Living on the island of Paros, I drink a lot of Greek island wine, yet I am not a connoisseur. I am an imbiber. I drink what is available at the time and place. Just as Greek light and air have influenced art since the dawn of civilization, so do the atmosphere and sun at our local taverna influence the taste of the wine before us.

All restaurants and tavernas on the islands serve an "open" or barrel wine at usually a very low price - sometimes the price is so low I double the tip out of guilt. I always try the local offering and am only rarely disappointed. When sitting on a shaded veranda with the sound of the sea lapping against the sand and either the villa-clad hills or open sea in the background it would have to be a very bad wine to take away from the sense of well being. Though, I have found that when the Greek male host is especially boastful of his own wine, it tends to not be to my liking, usually because it is too sweet.

While some of this open wine may come from the proprietors' home stock, most comes from a large plastic jug and is produced at a central island winery. Each island tends to specialize in a different variety. Santorini produces mostly white wine using the Assyrtiko grape that was originally cultivated there and now is grown all over Greece. Paros is famous for the quality of its Mandelaria red grape.

Perhaps when comparing the world market including France, California, & Australia then wines from Greece would not sell well on the High Street wine shop shelves. Yet when in Greece at one of the many "fine dining" restaurants, enjoying the well-cooked lamb or the octopus, would it not be a sacrilege to order a wine from Germany, for instance? There are many quality bottled Greek wines. Here on Paros we have the Moraitas family-run winery producing superb hand-crafted wines for that special occasion.

My recommendation, whether you are a wine connoisseur or just an imbiber like me, is to make your next winery tour on the Greek islands. Come to Paros and I will show you my favorite taverna at Palm Beach, where you forget life's problems regardless of what you are drinking.

About the Author

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Wine

Another short Wine Vineyard review

Greek Island Wine - Taste the Place


Living on the island of Paros, I drink a lot of Greek island wine, yet I am not a connoisseur. I am an imbiber. I drink what is available at the time ...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Wine Vineyard Items

The FTD Classic Beauty Bouquet - Premium


A classic presentation of some favorite flowers - purple iris, pink roses, purple asters, white stock, pink carnations and more in a glass vase. C19-3071P


Price: 79.99 USD



News about Wine Vineyard

DFV Wines Manages Appraisals with Web-Based EPM & Talent Management System

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:13:18 -0800
This award-winning winery needed an award winning solution for their complex employee performance appraisal needs. With employees working shifts, and multiple managers responsible for their performance, their paper-based system wasn't supporting them in providing fair and consistent reviews.

Western New York's hidden experts (The Buffalo News)

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:15:30 -0800
We all have secret areas of knowledge -- things that we know a lot about.

Valley business briefs for Feb. 22 (The Desert Sun)

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:16:11 -0800
Vino 100 mulling return to downtown, Fred Bell to speak at Mayor's Luncheon, and more ...

A Delightful Elixir

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:15:00 -0800
This startling ad is from 1928, when drinking liquor seems to have been a common cold remedy.* Aspironal is "most enthusiastically endorsed by the people as ten times as quick and effective as whiskey, rock and rye, or any other cold remedy they have ever tried." Aspironal itself contained 10% alcohol - roughly the same percentage as table wine, and twice that of beer. The reader was advised to line up at the drugstore, give the pharmacist fifty cents and tell them to dole out two teaspoonfuls


Renault Winery
Wine Glass | Wine Glasses

Labels: Wine Guide | Wine History

&type=page">