Aegean islands / Νησιά Αιγαίου

The north-eastern Mediterranean Sea between the east coast of Greece and Turkey is named after the Greek mythical figure Aegeus, the king of Athens and father of the legendary hero Theseus. There are countless islands and island groups here, such as the Dodecanese, the Sporades and the Cyclades. Most of them were settled by the Greeks in 1000 BC. Viticulture and wine culture have an ancient tradition on many of these islands. Even in ancient times, the best Greek wines were produced here, which were delivered as far away as Rome. The poet Homer died on Chios (Khios) (8th century BC), and the island was considered the "Bordeaux of Greek wines" in antiquity. In the Middle Ages, sweet wines from the islands became particularly popular, shipped via the port of Monemvasia. The most important are Crete, Lesvos, Limnos, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini and Thasos (map). Most have appellations classified as POP. The vineyards cover about 9,000 hectares of vines. See also under Ionian Islands (west coast of Greece).

Greece map: By Pitichinaccio - own work, CC BY 3.0, link
edited by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer 2/2018