Assyrtiko to Xinomavro: a Greek mixed case

5 Aug 2026

They started drinking wine in Greece in Neolithic times, and haven't stopped since. In the classical era, wine took its place in the pantheon of drinks: beer for barbarians, wine for the civilised, nectar for the gods. Trade spread Greek wine culture through early Europe. In the Middle Ages, Orthodox monasteries acquired land, and winemaking became the preserve of monks. Then the Ottomans didn't approve of wine, and wine culture suffered. For long after Greek independence in 1830, the relative poverty of the new state meant it didn't develop a substantial fine wine culture. For most of the twentieth century, the Greek wine scene centred around the bulk efforts of cooperatives.

But over the last twenty years, there has been an explosion of small wineries exploring the country's remarkable viticultural heritage. Greece possesses a huge number of indigenous grape varieties, many of which are still undocumented, but some of which can be truly world-class. To help you get to grips with the huge diversity of a fascinating wine country, we've put together a mixed case with money off and free delivery. /NT

Greek Mixed Case
12x75cl
£285 case inc duty and VAT
Saving £31.05 inclusive of delivery

Contains one bottle of each of the following wines:

WHITES

2025 Dom Lyrarakis Dafni Psarades (Crete)

Cretan winery Lyrarakis has made the revival of endangered indigenous grape varieties their defining mission. They were single-handedly responsible for saving Dafni from extinction. The name 'Dafni' comes from the Greek for laurel tree, since it aromatically evokes bay leaves, and this bottling beautifully suggests bay and ripe citrus fruits.

2025 Gerovassiliou Malagousia Epanomi

Nobody had heard of Malagousia and it was almost extinct when Evangelos Gerovassiliou planted it in northern Greece in 1981. Since then, Gerovassiliou has gone on to become one of the acclaimed wineries of the new Greece, and Malagousia has become one of Greece's flagship varieties. This wine is highly aromatic; think pear, peach and flower, with an opulent mid-palate breaking against the flinty finish.

2025 Vassaltis Assyrtiko Santorini

Santorini is a brutally tough place to make wine, with baking sun, fierce winds and extremely low rainfall. Yannis Valambous moved here to restore the vineyards and winery left to him by his father. He has built a state-of-the-art winery at Vassaltis, and become a champion of the great Santorini variety Assyrtiko. This is tense and lean, with sea spray salinity set against notes of lemon and chamomile.

2024 Domaine Lyrarakis Voila Assyrtiko

While the origins of Assyrtiko lie on Santorini, its ability to retain acidity in a hot climate have seen this noble variety spread much further afield. Lyrarakis have made a great success of it on the Voila Plain on eastern Crete; think peach and lime with that classic Assyrtiko salted pistachio finish.

2024 Gaia Notios White Moschofilero/Roditis

Acclaimed winery Gaia has been at the forefront of the Greek wine revolution. From the Peloponnese peninsula, Notios blends the three native varieties of Moschofilero, Roditis and Assyrtiko. The Moschofilero brings the expressive floral character, the Roditis brings the vibrant citrus and the Assyrtiko brings depth, complexity and a very mineral finish.

2024 Gerovassiliou Viognier Epanomi Macedonia

While Gerovassiliou like to focus on native Greek varieties, their Viognier is always an irresistibly good exception. The expressive aromatics mingle jasmine, exotic fruit and a subtle hint of smoke.

2024 Idaia Ocean Thrapsathiri

Family winery Idaia on the island of Crete were the first to identify the potential of the local Thrapsathiri grape variety. This lovely bottling comes from north-facing limestone slopes in the middle of the island. The rich texture is neatly married to supporting acidity, and the exotic fruit notes are spliced with green, grassy notes.

2023 Vassaltis Alcyone Barrel Aged Assyrtiko

This brilliant example of Santorini's native Assyrtiko variety marries intense minerality to expressive mid-palate depth, and barrel ageing has given it a lick of posh oak to finish.

REDS

2022 Lyrarakis Liatiko Aggelis (Crete)

Liatiko is another Cretan speciality, typically pale and perfumed with good structure, fine but present tannins and a salty minerality. The Aggelis vineyard was planted over a hundred years ago and the vines remain on their original roots. Think plum and thyme.

2022 Alpha Estate Xinomavro Hedgehog Vineyard

In the cool northern highlands of Macedonia, Alpha Estate produce outstanding examples of Greece's most noble red grape variety, Xinomavro. This is a beautiful example of the variety with notes of red fruits and rose petal, with the succulent fruit judiciously balanced against delicate but drying tannins.

2022 Mikro Ktima Titos Goumenissa

The Mikro Ktima Titos winery cultivates vines on the lower slopes of Mount Paiko, in central Macedonia. The Negoska variety is very local to the area, and this bottling is a lovely blend of Xinomavro with softer, more expressive Negoska.

2021 Dom Lyrarakis Mandilari Plakoura (Crete)

The Cretan Mandilari variety makes big, bold, powerfully aromatic reds. This Lyrarakis bottling comes from the Plakoura vineyard, a steep, stony north-facing site which forces the vines to work hard. Think black cherry, cedar, chocolate, nuts and vanilla.

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available imminently.To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998

Assyrtiko to Xinomavro: a Greek mixed case

2023 Dominio do Bibei Lalume Ribeiro

2023 Argentiera Villa Donoratico Bolgheri

2023 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough)