"Sparta and Athens, our two mother-states, are as opposite as the colors of war and peace: one a regime for war, the other for peaceable arts." —Plato, The Laws
The ancient rivalry between Sparta and Athens represents one of history's most fascinating dichotomies—not only in their political systems and cultural values but also in their relationship with wine. Spartan values often included discipline, military strength, and civic duty, as well as abstinence from wine. Athenian values, on the other hand, embraced democracy, the arts, and intellectual pursuits, including the enjoyment of wine in moderation.
While both city-states emerged from similar Hellenic soils, only 95 miles apart, their divergent societal values would prove influential in shaping their respective trajectories.
The Peloponnese: A Wine Terroir
"The Peloponnese, rich in vines, where the heavy clusters hang down from the sun-warmed slopes." -Homer, The Odyssey
(Skouras winery in Argo in the Peloponnese)
To understand the wine cultures that shaped these ancient powers, we must first understand the remarkable terroir that produced them. The Peloponnese, a near-island connected to mainland Greece by a slender bridge, has been associated with viticulture since antiquity.
As Dimitris Skouras of Skouras Winery explains, "The Peloponnese is in the southern part of Greece. If we think about Greece we have on the other hand, the mainland and the islands. And somewhere almost in between these is Athens. We're located in the south of Athens, about one hour and 30 minutes away. Peloponnese is almost an island. This is a very big piece of land that is connected to the mainland of Greece with just one tiny bridge. So it's basically a peninsula."
The region's geography creates a unique environment for viticulture. "Peloponnese is a very, very intriguing place to grow grapes. Since antiquity and mythology, people have been referring to the Peloponnese as the birthplace of the grapes, as described in some books," Skouras continues. "And it is a region that is covered pretty much 70 to 80% by mountains, and that gives us a very big advantage. That allows us to grow grapes in different altitudes and then helps us battle the heat and really high temperatures sometimes that we get during the summer. The altitude is always a very good solution for us to be able to grow grapes."
This mountainous character creates distinct microclimates throughout the peninsula, allowing for diverse grape varieties to flourish in relatively close proximity. Leon Karatsalos, of Gaia Winery, offers further insight into the region's unique terroir: "What happened in Greece is that the scale of everything in Greece is small. Our winery is in the northern part of Peloponnese where the altitude is around 500m. On the north side there is a mountain which is 2,500 meters in altitude. It snows four or five, six months a year on the same side at the same time. If you go on the east side, you can see the sea, which means that the terroir is, I would say, continental, but it's not real continental because the scale is very small."
Many of these modern winemakers also embrace elements of Spartan discipline in their commitment to terroir. "It's one of the six most interesting geo sites worldwide," Panayiotis Papagiannopoulos the winemaker of Edanos Winery notes of his vineyard location. "It's also the place with the highest percentage of organic farming and the least light pollution in Greece."
The soil composition further contributes to the distinctive character of Peloponnesian wines. "The main soil in our vineyards, it's clay. Clay with small crushed rocks on the top. But just after 40 to 55cm, there is a deep, calcareous soil. It provides, especially to the white wines, its distinctive minerality on the nose and on the palate," explains Papagiannopoulos.
("The School of Athens" by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)
Athens: Wine as the Catalyst for Democratic Thought
"The Athenians are fond of the symposium, where they combine the pleasure of wine with the pleasures of discussion... for in their gatherings, wine brings forth words of wisdom." -Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae
In Athens, wine became an integral component of the symposium - a ritualized drinking party that served as the cornerstone of intellectual and political life. These gatherings were structured around the consumption of wine, which was always diluted with water in varying proportions depending on the occasion. According to Papagiannopoulos: “The idea in antiquity is that the wine should be consumed in moderation. That's why usually they mix the wine with water. Because all these symposiums used to keep going for many, many hours. And they wanted to keep their brains very clear. To participate in these high level conversations and be a present and just that release their mind. It has nothing to do with the way of the new, especially western, social norms with people going out on Friday and starting to drink until they cannot feel anything else.”
The symposium embodied the Athenian democratic ideal - a space where, in theory, participants could discuss ideas, with wine serving as a social lubricant that facilitated open discourse. The krater, a large vessel used for mixing wine and water, stood at the center of these gatherings, symbolizing the balance between intoxication and sobriety that characterized the Athenian approach to wine consumption.
Athens' relationship with wine reflected its broader cultural values - an appreciation for pleasure tempered by moderation, a belief in the value of social cohesion, and a recognition that the free exchange of ideas required both stimulation and restraint.
Sparta: Military Discipline Above All
"The Spartan custom is not to drink to excess, nor to make toasts to the right... for such practices lead to drunkenness and physical weakness." -Critias (as quoted by Athenaeus)
In stark contrast, Spartan society was dominated by military objectives. As Karatsalos explains, "Sparta had a more military way of thinking. And, their civilization was built on the power of men and the harshness of men. Women were there and they were important. But they were just only to support the healthy living of the fighters, which were the Spartan guys."
The Spartan approach to wine was characterized by strict control and limitation. According to Plutarch in his writing, Life of Lycurgus: "The Spartans would sometimes force the Helots to drink large quantities of wine, then bring them into public dining halls to show the young men what drunkenness looks like, designed to instill in them disgust for such excess." The sight of intoxicated helots (state-owned serfs) was used as a negative educational tool, reinforcing the Spartan values of discipline and self-restraint.
While Spartans did consume wine, particularly during their communal dining practice known as syssitia, their approach lacked the celebratory and intellectual dimensions found in Athens. Wine in Sparta was functional rather than cultural - a source of calories and hydration rather than a catalyst for conversation and creativity. The syssitia reinforced military hierarchy and group cohesion rather than individual expression or the exchange of diverse viewpoints.
This controlled approach to wine consumption aligned with Sparta's broader societal rigidity. The same inflexibility that made Spartan warriors formidable on the battlefield ultimately limited their cultural development and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
The Indigenous Grapes of the Peloponnese
"The limestone-rich soils of the Peloponnese, particularly in Nemea and Mantinia, impart a distinctive minerality to the wines that cannot be replicated elsewhere in Greece or indeed the Mediterranean." -Jancis Robinson, Wine Critic
Today's winemakers continue to work with indigenous varieties that have ancient roots in the region. Skouras identifies two key grapes in his winemaking: "The main grapes that are really important for our winemaking are two. One of them is Agiorgitiko, which means Saint George. It's a red grape that is grown in the appellation of Nemea, the most important appellation for red wine in Greece. Nemea is a very interesting land that starts from 100m of altitude, 300ft, and goes up to 3,000ft or 1,000m, and allows us to grow Agiorgitiko in many different altitudes."
The second grape he highlights is Moschofilero, which he describes as "a grey variety, which means it's not white and it's not red. It's something in between, it has a little bit of color. So we're able to make rosé wines if you want to. We mostly use our Moschofilero for our white wines, and it's a very lovely aromatic variety with a very, very nice acidity."
At Edanos Winery, Papagiannopoulos works with several native varieties: "The main grape variety in our region, and also at Edanos Winery is Roditis. Roditis is a pink skinned, grape variety, which provides white wine. So it is the second most widely cultivated grape variety in Greece, but here it's the only location which is a PDO wine, and this region which is considered to produce the most quality, healthy wines from this grape."
He adds, "We also have Lagorthi, which is a very local white grape variety. We have Muscat and also. Speaking of the reds, we try to revive a very old, abandoned grape variety with the name Mavro Kalavrytino. We also have Mavrodaphne which is one of the more interesting Greek red varieties."
These indigenous varieties, adapted over millennia to the specific conditions of the Peloponnese, carry forward the ancient wine heritage of the region, connecting modern winemaking to the traditions that would have influenced both Athenian and Spartan wine cultures.
Short-Term Success: Sparta's Military Prowess
Sparta's austere approach to wine consumption contributed significantly to its military effectiveness. By limiting indulgence and emphasizing discipline, Sparta created warriors renowned throughout the ancient world for their courage and skill. The Battle of Thermopylae made famous in the film “300” where 300 Spartans temporarily held off the massive Persian army, cemented their reputation as the preeminent fighting force of their time.
This military focus, reinforced by their controlled approach to wine, gave Sparta significant advantages in the short term. Their victory in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) demonstrated the effectiveness of their disciplined society against the more open Athenian system. For a brief period, Sparta enjoyed dominance over much of Greece.
However, the very characteristics that made Sparta successful on the battlefield - rigidity, conservatism, and resistance to external influence - would prove their downfall in the long term. Their controlled approach to wine consumption reflected a broader cultural inflexibility that limited innovation and adaptation.
Long-Term Failure: Cultural Stagnation
"The Spartan population was once 10,000, but now it is not even 1,000... For the city could not support one shock, but perished through fewness of men." -Aristotle, Politics
While Sparta's military discipline brought short-term military success, Athens' wine-inspired intellectual culture produced enduring achievements in philosophy, drama, art, and governance. The symposium culture of Athens, with its balance of pleasure and intellectual exchange, fostered an environment where figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could develop ideas that would influence human thought for centuries.
As Karatsalos notes: "All of Western civilization has been based on the ideas of democracy, the ideas of Socrates, Plato or Aristotle in ancient Greece. And thus this is a huge power that exists in Greece."
Sparta, by contrast, produced few notable thinkers or artists. Their societal emphasis on military prowess came at the expense of cultural and intellectual development. The same restricted approach to wine that created disciplined warriors also limited the development of spaces for creative thought and expression.
Over time, Sparta's population declined, partly due to their rigid social system, while their inability to adapt to changing military tactics and technologies eroded their battlefield advantages. By the time of the Macedonian conquest under Philip II and Alexander the Great (around 336 BC), Sparta had become a shadow of its former self, clinging to traditions that no longer served it effectively.
Balance as the Key to Endurance
"The Spartans have neglected everything except making war, and they are saved when they are at war but perish when they acquire an empire. They do not know how to live in leisure time; and although this is a greater thing than even the virtue of war, they have not learned it." -Aristotle, Politics
The contrasting approaches to wine in Athens and Sparta offer a metaphor for their broader cultural differences and ultimate historical trajectories. Athens' balanced approach to wine consumption - enjoying its pleasures while tempering them with moderation and using them as a catalyst for intellectual exchange - created a legacy that transcended its political decline. Sparta's rigid control of wine consumption paralleled a societal inflexibility that brought short-term military success but long-term cultural stagnation.
The lesson from this ancient rivalry extends beyond wine culture to broader questions of societal organization and values. Excessive restriction and control, while potentially effective for specific short-term objectives like military dominance, ultimately limit adaptability and creativity. Conversely, societies that find balance between discipline and openness, between tradition and innovation, between collective identity and individual expression, are better positioned for long-term cultural flourishing.
In the vineyards of the modern Peloponnese, where ancient varieties continue to thrive in a landscape shaped by both natural forces and human history, we can still taste the echoes of these contrasting approaches. In the end the home of the Spartans, the Peloponnese, became imbued with the spirit of Athens as it relates to wine and society. Plato said it well: "No thing more excellent nor more valuable than wine was ever granted mankind by God."
