Emery Winery - Wines of Ancient Rhodes

Established 1923, Emery is one of Greece's largest wineries, set at 700m altitude on Mount Attavyros. The Triantafillou family's third generation crafts wines from indigenous Athiri and Amorgiano (Mandilaria) grapes. Known for excellent sparkling wines.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Taste Athiri — The Grape That Rhodes Owns Wine · Free

   Here's the thing nobody tells you — Athiri is one of the most ancient white grapes in the entire Aegean, and its name appears in texts going back to antiquity as 'Theriaki.' The Romans planted this exact grape in both Rhodes AND the Rhône Valley (where it's called Roussanne) at the same time. Two thousand years later, Roussanne is famous across Europe. Athiri stayed here on this mountain, almost forgotten by the wider world, producing perhaps 50 of the most honest glasses of white wine you'll ever drink. Walk into the Emery Winery tasting room (on the Epar. Od. Kalavardas-Empona road at the entrance to Embonas village, open daily 10 AM – 5 PM) and ask for the Athiri Vounouplagias — the volcanic granite soils of Attavyros, the altitude, and the Aegean wind have been doing this together for 3,000 years. The free tasting includes 3 whites, 2 rosés, and 1 red — if Vasilis is behind the bar, ask him about the grape stories. He's the one who gives the real insight.

   Backup: If the tasting room is unexpectedly closed, walk 200m further into the village to Kounakis Winery (est. 1928, organic, 50 acres of mountain vineyards). Different style, same indigenous grapes, equally warm welcome.

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2. 2 Walk Pano Horio — Where Phoenicians Chose This Mountain History · Free

   This island's name — Rhodes — may come from the Phoenician word 'erod,' meaning snake, because the island was thick with them when the Phoenicians arrived. The Phoenicians built their first colony here, led by a man named Cadmus — the same figure credited with bringing the Phoenician alphabet to Greece. Before Rhodes was Greek, it was already one of the Mediterranean's most important wine ports. Walk from the Emery Winery 400m northeast into the heart of Embonas, past the central square, and continue uphill into Pano Horio — the 'upper village' where narrow streets narrow to barely shoulder-width. Keep climbing until the houses run out and the vineyards begin on the slope above you. By the 7th century BC, ships from here were carrying wine to Egypt, the Black Sea, the Danube basin, and — archaeologists have confirmed this — as far as India. Over 100,000 stamped Rhodian amphora handles have been found worldwide. Look for the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (large white bell tower) near the central square.

   Backup: If you can't find the upper village viewpoint, stand at the central village square and face the mountain — Attavyros fills the entire southern horizon at 1,215m. The Zeus temple ruins are up there. You're already standing in the middle of the story.

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3. 3 Read Rhodes' Ancient PDO — 2,300 Years Before France's AOC History · Free

   2,300 years ago, the Rhodian state created the world's first documented wine quality control system. Every amphora leaving this island was stamped with one of two symbols — a head of Helios (the sun god, with a named priest signing as annual guarantor) or a rose (from 'rhodon' — Greek for rose, which also gave the island its name). These weren't decorative. They were legal certifications of origin, authenticity, and standard volume, signed by a named official, carrying the same force as a modern PDO stamp. At the Emery tasting counter with a bottle in hand, look at the PDO Rhodes stamp on the label. France's AOC system — the standard the entire wine world now follows — was created in 1935. Rhodes did this in 300 BC. The European Union's Protected Designation of Origin regulations are, at their core, a modern copy of a Rhodian invention. After tasting, study the wine label and find the PDO Rhodes designation. Connect it backward 2,300 years.

   Backup: The story works equally well at any Embonas winery. The PDO Rhodes designation appears on all certified bottles from this region — Kounakis, Alexandris, Merkouris — the same ancient lineage runs through all of them.

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4. 4 Eat Lamb and Drink Chima at the Village Square Adventure · Price: low

   Embonas is famous across Rhodes for its lamb before its wine. The meat comes from animals grazed on the Attavyros slopes, eating the same wild herbs that find their way into the Athiri terroir. Order the grilled lamb chops and ask for 'chima' — unfiltered, unbottled house wine straight from the barrel, usually a young Mandilaria — at Taverna Savvas (central square of Embonas village, family-run, directly on the main square). This is not the wine they sell to tourists. This is the wine the taverna owner's father made, the way it's been made in this village since before the PDO existed. It tastes like dark cherries, mountain scrub, and 3,000 years of an island that figured something out long before anyone was writing it down. Sit outside in the square if weather allows. Expect €15-20 per person for a full meal with wine.

   Backup: Taverna Ilias and Maroullakis Taverna are also centrally located in the village — any Embonas taverna will have the same chima barrel wine and grilled lamb.

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5. 5 Climb to the Bronze Bull Altar Above the Vineyards Adventure · Free · Optional

   At the 1,215m peak of Mount Attavyros — the highest point on Rhodes — there are ruins. Mycenaean-era ruins, built by a man named Althaemenes, who according to legend was a grandson of the Cretan King Minos. He chose this exact spot because it was the only place on Rhodes from which he could see Crete, his homeland, across the water. He built a bronze altar in the shape of a bull. The priests performed rites here — including, the legends say, human sacrifice. The trailhead starts at the southern edge of Embonas village (follow signs toward Attavyros). Allow 5-6 hours round trip (11km total, 800m elevation gain). Start before 8 AM in summer. The trail passes directly through working vineyards on the lower slopes. At the summit: stone foundations of the Zeus temple are scattered across the rocky plateau — no fence, no museum, just ancient ruins and the entire Aegean.

   Backup: If the hike is too demanding, drive to the south end of the village and walk 10-15 minutes up the lower vineyard road for the view back over Embonas and the western coast of Rhodes — already extraordinary.

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Insider tips

• The Rosé Reserve and Velvet sparkling wines are standouts

• Combine with a visit to ancient Kamiros ruins nearby

• Embonas village itself is worth exploring for traditional tavernas