Seeds and residue of wild grapes have been found and dated as far back as 350,000 years ago at Franchthi Cave in Greece, dated to ca. 12,000. Mediterranean Wines are dated between the eleventh and seventh centuries B.C. The oldest winery discovered anywhere in the world is at Archanes in Crete.

In 1937 with the creation of the Greek Wine Institute and in the 1960's when modern technology was applied by the Greek wineries to produce a wide variety of fine wines. Legislation helped to create local system of controlled production called Quality Wines Produced In Registered Areas (V.Q.P.R.D.). Today approximately 20% of production is exported and 90% of it is absorbed by EU member countries.

The wines of Greece are divided into 4 distinct categories:
1.) The Controlled Appellations of Origin
2.) The Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality
3.) Local wines
4.) Table wines

The Controlled Appellations of Origin is a category that contains only liqueur wines, such as the Mavrodaphne of Kefaloniá and Patrás, the Muscat wines of Patras, Limnos, Kefalonia, Rhodes and the Doux of Samos.

The Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality category contains many of the best wines of Greece. There are 20 areas so far that have the right to Appellation of Origin.

• In northern Greece, there are the Appellations of Zitsa, Amynteo, Gouménissa and Náoussa
• In Chalkidiki the Appellation of Playies Melitona
• In Thessaly Anchialos and Rapsani, near Athens Kantza
• In the Peloponnese the appellations of Patras, Mantinia and Nemea
• On the Ionian islands the Robola of Kefalonia
• On the islands of Paros, Limnos, Rhodes and Santorini
• On Crete there are the appellations of Acharnes, Peza, Sitia and Daphnes.