Wine region · Greece

Drama

A cool northern Greek region growing international varieties alongside indigenous ones, at the foot of the Rhodope mountains.

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What to expect in the glass

Medium-to-full bodied reds with dark fruit and firm structure, and fresh, well-made whites. More international in style than most of Greece.

About Drama

Drama lies in Greek Macedonia near the Bulgarian border, cooled by altitude and by air off the Rhodope mountains.

It has no PDO and its wines are sold as PGI Drama, which has given producers freedom to plant international varieties — unusual in a country whose reputation now rests on indigenous ones.

The results are good and the region is among Greece’s most consistent for Bordeaux-style reds.

Drama is a wine region, not an appellation

No authority delimits this name or attaches rules to it. A country’s major wine division, usually containing appellations or sub-regions beneath it. That does not make it less real or less useful — it means nothing legal follows from it, and you will not generally find it on a label as a controlled designation.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Full-bodied dry red

Dense, powerful reds with substantial tannin, dark fruit and often noticeable oak — the wines for steak and for cellaring.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Full-bodied dry red

Serve at 16–18°C (cool room temperature).

Try with roast chicken, fillet steak or grilled chicken.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

Naoussa — Northern Greece’s benchmark region for Xinomavro, producing high-tannin, high-acid, savoury reds.
Macedonia — Northern Greece, and the heartland of Xinomavro — the country’s most structured and longest-lived red variety.

Sources

Sources consulted

Wines of Greece — Greek Wine Federation