2.5 million hectoliters of wine are produced in Greece on average per year from the grapes of the approximately 61,500 hectares of the five Greek wine-growing areas: Northern Greece, Central Greece & Attica, Peloponnese & Ionian Islands, Crete and the Aegean Islands. 300 autochthonous grape varieties can be found in the 34 regions with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and in around 100 areas with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Forty of the 134 designated wine-growing regions produce sweet wines. However, only a few Greek sweet wines are known, such as the Samos, from the island of the same name, the Vinsanto from Santorini, the sweet, red Mavrodaphne from Patras and one or the other Muscat, be it from Rhodes, Lemnos, Cephalonia or Patras.
In Greece, sweet wines are basically only allowed to be produced in two ways: either by adding alcohol from grapes to the must or partially fermented must, or by concentrating the sugar and aromas of the grapes through drying, be it in the sun, by remaining on the vine, or drying in air after the harvest. Wines fortified with alcohol are called vin doux naturel, wines made from dried grapes are called vin naturellement doux. Wines made exclusively from sun-dried grapes are sometimes referred to as straw wine or vin liastos. It is absolutely forbidden to add any kind of sweetness.
There are more than 300 autochthonous grape varieties in Greece, and sweet wines are also produced from some of these varieties, for example the red sweet wines from the Liatiko grape variety in the Cretan wine-growing regions of Sitia and Dafnes. The sweet wines are also often produced in different degrees of sweetness – from semi-dry to medium sweet and to sweet. There are also sparkling wines in some areas from semi-dry to sweet, such as on Rhodes, in Mantinia in the Peloponnese or in Amynteo in northern Greece. You can find a tabular overview of which types of sweet wines are available where in Greece in the table.
More about sweet wines from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
| Area | Classification | Region | Type | Grape varieties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malvasia Sitia | PDO | Crete | sweet sundried and sundried fortified white wines | Assyrtiko 85%, Thrapsathiri, Athiri, Liatiko, White Muscat and Malvasia di Candia Aromatica |
| Sitia | PDO | Crete | Sweet red from sun-dried grapes, Sweet red fortified | Liatiko 100% |
| Dafnes | PDO | Crete | Sweet red | Liatiko 100% |
| Naoussa | PDO | Northern Greece | Medium-dry red, Medium-sweet red | Xinomavro 100% |
| Amynteo | PDO | Northern Greece | Medium dry rosé, Medium sweet rosé Sparkling medium dry rosé, Medium sweet red | Xinomavro 100% |
| Zitsa | PDO | Epirus | Semi-sparkling/sparkling, medium-dry white, Sparkling, medium-sweet white | Debina 100% |
| Anchialos | PDO | Magnissia | Medium dry white, Medium sweet white | Roditis min 80% , Savvatiano |
| Muscat of Lemnos | PDO | North Aegean Island | Sweet fortified white from sun-dried grapes Sweet white from sun-dried grapes, naturellement doux Sweet fortified, vin doux naturel – vin de liqueur | Muscat d’Alexandrie 100% |
| Lemnos | PDO | North Aegean Island | Medium-dry white, Medium-sweet white, Sweet red fortified Sweet red from sun-dried grapes | Muscat d’Alexandrie 100% for white wines, 90% Limnio und 10% Muscat d’Alexandrie for red wines |
| Muscat of Cephalonia | PDO | Ionian island | Sweet fortified white from sun-dried grapes Sweet white from sun-dried grapes, naturellement doux Sweet fortified | Muscat Blanc 100% |
| Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia | PDO | Ionian island | Sweet red fortified | Mavrodaphne min. 51%, Corinthina Black |
| Muscat of Rio Patras | PDO | Peloponnese | Sweet fortified white from sun-dried grapes Sweet white from sun-dried grapes Sweet fortified | Muscat Blanc 100% |
| Muscat of Patras | PDO | Peloponnese | Sweet fortified white from sun-dried grapes Sweet white from sun-dried grapes Sweet fortified | Muscat Blanc 100% |
| Patras | PDO | Peloponnese | Medium-dry white, Medium-sweet white | Roditis 100% |
| Mavrodaphne of Patras | PDO | Peloponnese | Sweet red fortified Sweet red from sun-dried grapes | Mavrodaphne min. 51%, Corinthina Black |
| Nemea | PDO | Peloponnese | Medium-sweet red Sweet red from sun-dried grapes Sweet red fortified | Agiorkitiko 100% |
| Mantinia | PDO | Peloponnese | Sparkling white medium dry | Moschfilero min 85%, Asproudes |
| Monemvassia-Malvasia | PDO | Peloponnese | Sweet fortified white from sun dried grapes Sweet white from sun dried grapes | Monemvassia min 51%, Assyrtiko, Asproudes, Kydonitsa |
| Santorini | PDO | Southern Cyclades | Vinsanto –Sweet white from sun-dried grapes; Vinsanto –Sweet fortified white from sun-dried grapes | Assyrtiko min 51%, Aidani, and small amounts of other grape varieties |
| Samos | PDO | East Aegean Island | Sweet white from sun-dried grapes Sweet white fortified | Muscat Blanc 100% |
| Rhodos | PDO | West Dodecanese Island | Medium-sweet white, Medium-dry red Medium-sweet red, Medium-dry rose Medium-sweet rose Sparkling white demi sec, doux) Sparkling rose (demi sec, doux) | Athiri min 70%, Assyrtiko, Malagousia Weißwein Mandialria min 70%, Mavrothiriko Rotwein |
| Muscat of Rhodos | PDO | West Dodecanese Island | Sweet white from sun-dried grapes Sweet fortified | Muscat Blanc, Moscato di Trani |
| Evros | PGI | Northern Greece | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Assyrtiko, Zoumiatiko (Damiatis), Malagousia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Karnachalades, Keratsouda, Lemnio, Mavroudi, Moschomavro, Bogialamades, Pamidi, Sefka, Grenache Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Merlot, Censaut, Syrah |
| Serres | PGI | Macedonia | medium dry, medium sweet white, rosé and red | Agoumastos, Athiri, Asprouda Serres, Assyrtiko, Zoumiatiko, Malagousia, Muscat of Alexandria, Batiki, Rhoditis, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Koiniariko, Lemnio, Pamidi, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Censaut, Syrah |
| Pella | PGI | Macedonia | medium dry, white, rosé and red | Roditis, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Agiorgitiko, Lemnio, Moschomavro, Xinomavro, Negoska, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Censaut, Syrah |
| Pieria | PGI | Macedonia | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Roditis, Savvatiano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Agiorgitiko, Limniona, Xinomavro, Pamidi, Grenache rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Censaut, Syrah |
| Kozani | PGI | Macedonia | medium dry, medium sweet white, rosé and red | Malagousia, Batiki, Roditis, Gewürtztraminer, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Lemnio, Moschomavro, Xinomavro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Censaut, Syrah |
| Grevena | PGI | Macedonia | medium dry, medium sweet, rosé and red | Roditis, Xinomavro, Moschomavro, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah |
| Lesvos | PGI | North Aegean Island | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Assyrtiko, Savvatiano, Vaftra, Mandilaria, Fokiano, Chidiriotiko (Kalloniatiko) |
| Lefkada | PGI | Ionian island | medium dry, medium sweet white, rosé and red | Vardea, Vertzami, Merlot |
| Zakynthos | PGI | Ionian island | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Asproudes, Violento, Goustolidi (Avgoustolidi, Vostilidas), Korithi, Koutsoubeli, Lagorthi, Moschatel (Moschardina), Migdali, Pavlos, Rhoditis, Robola, Savvatiano, Skiadopoulo, Fileri, Avgoustiatis, Katsakoulias, Mavrodaphne, Skylopnichtis, Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Cyclades | PGI | Southern Cyclades | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Aidani White, Asprouda Santorinis, Assyrtiko, Gaidouria, Katsano, Kritiko, Maloukato, Mandilaria White, Muscat White, Savvatiano, Athiri Black, Aidani Black, Avgoustiatis, Vaftra, Voydomatis, Kotsifali, Mandilaria, Mavrotragano, Fokiano |
| Chios | PGI | East Aegean Island | medium dry, medium sweet white | Athiri, Assyrtiko, Muscat White, Savvatiano, Agianniotiko, Mandilaria, Fokiano, Chiotiko Krassero |
| Dodecanese | PGI | Dodecanese Island | medium dry, medium sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Muscat White, Muscat di Trani, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano, Mandilaria, Grenache Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Murvèdre, Censaut, Syrah, Tempranillo |
| Chania | PGI | Crete | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Vilana, Vidiano, Thrapsathiri, Muscat White (Muscat of Spina), Macabeu, Trebbiano, Kotsifali, Liatiko, Mandilaria, Romeiko, Tsardana, Fokiano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Grenache Rouge, Syrah |
| Rethymno | PGI | Crete | medium dry, medium sweet, sweet white, rosé and red | Athiri, Vilana, Vidiano, Thrapsathiri, Muscat White, Kotsifali, Liatiko, Mandilaria, Romeiko, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache Rouge, Syrah |