Wondering where to sip the best Corfu wine on your next Greek island holiday?
Our comprehensive culinary guide offers tips and advice on the best wineries to visit on a fun wine tasting in Corfu.
This Corfu Wine Guide features details on the history of winemaking on the island, traditional local grape varietals, private tours & tastings and detailed profiles for each Corfu Winery.
If you’re an oenophile looking to enjoy an unforgettable Greek holiday use our Wine Tasting Corfu Guide to sip the finest vino the island has to offer!
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Traditional Corfu Wine Grape Varietals
Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world and among the first wine-producing territories in Europe. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced by each household.
Corfu itself has been producing fine wine for hundreds of years.
The wine of the Phaeakeans was praised by Homer in the Odyssey and the Corfiots have been producing wine ever since. Especially before the massive planting of olive trees by the Venetians, Corfu used to be largely covered by endless vineyards.
If you’re planning your first Wine Tasting in Corfu you’ll have an opportunity to swirl and sip several unique heritage grape varieties.
Corfu Island has four main local grape varieties: white Petrokoritho, Moschato Aspro, Robola and the red Kakotrygis and Mavrodafni.
- Petrokoritho: is a rare grape variety indigenous to the island of Corfu but can be found in other Ionian islands as well as in the Peloponnese.
- Moschato Aspro: produces a light, fragrant sweet white wine.
- Robola: an indigenous grape produces a high acid white wine that tends to be dry, with medium-body. Many include a distinct lemon note.
- Kakotrygis: an ancient Greek variety only grown on Corfu. The historian Thucydides mentions it circa 400 B.C. It has a light yellow colour, has good acidity, is aromatic and refreshing. It can be served sweet or dry.
- Mavrodafni: produces a dark purple dessert wine. The aroma and flavour may include caramel, chocolate, coffee, and plum notes.
Wine Tasting Corfu Tours
Most wineries in Corfu are found in the central part of the island, in Ropa Valley.
This is a large and fertile valley in between Corfu Town and Ermones, where large vineyards are cultivated. Although the island is not particularly famous for its wine production, more recently Corfu wineries have exported their wines and opened their vineyards to visitors for tours and tastings.
If you’d like to spend all day sipping wine and don’t want to worry about driving book one of these fun Wine Tasting Corfu Tours!
- Corfu Winery & Olive Oil Tour: enjoy a guided tour of Theotoky Winery to sample local wines and olive oil.
- Corfu Winery Tour & Tasting With Sommelier: this 1.5 hour winery tour is hosted by a sommelier and offers guests a taste of 3 fine wines accompanied by local snacks.
- Private Corfu Highlights & Wine Tour: this private 5 hour tour of Corfu features visits to the island’s most popular attractions as well as wine tasting at a historic family estate.
- Wine Tasting with a Local Sommelier & Old Corfu Town: this 4 hour city tour includes a 1 hour wine tasting offering samples of the island’s 4 main grape varietals paired with local delicacies.
Wine Tasting Corfu Itinerary
Today there are just a handful of wineries in Corfu, producing wines in limited quantities but of a very high quality.
If you can plan your Corfu Winery itinerary in September it’s certainly worthwhile as you’ll see locals working together to make their own wine during the peak of harvest season.
We visited all 7 of the Corfu wineries on a 9 day road trip of the island.
Pontiglio, Theotoky, Goulis, and Grammenos offer the best wine tasting and vineyard tour experience. Call in advance to avoid being turned away and disappointed as these places can get very busy during high season.
Nicoluzo and Borovino are excellent Corfu wineries but they are small production and aren’t currently set up for daily tours and tastings. You can try calling in advance to meet the winemaker and buy a few bottles to enjoy back at your hotel.
We drove to Livadiotis Winery but do not recommend visiting as out interactions with the owner were rather abrupt and rude. We emailed weeks in advance and called several times before our visit and never heard any response. You’ve been warned!
Pontiglio Winery
Lefkimmi 490 80, 30-266-202-2866
Potiglio Winery is a family-owned winery in Corfu managed by Babis (dad), Athena (mom) and Konstantina (daughter).
The Corfu winery was established in 2014 in southern Corfu. Konstantina explained, “traditionally in south Corfu the land was full of vineyards until the late 70s and the basic income of local people was coming from the production of wine. After the 70s when the big wave of tourism started to come to Corfu most of the people abandoned the vineyards and started to work with tourism as it was easier. Our main vision at Pontiglio Winery is to keep Corfu’s winemaking tradition alive through the cultivation of the indigenous varieties of the island.”
Visit Pontiglio Winery for a tour and tasting and you’ll see the design is very simple, based on the traditional wine house that they used to have in Lefkimmi village. “We still have and use a lot of the traditional machines for harvest and wine production,” said Konstantina.
Babis started saving some of the vineyards around the village back in 1980, cultivating them and making wine for home use or selling the grapes to other producers in the north part of Corfu island. “This passion to keep going with the indigenous varieties gave us the name of the winery. The name Pontiglio is a Venetian word that means determination,” shared Konstantina.
Potiglio Winery mostly produces dry white wines. “As our varieties are really unique and don’t exist anywhere else in the world, it is very difficult with such a small experience to describe the impact that has on the wine of the terroir. We can say that there are characteristics from the terrain (limestone), high acidity tannins to either with or red grape, botanical aromas and all the varieties behave better after vintaging inside the bottle due to high acidity,” said Konstantina.
The popular winery in southern Corfu is open for wine tours from April 1st until the end of October for tastings. Visitors can enjoy a 1 hour tour around the winery with a guide, who shows the traditional machines of production and share stories about winemaking. Tours finish with a tasting of the family’s Corfu wines pairs with traditional snacks.
Theotoky Estate Winery
Ropa Valley 491 00, 30-266-105-1524
Theotoky Estate is a Corfu winery located a short drive west of Old Town.
The owners of the vineyard are Esmeralda Theotoky de Feraudy and her husband Olivier de Feraudy. The award wining Corfu winery has been in the family for 5 generations, famously one of the oldest vineyards in Greece.
The wine produced here was so well known that in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, when offered a different drink, he chose a a Theotoky Aspro, which means a white Theotoky. It is the only organic wine on the island, certified since 2016.
Plan a wine tasting in Corfu and prance through Theotoky Estate’s 4000 olive trees and friendly horses and sheep.
Tiptoe down the cellar and you’ll find a Venetian style space featuring old style doors, lamps and an ornate entrance to accomodate horse carriages.
Theotoky Estate’s winemaker is Spyros Avgerinos, who has been working the vines in Corfu for over 20 years. He likes to work with grape varietals like Robola, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Kakotrigi.
The winery is situated 1km from the sea and 50m above clay soil. Corfu’s humid climate in winter and not too hot summer makes Theotoky Estate’s wine reveal the terroirs unique salinity and minerality.
If you’re looking to book a Corfu wine tasting Theotoky Estate offers tours that showcase the winemaking process and a tasting of two white wines and locally made extra virgin olive oil.
If you’re feeling peckish you can snack on tomatoes, olives, feta, salami and bread as you swirl and twirl some of Corfu’s best wines.
Goulis Winery
Eparchiaki Odos Paleokastritsas-Peleka, 30-266-304-1963
The Goulis family has been running its Corfu winery since 1992.
The founders son now manages the production of the boutique winery, working with indigenous wine varieties that are fermented naturally without the addition of commercial yeast.
The winery has a cozy tasting bar that sits perched over a winding rural road. On a rainy day grab a seat on one of the bar stools or if it’s sunny rest and relax on the outdoor patio.
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Borovino Winery
Kerkira 490 80, 30-697-491-3285
Borovino Winery is the newest vineyard to cultivate wine grapes on Corfu island.
The name of the winery comes from the location of the vines in south Corfu near Boro and the Italian word for wine, vino.
Local wine enthusiasts Fotis and Efthimios launched the Corfu Winery in 2020. “The inspiration for opening our winery happened because several friends and relatives gave us feedback on the great taste of our wines,” said Fotis.
Winemakers Efthimios Chrysikopoulos and Alex Panagos produce three varieties of wine: a dry red blend, sweet rose and the white produced using Kakotrigis, a traditional Corfu wine grape.
Those looking to visit the vineyard can enjoy a tour and tasting by contacting Borovino Winery in advance via email or phone.
Grammenos Winery
Αερόστατο Sinarades 490 84, 30-694-612-4662
The family-owned Grammenos Winery has been producing wine from vineyards in the Sinarades area of Corfu since the late 1970s when Panagiotis Grammenos started making wines.
The current location of the Corfu Winery opened in 2004 and was recently renovated in 2018.
Panagiotis is the vineyards resident winemaker. He cultivates two Corfiot varieties (Kakotrygis P.G.I. Corfu and Petrokorithos) and some other varieties such us Malagouzia, Roditis, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Panagiotis shared, “the rocky soil, the vines which are close to the sea and cultivated on hills show a unique palate of aromas and taste like minerality and freshness.”
Visitors can enjoy a tour inside the winery and a wine tasting which is approximately 12-20 euros depending on the number of bottles you’d like to sample.
Nicoluzo Winery
P. C 49083 PB 183 Ano Korakiana, 30-694-377-7728
Anastasio Nicoluzo first launched his Corfu winery in 2008.
“Our family has been making wine for 7 generations on 7 hectares of land. My great grandfather moved to Corfu from Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy generations back,” said Anastasio.
Nicoluzo Winery produces dry wines from native Corfiot varieties. The celebrated boutique winery in Corfu has a small production space so the annual output is small, yet coveted. His bottles usually sell out a year in advance as local luxury hotels and restaurants buy what they can from his limited quantity.
We tasted the red, white and rose blends, which were some of our favourite wines on the island. Nicoluzo is a one man show so call before popping by as he may be working in the vineyard.
Best Corfu Hotels & Resorts
If your planning to embark on a Corfu Wine Tour on your next Greek island holiday it’s best to start your trip planning by booking a hotel or two. We spent 9 days on the island, checking in at 3 different resorts to get a feel for different regions of the island.
- Corfu Palace Hotel: We started our trip at the historic Corfu Palace Hotel, which was conveniently located a 5 minute drive and 15 minute walk from the airport. Spacious suites feature balconies with views overlooking the fortress. Daily breakfast buffet can be enjoyed in a regal fine dining room or on a patio overlooking the pool and gardens. The hotel is a short 10 minute walk from Old Town. Corfu Palace is a short drive from Goulis, Theotoky, and Nicoluzo Winery.
- Angsana Corfu Resort: is the newest 5 star luxury hotel to open on the island. Angsana is an Asian brand, part of the Banyan Tree hotel family. The Corfu location is the first Angsana property to launch in Europe. The jaw-dropping resort features a massive infinity pool, trendy private beach club, Thai-inspired spa, several fine dining restaurant concepts, and a world class fitness program. Angsana is a short drive from Grammarneros Winery.
- Ekati Mare Boutique Hotel: Keen to explore the southern end of Corfu? Ekati Mare is is a boutique hotel in Kavos, ranked the best resort in town. The family-run upscale hotel features reasonably priced rooms, suites and a spacious villa that overlooks the beach. During the day DJ beats entertain tan fans who lounge by the pool while sipping cocktails. An onsite restaurant serves a complimentary continental buffet breakfast as well as a la carte lunch and dinner. Ekati Mare is a short drive from Potiglio and Borovino Winery.
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