We arrive in Greece in about 4 weeks, with five nights in Athens before boarding a week-long island cruise. While we have read not the best things about Greek wines and their tasting much of resin, I since read a piece in the WSJ months back, which I failed to keep, with several recommendations of types and vintages. But you Fodorites always give the best advice! We will need bottles to sip on our terrace in Athens. Not concerned about cruiseline offerings. We enjoy whites such as sauvignon blancs and full-bodied dry reds.

Nobody much drinks that resinated wine ... it's an old habit in USA from its old-timey Greek restaurants. I hope that on your week-long cruise you are not always hustled aboard before dinner ... we noncruisers, sitting in cafes and tavernas enjoying the sunset and the local barreled wine (at about €5 a kilo) always feel sorry for cruise folks forced to go back on board by 5pm.

For your terrace sipping, the white that never disappoints is the one from Santorini (of all places); that volcanic soil seems to produce really zippy, citrusy whites -- Assyrtiko is best-known variety, also Athiri. My favorite red wine, full-bodied but dry is Nemean Red - comes from Peloponnese. Here's a website showing what Nemean Reds cost in USA -- you'll find them MUCH more affordable in Greece! If by chance your cruise takes you to the port of Nafplio, for a sunset or dinner, you'll find the local tavernas serve Nemean as their house wine, right out of the barrel.

We always drink the house or local wine either at tavernas or buying from local markets which is rather very good and at very reasonable prices. Forego the fancy wines that cost an arm-and-a-leg and ask for the house wine, either red or white with red being the better of the two.

You'll get local wine at reasonable prices and the more you drink the less concern you have about the fancy bottled stuff at over-priced costs.

Definitely white wines from Santorini, white wines made from moschofilero or assyrtiko grapes.
Red wine from Macedonia, Tsantali, esp their cabernet sauvignon
Dry rosé from the Peloponnese from agiorgitiko grapes, I particularly like Gaia Agiorgitiko 14-18h but Amethystos rosé is also very good.

Restaurant house wines are cheap and cheerful, some good, some bad, and not all are retsina. You seem to be more interested in bottled quality wine. There are lots of reviews on the internet, but the most recent I could find from WSJ was from 2015. This one from Decanter may be helpful: http://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews...hoices-289518/

Thank you all -- yes, now I remember the Santorini whites; perhaps it was in the NYT instead. No, not interested in spending lots but good dry clear tastes always appreciated!

Dont feel too sorry for us, we are boarding on the ship as late as 8pm, and will have enjoyed your best from the tavernas at lunch time! Azamara includes wines in our base cost -- yay!

By the way, can we purchase French champagne at the Athens airport?? Our date of arrival is our anniversary and we wish to celebrate with our friends on our hotel terrace. Or, rather can we purchase it here in the States before boarding plane, I say no, husband says yes...... to be continued......

I had excellent wines throughout Greece. When buying a bottle, I often opted for an Assyrtiko or Athiri from Santorini or a Nemean red. At restaurants, I generally accepted the server’s suggestions, as the server knows both their foods and their wines and is, IMO, well positioned to suggest reasonable pairings.