Great Greek Wines

Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, and the origins of winemaking in Greece go back almost 7000 years. The spread of Greek civilization and their worship of Dionysus, the god of wine, helped to spread the love of wine throughout all Mediterranean areas. Greek wines and their varieties were well known and traded throughout the Mediterranean soon after it was discovered, and Hippocrates even used wine for medicinal purposes and gladly prescribed it to anyone in need of some quick help.

The most reputable wines of ancient Greece were Chian, Coan, Corcyraean, Cretan, Euboean, Lesbian, Leucadian, Mendaean, Peparethan wine, Rhodian and Thasian. In 1937, the Ministry of Agriculture established a Wine Institute, which was established to devote time to researching Greek Wine and to preserving and improving the country's winemaking. During the 1960s, Retsina suddenly became the national beverage. Retsina is a Greek white wine that has a unique flavor and is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo Pine resin in ancient times. With rapidly growing tourism, Retsina became associated worldwide with Greece and Greek wine.

A Perfect Wine List?

What would your perfect wine list look like?

If you were to go into a restaurant and pick up the wine list, what would you like to find?

For almost twenty years, Mary and Costa Arabatzis - owners of Ziziki's - have exhibited their passion for wine in their award winning wine list at Zizikis Dallas Restaurants.

With an eclectic selection of wine from around the world, Zizikis is renowned for its fabulous wine selection. What should you look for in a great wine list? Here's some things we look for:

A good number of wine-by-the-glass offerings. We offer over 40! Everything from casual to more interesting selections.

A long list with a great selection of diverse wines with diverse pricing. With over 100 selections on our list, our goal has been to find the best boutique wines for our list at the best possible price.

Awards and accolades - everyone likes to be recognized. Zizikis is proud to have been awarded Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for our wine list. According to Wine Spectator, 'Award of Excellence winners offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the restaurant's menu offerings. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections.' What's not to love about that?

But don't take our word for it! Bring a wine-loving-friend to check out our award winning wine list and enjoy a night out at Zizikis. Opa!