Paros wine tasting runs at the island wineries outside Parikia and Naoussa, where Monemvasia and Mandilaria are poured beside cheese and rusks. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
Which wineries offer tastings on Paros?
Moraitis, the island’s oldest winery at Naoussa, Ktima Roussos near Isterni, the natural wine estate of Myrsini, and the Paros Farming Community, each with booked tastings of four to five wines paired with local food.
Moraitis was founded in 1910 by Manolis Moraitis.
Ktima Roussos is a modern winery planted with local grapes.
Myrsini makes natural wines, including a sparkling pet-nat.
The Farming Community runs the Karpima and Riza tastings.
Visits are by reservation.
The food side of the island sits at Paros food tour.
What is the Moraitis winery tasting?
A private tasting of four current wines and one library wine with Cycladic cheeses and cold cuts, including a tour of the underground cellars and organic vineyards, running about two hours for groups of two to four, Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00.
The winery stands by the beach of Aghioi Anargyroi at Naoussa.
The fourth generation of the family runs it.
The private vineyard covers 10 hectares.
It grows well-known and rare varieties of Paros.
Its range includes PDO Paros, Malvasia Paros and Thapsana wines.
Visits are made by reservation only.
What is the Ktima Roussos tasting?
A one-hour tasting of five wines with local delicacies at a modern winery near the village of Isterni, with a guided tour of the production and bottling facilities and an outdoor space looking over the vineyard.
The five wines include a Paros white, a Mandilaria and Mavro Aidoni red, a Mavro Aidoni rose, a Malagouzia and Assyrtiko white, and a Paros red.
Cheese, breadsticks and olive paste come with the wines.
The tour runs in Greek or English.
The winery opens from 10:00 to 19:00.
Guests arrive 15 minutes early.
Cancellations up to 48 hours ahead get a full refund on one booking site.
What is the Myrsini natural wine tasting?
A tasting of five wines in the heart of the vineyard, including a natural sparkling pet-nat, paired with small bites from the estate garden or local Cycladic producers, at a boutique winery making natural wines from granite soils swept by wind and the Aegean.
The owners describe Myrsini as a story of rebirth.
Visitors mention the French owners’ knowledge.
The wines are made in small batches.
Labels include Ammos, Kelifos, Skaros and Kyklops.
A GetYourGuide listing offers a natural wine tasting on Paros.
What grapes grow on Paros?
Mandilaria for reds and Monemvasia for whites are the traditional varieties, with Mavro Aidoni, Malagouzia and Assyrtiko also used, and Paros is the second largest wine producer of the Cyclades after Santorini.
Mandilaria gives deeply coloured, light-bodied wines.
It is used as a blending grape.
Assyrtiko is native to Santorini and planted on Paros.
Malagouzia was rediscovered in the 1970s after near extinction.
It gives aromatic, soft wines.
Rare local varieties survive in family vineyards.
What is PDO Paros wine?
The protected designation of origin for Paros wines, including the sweet white Malvasia Paros, whose heritage traces back to Byzantine Monemvasia, made from the island’s traditional grapes.
Moraitis produces PDO Paros and Malvasia Paros.
Mandilaria and Monemvasia are the island’s traditional grapes.
PDO rules tie the wine to the island’s vineyards.
Tastings explain the designation.
Thapsana is another Moraitis label.
Bottles are sold at the wineries.
Can you combine wine and beer tasting on Paros?
Yes: a private four-hour tour with pickup visits wineries and the brewery of 56 Isles beer, a light, foamy beer made from Parian barley that won an award in 2018, with four beer tastings and a guided tour at the brewery.
Winery fees are paid at each stop.
Pickup comes from the guest’s residence.
The tour suits groups of friends.
How long does a Paros wine tasting take?
One hour for the tasting at Ktima Roussos, about two hours for the Moraitis cellar and vineyard tasting, and four hours for the private wine and beer tour with pickup.
Wineries open through the day in season.
Ktima Roussos opens from 10:00 to 19:00.
Moraitis tastings run from 11:00 to 16:00.
Two wineries fit in an afternoon.
A tasting fits before dinner in Naoussa.
Private tours set their own timing.
What food comes with the wines?
Cheese, breadsticks and olive paste at Ktima Roussos, Cycladic cheeses and cold cuts at Moraitis, and small bites from the estate garden or local Cycladic producers at Myrsini.
Dietary needs are asked at booking on one booking site.
Charcuterie platters come with the Moraitis tasting.
Local products are sold at the wineries.
Cooking classes pair a meal with wine.
Tastings do not replace a meal.
What is Naoussa?
Naoussa is a short walk from the Moraitis winery.
The harbour holds fishing boats and tavernas.
Winters are cold and snow falls in some years.
It pairs a tasting with dinner.
Kolympithres beach lies nearby.
It is one of the island’s main villages.
What is Paros?
An island of the central Cyclades 8 kilometres west of Naxos and about 150 kilometres south-east of Piraeus, historically famous for its fine white Parian marble and today a popular destination with a living wine tradition.
The municipality covers about 196 square kilometres.
Antiparos lies to the south-west.
Marble quarries still work on the island.
Ancient Paros was a city-state.
Wine grapes and barley grow on the island.
The boat side sits at Paros sunset cruise.
Is a Paros wine tasting suitable for everyone?
Tastings are built for adults, while some booking sites list participants of all ages for winery visits, and private tours let families add non-alcoholic stops, with the vineyard walks and views open to everyone.
Children join the vineyard walk.
Drivers skip the tasting or use the pickup tour.
Groups of two to four suit the private tastings.
Larger groups book the modern wineries.
Vineyard views suit every guest.
Operators confirm details on request.
When is the best time for a Paros wine tasting?
Through the summer season, when the wineries keep daily hours, with late afternoon tastings giving cooler air and the best light over the vineyards.
Moraitis receives visitors Monday to Saturday.
Booking ahead is needed at the smaller estates.
Outdoor spaces suit warm evenings.
Winter visits need a reservation.
Late afternoon light suits photographs.
Afternoon tastings fit a beach day.
How do you book a Paros wine tasting?
Book directly with the wineries by email or online, through booking platforms for guided wine tours, or through a local agency for a private wine and beer tour with pickup, and check whether transfer is included.
Moraitis books by email only.
Ktima Roussos tastings sell online with free cancellation up to 48 hours.
Myrsini sells tastings on its website.
Platform listings include two-winery tours.
Transfers are not included at most wineries.
The wider islands sit at Naxos sunset cruise.
Which grapes does a Paros wine tasting pour?
Monemvasia in white and Mandilaria in red, the two varieties of the island appellation, along with Assyrtiko, Malagousia and Aidani grown on the same land.
The island appellation blends Monemvasia with Mandilaria for its red.
Vines are grown low to the ground against the wind.
The soil is granite and schist rather than the volcanic ground of Santorini.
Where do the wineries sit on Paros?
Inland from Parikia and Naoussa, around the villages of the centre, with vineyards on low slopes between the two coasts.
The island is small, so no estate is far from either town.
Some of the wineries also distil and press oil.
Tavernas at the estates serve the wine with island food.
What happens on a Paros wine tasting?
A walk through the vineyard and the cellar, an explanation of the varieties and the wind-trained vines, then a seated tasting of four to six wines with cheese, bread and olives.
Whites are poured before the reds.
The hosts explain the appellation rules at the table.
Bottles are sold at the estate.
How long does a Paros wine tasting take?
About two hours at one estate and half a day when the route adds a second winery or a village stop.
Transport is arranged for visits outside the towns.
Groups stay small at the family estates.
Booking ahead matters in high summer.
When is the harvest on Paros?
In August, early in the Greek calendar, because the island is hot, dry and windy through the summer.
The meltemi dries the fruit and keeps disease down in the vineyard.
Cellars are busiest through that month.
Spring shows the new growth on the low vines.
What food is served with a Paros wine tasting?
Island cheeses, capers, olives, rusks, tomato fritters and cured meats, with sweets at the end.
Capers grow wild on the walls and are pickled locally.
Cheese is made on the island and on nearby Naxos.
Souma, the local spirit, is poured after the wine at some estates.
Does a Paros wine tasting suit beginners?
Yes. The pours are small, the hosts explain each wine in plain terms and food is served alongside.
Spitting is offered and normal at a tasting.
Drivers are given water and food instead of full pours.
Tables are set in the shade in summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the oldest winery on Paros?
Moraitis, founded in 1910 by Manolis Moraitis at Naoussa and now run by the fourth generation of the family, with tastings by reservation.
How much is a wine tasting on Paros?
What grapes are traditional on Paros?
Mandilaria for red wines and Monemvasia for white wines, with Malvasia Paros as the island’s sweet white PDO wine.