Strategically positioned between East and West, Rhodes was one of the first Greek islands to engage in the cultivation of grapes. A plethora of archaeological finds and historical proof attests to the importance of Rhodian amphorae in transporting wine from the island and tells us that these were distinguished from others by an engraving of a rose (“rodo” in Greek) or of Helios, the sun god. This was a form of branding, confirming that the wine was made from Rhodian grapes and a precursor of the Appellation of Origin system that was established many centuries later in Europe.
Helped by its strong maritime presence, Rhodes was the biggest wine exporter in the region as far back as the 7th c. BC. The first written reference we have for Rhodian wine comes from the great Attic orator Aeschines, a rival of Demosthenes, who was exiled to Rhodes in 330 BC.
