Melpo by Muses Estate Greek White 2024

“At last, Greek wines are having their moment in the sun” writes Jane MacQuitty, a wine critic at The Times. And it’s all thanks to wines like Melpo by Muses, an ultra-refreshing, citrus-charged white from the family-owned Muses Estate.

Named for its idyllic location, the Valley of the Muses near Athens, where wine has been made for more than 1,000 years, the winery’s roots date back to 1946, when Nikolaos Zaharias—just one of 1,500 area residents at the time—founded a modest winemaking facility. His son stepped in 20 years later and brought the operation up to speed, slowing planting new vines and installing more advanced equipment.

Today, everything is in the hands of his sons, Nikos, Stelios and Panayiotis, who aim to work in harmony with nature to create the most delicious, most quintessentially Greek wines they can, focusing on indigenous varieties and high quality

“We plant all of our vines in densely planted rows, a technique which results in lower yields per vine and, therefore, higher quality grapes,” they say. “After strict selection in the vineyard, these will be carried to our winery, to give us the best possible starting point for our wines.”

This one combines Assyrtiko, Greece’s best-loved white grape, with a local grape called Savatiano—“the Chenin Blanc of Greece,” according to Decanter. On the palate, peachy-keen fruit flavors mingle with lemon and other citrus fruit tones, to make a perfect match for seafood that’s also delectable sipped solo in the sun.