In recent years, Greek wines have emerged as standout Mediterranean contenders alongside Italian, French, and Spanish vintages. Hellenic winemakers have honed their craft, and today, their bottles grace fine dining tables around the world. Collectors and connoisseurs are taking note.
With some of the world’s oldest terroirs and a remarkable array of indigenous grape varieties, Greece offers wine lovers much to discover. Here are The MICHELIN Guide’s top picks in Athens—restaurants where diners can sip outstanding Greek wines while savoring local dishes at their best.
Pharaoh: Discovering the New Guard of Greek Winemakers
Opened by a globe-trotting journalist, this trendy restaurant and bar in the Exarchia neighborhood is the perfect spot to sample wines from Greece’s new generation of producers. As a DJ spins funk or bossa nova vinyl, diners enjoy excellent wood-fired Mediterranean cuisine paired with a curated selection of natural and biodynamic wines. With over a hundred Greek labels—including rare finds—alongside a thoughtful mix of European vintages (mainly from France and Italy), the list is both original and full of surprises. Many are available by the glass, encouraging a spirit of discovery.All regions of Greece are represented, from the Cyclades to Thrace, passing through the Peloponnese. Don’t miss the wines from the island of Tinos, produced by Domaine de Kalathas on granite soils cultivated for nearly 6,000 years, using indigenous grape varieties such as white potamisi and red koumariano. The sommelier might suggest an old-vine malagouzia from Tatsis in Macedonia, with bright notes of white flowers and chamomile. These wines embody the renaissance of the Greek vineyard, where a new guard of winemakers is reimagining tradition and radically transforming their methods.
Botrini’s: A Delicate Balancing Act
A visit to One-Starred Botrini’s means venturing beyond central Athens and its famed monuments—a detour well worth making. Led by charismatic Corfiot chef Ettore Botrini, meals unfold as culinary odysseys through Greece in 10 to 13 courses. For the sommelier Alexandros Gkaraflis, it’s a balancing act to find wines that can pair with two or three dishes at a time—an art executed with finesse. The 100% Greek food-and-wine pairing alternates between established labels and hidden gems, offering a fantastic opportunity to discover the country’s diverse wine regions and wealth of indigenous grape varieties. With more than 350 Greek wines in the cellar, there’s much to explore.A recent meal opened with a surprising and delightful sparkling wine from the north, made using traditional methods. Then came a Santorini Assyrtiko from Argyros, which was aromatic and minerally, slightly reminiscent of a great Riesling, and paired beautifully with swordfish and bonito. The Syros rosé "Ousyra," an extremely rare production vinified with the Fokiano grape variety, made a daring yet successful match with carabinero shrimp in bisque. Foundi's classic Xinomavro de Naousa, often compared to Piedmont’s Barolo, was the perfect companion to local milk-fed lamb with eggplant. The symphony concluded with a Muscat from Cephalonia by Petrakopoulos.
CTC Urban Gastronomy: Exploring Lesser-Known Wines
At CTC, chef-owner Alex Tsiotinis’ elegant restaurant, set in a villa in the Keramikos neighborhood, wine is much more than an afterthought. The focus here is on celebrating the expertise of Greek winemakers and the diversity of the country’s vineyards, whether on the islands or mainland. The cellar features nearly 300 Hellenic wines, offered in two distinct pairings: one exclusively Greek and another that includes select bottles from across Europe. Sommelier Kanellos Triantafillopoulos favors small producers with whom he has cultivated relationships over the years.Take the Sclavos estate, a biodynamic pioneer on the Ionian island of Cephalonia, known for its remarkably fresh whites. Triantafillopoulos isn’t afraid to serve the once-controversial retsina—an ancient white wine infused with pine resin. Long associated with poor quality, it’s now being reclaimed by a new generation of producers, such as Kechris in Thessaloniki, who are reviving its noble heritage. Likewise, the aged muscat from Samos, matured for at least six years in barrels, is, in the sommelier’s opinion, an underrated gem for dessert. His ultimate dream? To one day cultivate his own vineyard and introduce his personal wines to CTC’s guests.
Delta: Rare Wines for a Memorable Culinary Journey
Located at the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center, this Two MICHELIN Star restaurant offers a truly unique experience. Its technically impeccable culinary performance—rooted in the excellence of Greek terroir—calls for wines that are anything but ordinary. Here, the wine must adapt to the cuisine, not the other way around. "Wine should never dominate," says the young sommelier Dimitris Zannikos, who frequently visits vineyards to meet producers, sometimes bringing the Delta team along. As a result, the selection has been finely tuned to offer precise pairings. Special attention has also been given to vintages, ensuring that guests are often offered multiple expressions of the same wine. This long-term approach has built a cellar rich in rare and distinctive bottles.The wine list is particularly comprehensive, with many biodynamic labels and a variety of vinification styles. Indigenous grape varieties are celebrated, offering Greek wines that reflect the character of the local terroir. You won’t find Greek Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc here, but rather standout Assyrtiko or Xinomavro—like the 2013 Diaporos from Ktima Kir-Yianni in Naousa, the homeland of the latter variety, served alongside picanha of beef. Wines that transcend prejudices are also invited onto the menu, such as the Verdea from the Ionian island of Zante produced by Domaine Grampsas, known for its freshness and saline notes. Dessert wines are not overlooked either, like this Malvasia from Monemvasia (in the Peloponnese) from Tsibidis, with its sweet notes of candied fruit.
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