baba au Rum → Reviews and book →
Oinoscent
Voulis 45–47, Syntagma, Athens
Athens's first dedicated wine bar — open since 2008 and now expanded to a full wine-bistro on Voulis Street, a short walk from Syntagma Square. The cellar holds over 1,000 labels from Greece and the wider world, with a particular emphasis on smaller Greek producers from regions that rarely appear on international wine lists — Cephalonia, Limnos, Corfu. Advanced sommeliers guide guests through selections by the glass or bottle. Since 2018, a full kitchen with Mediterranean-inspired dishes has made Oinoscent a destination for both wine and food. The bar is open for walk-ins; the dining area takes reservations for two-hour slots. Book ahead for weekends.
⏱ Mon–Thu 12:00–01:00 · Fri–Sat 12:00–02:00 · Sun 18:30–01:00 · 📍 Voulis 45–47, Athens
Visit Oinoscent → Reviews and book →
Heteroclito
Fokionos 2, Plaka, Athens
Athens's most important natural wine bar — a small, carefully curated space in Plaka where the focus is entirely on low-intervention Greek wines poured by the glass. Heteroclito champions producers who work with minimal sulphites, indigenous yeasts, and traditional methods: the list changes with each harvest and reads like a tour of Greece's most ambitious small-batch producers. The atmosphere is quiet, the pours are generous, and the staff know every wine on the list personally. Go for an evening of Greek wine without theatrics — just good bottles, decent mezedes, and conversation. One of the best-value wine experiences in Athens.
⏱ Check current hours · 🍷 Greek natural wines by the glass · 📍 Fokionos 2, Plaka, Athens
Visit Heteroclito → Reviews and book →📚 Know Your Greek Wine
Greece has one of the world's oldest and most complex wine cultures — and one of its least-understood. A few key terms make navigating a Greek wine list much easier.
Assyrtiko
Santorini's flagship white grape — bone-dry, high in natural acidity, with intense minerality and the flavours of citrus, sea salt, and volcanic stone. One of the world's great white wine grapes, and still underpriced internationally.
Xinomavro
Macedonia's great red — the name means "acid black." Highly tannic, high in acidity, with aromas of cherry, sun-dried tomato, and dried herbs. Difficult young, exceptional with 10–15 years of age. The Nebbiolo of Greece.
Agiorgitiko
The most widely planted red variety in Greece, centred in the Nemea PDO of the Peloponnese. More approachable than Xinomavro — fruit-forward, soft tannins, with cherry and spice — and available in styles from light rosé to barrel-aged reserve.
PDO / ΠΟΠ
Protected Designation of Origin — Greece has 33 PDO zones. Key ones to know: Santorini (white), Naoussa (red), Nemea (red), Muscat of Samos (sweet), Vinsanto (Santorini dessert wine). Higher classification than PGI (ΠΓΕ), which covers a wider regional area.
Kouloura
The traditional basket-training system used in Santorini, where vines are twisted into a low spiral close to the ground to protect the grapes from wind and intense sun. The ungrafted vines trained this way can be over 200 years old.
Spirits — Ouzo, Mastiha & More
Greece's spirit culture is anchored in ouzo and tsipouro — the anise-scented national drink and its unfiltered grape-pomace cousin — alongside the unique mastiha liqueur from Chios and the internationally recognised Metaxa brandy blend.
Islands & Mainland — Distilleries
Greek spirits are anchored in geography: ouzo is legally produced only in Greece (and primarily on Lesbos and in Tirnavos), tsipouro in central mainland regions, and mastiha exclusively from the mastic trees of southern Chios — a product with both a PDO designation and UNESCO recognition for its cultivation know-how.
Ouzo Plomari — The World of Ouzo
Plomari, Lesbos
The oldest and most internationally recognised ouzo distillery in Greece — founded in 1894 by Isidoros Arvanitis and still family-owned by the Kalogiannis family. Plomari is the ouzo capital of Lesbos, and the Arvanitis distillery is its most celebrated producer, using 18 traditional copper pot stills and a nine-hour distillation that follows the 1894 recipe with near-zero deviation. The Museum of Ouzo (The World of Ouzo), open Wednesday to Friday, offers a tour of the distillation and bottling process and is one of the most informative spirit experiences in Greece. Located in the southern port town of Plomari, the museum and distillery are an easy day trip from Mytilene.
⏱ Museum: Wed–Fri 10:00–14:00 · 🥃 Traditional copper distillation · 📍 Plomari, Lesbos Island
Visit The World of Ouzo →
Skinos Mastiha Spirit
Chios Island
Mastiha — the crystallised resin harvested from mastic trees that grow only in the southern villages of Chios — is one of the world's most singular flavouring agents. The cultivation method has been practised for over 2,500 years and holds UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. Skinos Mastiha Spirit (30% ABV) is the most internationally available of the mastiha liqueurs, distilled in bronze alembic stills and bottled with characteristic clarity and pine-and-mint character. Best served very cold, straight or over ice — or as a substitute for Chartreuse or St-Germain in cocktails. The flavour is unlike anything else: piney, slightly sweet, with a cool herbal finish.
🥃 30% ABV · Crystal clear, lightly sweet · 📍 Produced in Chios, available nationally
Visit Skinos →
Tsipouro of Tyrnavos
Tyrnavos, Thessaly
Tsipouro is Greece's closest equivalent to Italian grappa or Balkan rakija — a grape-pomace spirit distilled twice in copper stills, either plain or anise-flavoured. The Agricultural Cooperative Winery & Distillery of Tyrnavos, founded in 1961, is the most important producer of the Thessaly style: their Tsipouro of Tyrnavos is made from the Black Muscat of Tyrnavos grape, with a distinctive floral and rose-petal character that sets it apart from island versions. Tsipouro is traditionally drunk warm in small ceramic cups at tsipouradika (tavernas specialising in the spirit) alongside endless small mezedes plates. The Tyrnavos distillery also produces an anise-free aged version and a saffron-infused Stigma variant. Gold medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in Thessaloniki.
🥃 Black Muscat of Tyrnavos · Served warm or at room temperature · 📍 1st km Tyrnavos–Larissa Road
Visit Tyrnavos Distillery →
Metaxa
Kifissia, Athens
Greece's most internationally recognised spirit — created in 1888 by silk merchant Spyros Metaxa, who blended aged Muscat wines from Samos and Lemnos with grape distillate and a secret botanical blend, producing something that occupies its own category: not quite brandy, not quite wine spirit, but distinctively and unapologetically Greek. The 5-Star, 7-Star, and 12-Star expressions are the standards, with the 12-Star spending over 12 years in American oak limousin barrels. The Grand Olympian Reserve (rare, vintage-dated) is the prestige expression. Metaxa is exported to over 60 countries and is now owned by Rémy Cointreau, but is still produced at the Athens distillery in Kifissia. Best served on the rocks or with ice and fresh orange.
🥃 5-Star, 7-Star, 12-Star expressions · 📍 Produced in Kifissia, Athens · Exported to 60+ countries
Visit Metaxa →🥃 Greek Spirits — What to Know
- 🐟 Ouzo with water — always add cold water to ouzo, which turns it cloudy white (louching) and softens the anise. Never drink it as a shot. Always eat something alongside: olives, grilled octopus, white fish. Ouzo without food is not how it is meant to be drunk.
- 🌡️ Tsipouro temperature — in Thessaly and Macedonia it is traditionally drunk warm or at room temperature in ceramic cups. In other parts of Greece it is served cold over ice. Ask what the local custom is; both are correct.
- 🏺 Order mastiha at the end of a meal — chilled mastiha liqueur is one of the finest digestifs in the Mediterranean. Many tavernas in Athens and on the Aegean islands offer it as a courtesy digestif (it may arrive free). Accept it.
- 🍊 Metaxa cocktails — Metaxa 5-Star works extremely well with fresh orange juice and a splash of grenadine (a Greek Spritz variation). At Athens cocktail bars, look for it in modern Greek cocktail menus that reimagine classic drinks with local spirits.
Beer — Breweries & Taprooms
Greek beer culture has two distinct layers: the historic lagers of Fix and Mythos that have defined Mediterranean drinking for generations, and a craft movement that exploded after 2009, now producing award-winning ales and pilsners from Evia to Tinos island.
Fix Hellas
Nea Kifissia, Athens
Greece's most historic brewery — founded in Athens in 1864 by Johann Karl Fix, who served as purveyor to the Greek royal court and held a near-monopoly on Greek beer for almost 100 years. Fix went bankrupt in 1983 and was relaunched in its own brewery in 2009, with Fix Hellas — the crisp, golden flagship lager — re-established as the benchmark of Greek beer. Fix Hellas is the default order at tavernas across the country and one of the most refreshing lagers in Mediterranean Europe: clean, well-carbonated, and made for long afternoons with grilled fish and cold plates. The range also includes Fix Dark, Fix Aney (a premium pilsner), and seasonal variants.
🍺 Fix Hellas, Fix Dark, Fix Aney · 📍 Elaion Street 59, 145 64 Nea Kifissia
Visit Fix Brewery →
Septem Microbrewery
Orologi, Evia Island
Greece's most acclaimed craft brewery and named Best Brewer of Europe at the International Beer Challenge 2015 in London. Founded by chemist-oenologist Sofoklis Panagiotou and his brother Giorgos on the island of Evia in 2009, Septem produces exclusively unpasteurised craft beer — the name means "seven" in Latin, reflecting the original seven-beer range, each named after a day of the week. The brewing philosophy is oenological: hops are treated as the "grape" of beer, selected as whole flowers from international origins, and each batch is treated as a vintage. Septem's Friday's Pale Ale, Saturday's Porter, and Sunday's Honey Golden Ale are the standouts. Now available in 12 countries across four continents. Online shop at shop.septem.gr.
🍺 12 beer styles · Unpasteurised · 📍 Orologi, Aululonari, Evia Island · +30 2222 77 0000
Visit Septem →
Nissos Beer — Tinos Island
Tinos, Cyclades
Greece's most unusual craft brewery — founded in 2012 on the Cycladic island of Tinos, where it brews all-natural, unpasteurised beers in the spirit and landscape of the Aegean. Nissos (meaning "island" in Greek) uses traditional long fermentation and maturation — at least one month per batch — and produces beers certified with the European AFQ quality mark for their exceptionally high bioactive content. The flagship Nissos Pilsner won a silver European Beer Star in 2014, and the range now includes a White Ale, Pale Ale, and several seasonal specials aged in the 18th-century cellar of the Monastery of Saint Francis. Brewery visits available March–September from €10, including tastings; book at visits@nissos.beer. The island of Tinos is also one of the most beautiful in the Cyclades.
⏱ Visits Mar–Sep, advance booking · 🍺 From €10 · 📍 Tinos Town area, Tinos Island
Visit Nissos Brewery → Reviews and book →Coffee — The Freddo Culture
Greeks invented iced coffee. The frappe (1957, Thessaloniki) and freddo espresso (1990s, Athens) are uniquely Greek contributions to global coffee culture — and understanding them is essential to understanding Greek daily life.
Taf Coffee
Emmanouil Benaki 7–9, Athens
Athens's most internationally respected specialty coffee roastery — founded by Yiannis Taloumis, whose family has been in coffee since the 1990s. Taf pioneered the third-wave movement in Greece, building direct relationships with coffee producers and bringing beans to Athens that were previously unavailable in the country. The roastery and café in Exarchia operates a Slow Bar — a deliberate, unhurried approach to extraction that contrasts sharply with the speed of Greek everyday café culture — alongside pour-over, filter, and espresso drinks of serious quality. The Coffee Education Centre runs regular classes for beginners and enthusiasts. Taf is also the best place in Athens to buy whole-bean coffees for taking home.
⏱ Check current hours · ☕ Specialty espresso, filter, Slow Bar · 📍 Emmanouil Benaki 7–9, Athens (Exarchia)
Visit Taf Coffee →
Tailor Made
Plateia Agias Eirinis 2, Athens
The perfect Athens all-day address — a micro roastery and cocktail bar in a neoclassical building designed by 19th-century architect Ernst Ziller, on one of Athens's most charming small squares near Monastiraki. Tailor Made operates from morning espresso to late-night cocktails, with the coffee programme and the cocktail list both taken equally seriously. The on-site roastery produces the house blends and single-origins served at the bar, and the daytime menu includes excellent Greek pastries and small plates. Cocktails by Teo Spyropoulos (Greek World Class finalist) are inventive and precisely made. The location — Plateia Agias Eirinis — fills with Athenians on weekend mornings and becomes one of the city's liveliest terrace scenes from evening onwards.
⏱ Open daily, all-day · ☕ Micro-roasted espresso, cocktails, Greek pastries · 📍 Plateia Agias Eirinis 2, Athens
About Tailor Made → Reviews and book →
Couleur Locale
Normanou 3, Monastiraki, Athens
Athens's most celebrated rooftop café and view bar — hidden on Normanou Street in Monastiraki, steps from the metro, with one of the finest direct views of the Acropolis and Parthenon available from any café in the city. Couleur Locale opened in 2014 across the 2nd and 3rd floors of its building, with the open rooftop terrace as the principal draw. The venue operates all-day: morning freddo espresso with Acropolis sunrise, Mediterranean tapas at lunch, cocktails after dark with DJ sessions Thursday through Sunday. The interior is warm and retro-chic; the terrace tables fill quickly on weekends — arrive early or accept standing. Ranked No. 1 rooftop bar in Athens on multiple guides. Year-round, all weather.
⏱ Mon–Thu 09:00–01:00 · Fri–Sat 09:00–02:00 · Sun 09:00–01:00 · ☕ Freddo, cocktails, tapas · 📍 Normanou 3, Monastiraki, Athens
Visit Couleur Locale → Reviews and book →💡 Good to Know
- 🍷 Drink hours are flexible — Greeks drink at all times of day. Ouzo at noon, coffee all afternoon, wine from early evening until well past midnight. Nothing is considered unusual. Follow the locals.
- ☕ The frappe (shaken Nescafé, a 1957 Thessaloniki invention) is everywhere and beloved. The freddo espresso (shaken espresso, dominant since the 1990s) is now the more common order at cafés. Both are drunk through a straw. Both are correct.
- ☕ Ellinikos (Greek) coffee is not Turkish coffee. The name changed after the 1974 Cyprus conflict, but the preparation is identical — finely ground coffee boiled in a small copper briki, served unfiltered with grounds at the bottom. Order metrios (medium sweet) if you're unsure.
- 🐟 Ouzo and tsipouro are always accompanied by small food plates — octopus, sardines, cheese, olives. Ordering a spirit without food is considered unusual. Most establishments bring a small meze plate automatically.
- 🏷️ Wine prices are low. A quality Greek bottle costs €8–18 in a supermarket and €20–40 in a good restaurant. Even the best Santorini Assyrtiko rarely exceeds €50 in a restaurant. Extraordinary value by any European standard.
- 🛍️ Athens has several specialist wine shops with excellent selections of small Greek producers — try Oenoteca Bibendum in Kolonaki or Cellier near Syntagma for curated Greek wine at fair prices.