Thessaloniki wine tasting runs in the city bars and at the estates of the surrounding plain, where Xinomavro and Malagousia are poured beside Macedonian food. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
What wine tastings run in Thessaloniki?
City tastings with a sommelier, cellar tastings of Greek varieties, an in-home food and wine pairing, private tours to the Gerovassiliou estate at Epanomi, day trips to the Naoussa and Goumenissa wine regions, and wine with cooking classes and village tours.
Seven experiences run from two to seven hours on one platform.
Five of them are wine tours with cellar visits.
A hotel in the city runs a vineyard tour for guests.
A bespoke operator covers Naoussa, Goumenissa, Amyntaio and Nemea.
Cooking and wine experiences view the docks.
The sunset side of the city sits at Thessaloniki sunset cruise.
What is the city tasting with a sommelier?
It runs in the Ampelokipoi-Menemeni area.
The group stays small.
It suits a first evening in the city.
No transport is needed.
Cellar tastings of Greek varieties run in the city too.
Small-group tastings with appetisers run as well.
What is the Gerovassiliou estate?
A winery on the slopes of Epanomi, a few kilometres from Thessaloniki, visited on a two-hour tour with a vineyard walk, the production, bottling and ageing areas, a wine museum, and a tasting of six wines with Greek cheese overlooking the vineyards.
Epanomi lies 25 kilometres from the city centre.
The area has been lived in since the Neolithic.
Private tours with transport run five hours.
A seven-hour private tour adds the Aegean coast.
Vangelis Gerovassiliou helped revive the Malagousia grape.
A city hotel calls its wines world-renowned.
What is Malagousia?
A white Greek grape that was almost extinct until Professor Vassilis Logothetis rediscovered it and passed it to his student Vangelis Gerovassiliou in the 1970s, highly aromatic and capable of soft, elegant wines.
Experimental winemaking began at Porto Carras.
It continued on the Gerovassiliou estate.
It was virtually extinct before the 1970s.
Tastings at Epanomi pour it.
It gives soft, elegant wines.
Its story is told on the estate tour.
What is Xinomavro?
The principal red grape of the uplands of Naousa and of Amyntaio in Greek Macedonia, whose name means sour black, grown also at Goumenissa, Rapsani, Siatista and Velventos, and the red that defines Northern Greek wine.
Plantings reached 2,239 hectares worldwide by 2013.
Almost all of it grows in Greece.
Goumenissa blends it with Negoska.
Naoussa tours pair it with food.
Its name means sour black.
What is the Naoussa wine day trip?
Naoussa lies at the foot of the Vermio mountains.
The city had 19,706 people in 2021.
It is famous for its carnival, ski resort and wine.
Ancient Mieza lies nearby.
PDO Naoussa wines are made from Xinomavro.
Private transfers run from Thessaloniki.
What is Goumenissa?
A small traditional town in the Kilkis region 69 kilometres north-west of Thessaloniki on the Paiko mountains, known for traditional wineries and PDO Goumenissa wines that blend Xinomavro with Negoska.
Negoska is a red grape of Central Macedonia.
Blended wines are fruity with high alcohol.
The town has narrow streets and traditional houses.
It lies 20 kilometres north of ancient Pella.
Bespoke wine tours visit its wineries.
It pairs with a Naoussa day.
What is the in-home food and wine pairing?
A private experience in a host’s maisonette in Thessaloniki led by a WSET Level 3 certified host, with five Greek wines, three shared meze plates, a main course and a Greek dessert, for two to six guests.
The host introduces wine regions and indigenous grapes.
Greece has over 300 indigenous grape varieties.
Tasting tips and vocabulary are part of it.
Vegetarian menus are offered with notice.
Guests take home any unused wine.
Languages include Greek, English, Italian and Danish.
What wine events run in Thessaloniki?
The Rose Grand Tasting at the Makedonia Palace, the Small Wineries, Great Wines fair at Warehouse C in the port, the Oenocosmos wine fair, the Voroina of Xinomavro in November and wine club evenings at city hotels.
Small Wineries, Great Wines ran on 16 and 17 February 2025.
The Winemakers of Northern Greece host the Xinomavro celebration.
Wine bars host tasting evenings.
Hotels run seasonal wine dinners.
Event dates change each year.
Fairs let visitors taste many producers.
What is Thessaloniki?
The second largest city of Greece and capital of Central Macedonia on the Thermaic Gulf, with 319,045 people in the historic municipality and about a million in the metropolitan area, the base for wine trips across Northern Greece.
It was the co-capital of the Byzantine Empire.
The Axios delta bounds it to the west.
Wine regions lie within a day’s drive.
Halkidiki village tours start from the city.
Village tours add honey, coffee and wine.
The olive side of Halkidiki sits at Halkidiki olive oil tasting.
How long does a Thessaloniki wine tasting take?
Two hours for a city tasting with a sommelier or the Gerovassiliou vineyard tour, three hours for the wine casino experience, five hours for a private winery tour with transport or a cooking class with wine, and seven to eight hours for Naoussa and coast day trips.
Village tours in Halkidiki run six hours.
Bespoke Epanomi tours run six hours.
Evening tastings fit after sightseeing.
Day trips start in the morning.
Transfers are included on private tours.
Group sizes stay small.
Is a Thessaloniki wine tasting good for groups and solo travellers?
Yes: most private tours take two to eight guests with group discounts, the in-home pairing takes two to six, and solo travellers can book directly with bespoke operators that accept a single guest.
Platform tours set a minimum of two.
One solo guest booked a two-winery tour directly.
Groups book the casino experience.
Couples suit the in-home pairing.
Hotels arrange vineyard tours for guests.
Operators confirm group size at booking.
How do you book a Thessaloniki wine tasting?
Book on wine tourism platforms or GetYourGuide, directly with bespoke operators, through the in-home hosting platform, or through your hotel, and check transport, group size and dietary needs at booking.
Private tours list group discounts.
Card payment is taken at confirmation on some platforms.
Vegetarian needs go on the booking.
Solo guests book directly.
The food side of the city sits at Things to do in Thessaloniki.
Which grapes does a Thessaloniki wine tasting pour?
Xinomavro in red from Naoussa, Goumenissa and Amyndeo, Malagousia and Assyrtiko in white, and Negoska blended with Xinomavro in the Goumenissa wines.
Xinomavro takes its name from the words for acid and black.
Malagousia was brought back from near extinction by growers in this region.
The vineyards lie on the plains and foothills west and south of the city.
Where do the estates sit around Thessaloniki?
In Epanomi and the Halkidiki approaches to the south, in Naoussa and Goumenissa to the west, and on the slopes of Mount Paiko and Vertiskos inland.
Epanomi lies about half an hour from the city on the coast road.
Naoussa sits under Mount Vermio, about an hour and a half west.
Goumenissa is north-west of the city on the road to Kilkis.
What happens on a Thessaloniki wine tasting?
A walk through the vineyard and the cellar, an explanation of the varieties, then a seated tasting of four to six wines with cheese, bread and cured meats.
Whites are poured before reds.
Barrel rooms are part of the visit at the larger estates.
Bottles are sold at the estate at the end.
Can you taste wine in the city itself?
Yes. Wine bars in the centre and in Ladadika pour flights of Macedonian wines by the glass, with a sommelier explaining each one.
City tastings run in the evening and need no transport.
Flights are poured in small measures.
Food is served alongside at most bars.
How long does a Thessaloniki wine tasting take?
About two hours in the city, half a day for one estate and a full day for two with lunch between them.
Transport is arranged for estate visits.
Groups stay small at the smaller wineries.
Booking ahead matters through the harvest.
When is the harvest in Macedonia?
From late August into October, later than the islands because the vineyards sit higher and further north.
Xinomavro is among the last varieties picked.
Cellars are busiest in September.
Spring shows the new growth on the vines.
What food is served with a Thessaloniki wine tasting?
Local cheeses, cured pork, olives, bread and pies, with sweets at the end of the tasting.
The city’s food carries Asia Minor influences from the refugees who settled here.
Bougatsa is the standard sweet of the region.
Tsipouro is poured after the wine in many places.
Does a Thessaloniki wine tasting suit beginners?
Yes. Hosts explain each variety in plain terms, the pours are small and food is served alongside.
Spitting is offered and normal at a tasting.
Drivers are given water and food instead of full pours.
City tastings suit anyone without a car.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a wine tasting in Thessaloniki?
Which winery is closest to Thessaloniki?
The Gerovassiliou estate at Epanomi, 25 kilometres from the city centre, with a two-hour tour and a tasting of six wines.
What is the main red grape of Northern Greece?
Xinomavro, the principal red grape of Naousa and Amyntaio, whose name means sour black.