Wineries and vineyards for sale in the South Aegean Islands

LOCATION AND HISTORY

The north-eastern Mediterranean Sea, between the eastern coast of Greece and Turkey, is named after the mythical character Aegeus, king of Athens and father of Theseus. There are countless islands and island groups in this sea, such as the Dodecanese, Sporades and Cyclades. Most of them were colonised by the Greeks in 1000 BC and wine culture has an ancient tradition on all of them. Even in antiquity, the best Greek wines were produced here and brought to Rome. The poet Homer died in Chios in the 8th century BC and the island's wine was considered the best wine in Greece. In the Middle Ages, sweet wines proliferated and were sent all over Europe. The most important are Crete, Lesvos, Limnos, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini and Thasos. Most are classified POP and the vineyards cover some 9,000 ha.

CYCLADES Κυκλάδες ΝΗΣΣΙΆ ΑΙΓΑΊΟΥ

The Cyclades are the most famous and visited Greek islands. The typical image of the Cyclades is that of a pretty seaside village with a cascade of white houses with blue roofs. The archipelago is located in the Aegean Sea and has more than 200 islands. The two stars of Greek tourism are part of the Cyclades archipelago, the elegant Santorini of volcanic origin and the transgressive Mykonos with fantastic beaches.

DODECANESE Δωδεκάνησο ΝΗΣΣΙΆ ΑΙΓΑΊΟΥ 

The Dodecanese islands are closer to the coasts of Turkey than to those of mainland Greece and are therefore the furthest away. Here, too, geography and culture merge: by their history and present-day appearance these islands metaphorically represent a bridge between West and East. Despite the name, the Dodecanese archipelago includes more than a dozen islands: in fact, there are about 160 of them, 26 of which are inhabited. The most famous and most visited is Rhodes. 

SARONIC ISLANDS ΝΗΣΙΑ ΣΑΡΟΝΙΚΟΥ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ

The Saronic Islands lie in the strip of sea between the north-eastern shores of the Peloponnese and the west coast of Attica. They are easily accessible from Athens and therefore very popular. The favourite island of wealthy Athenians who want to escape the city for a weekend at the beach is Hydra. The other islands of the archipelago are Salamis, Aegina, Angistri, Poros, Spetses and Dokos.