Greek Wine Cellars

[1] The company was founded in 1895 by Vassilis Kourtakis, one of the first Greeks to formally study oenology.

For the first part of its history it focused on retsina shipped in bulk to tavernas around the country.

At Vassilis's retirement, the company was taken over by his son, Dimitris Kourtakis, who had studied oenology in Dijon, France.

This became very popular during the 1960s and 1970s; at its peak it was selling 60 million bottles per year, and propelled the company to market dominance.

The company also purchased several other wine producers during this period, including Calliga of Kefalonia.