Dimitris Skouras is the second generation of Domaine Skouras in the Nemea PDO of Greece. He is part of the new wave of Greek winemakers. He studied viticulture and oenology in Montpellier, completed internships in top estates such as Guigal in the Rhone, Pahlmeyer in Napa, Pisoni in Sonoma, and Château La Fleur Pétrus in Bordeaux, and holds the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Spirits. Today he works across the two family wineries in Nemea and Mantinia, focusing on vineyard development, precision winemaking, and continuing the legacy of his father while shaping the future of the estate. Media Inquiries: Aris Spaidiotis exports@skouras.gr | https://skouras.gr/en
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
If there’s one thing that defines our winery, it’s our story—how it began with my father and how it’s grown. My father, George Skouras, was the first winemaker in our family. He left Greece for Dijon with only three months of French under his belt, and when he returned, he started making wine in my grandfather’s garage.
From there, he rented a tiny space to boost production, and eventually, he built his first real winery. Today, we operate two wineries in the appellations of Nemea and Mantinia. We farm 40 hectares of vineyards, and—just like on day one—we stay fully focused on our vines and our wines.
Everything we have is a result of my father’s resilience and his single-minded drive. Along the way, he also created a wine that helped shape modern Greek winemaking: Megas Oenos, a blend of Agiorgitiko with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, now approaching its 40th vintage.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If everything were possible and there were no limits, I honestly wouldn’t know where to start. Two dreams come to mind. I would create larger vineyard surfaces across the different zones of Nemea. Let me explain: Greece suffers from extremely small vineyard ownership. The average vineyard is around 0.3 ha per person, which makes it almost impossible to create large, continuous vineyard blocks. For a winery, this means lower efficiency, more complexity, and less ability to express terroir clearly.
My dream would be to create five vineyards of around 10 hectares each, planted with Agiorgitiko, in five different zones of Nemea. It sounds simple, but in reality, it would require about 300 people to agree to sell their land, which shows you how difficult it is. But if it were possible, it would completely change how we work. We would be able to show the terroir of Nemea in a much deeper and more precise way, and manage our vineyards far more efficiently. Maybe one day!
Second, I feel Greece is missing real, hands-on wine education that is directly connected to vineyards and wineries. I would love to create a school where students can study right here, inside the winemaking zone, with classes in the vineyard, courses inside the winery, and daily contact with what they are actually learning. This would help young people develop real practical skills, understand the land, and feel part of the region. It would also help Nemea grow in knowledge, quality, and long-term vision.
What is One Wine of the most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Megas Oenos is a cornerstone of our history and a landmark in Greek wine. The first vintage was in 1986, the year my father founded the winery. It was the first-ever blend of Agiorgitiko with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon—a bold move at a time when Cabernet was familiar to him from his studies, while Agiorgitiko was still new.
His goal was simple: create a Greek red that could age. And he did. Even 20–25 years later, the wine still shows elegance, freshness, and depth.
To understand its importance, you have to picture Greece in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when cheap retsina dominated and few people were willing to try Greek varieties—especially ones they couldn’t pronounce. The presence of Cabernet made Megas Oenos approachable, and once people tasted it, they discovered something entirely new.
The wine opened doors, earned major distinctions, and helped reshape how Greek wine was viewed internationally. In 2026, Megas Oenos will celebrate its 40th vintage—a milestone for us and a lasting expression of our style and history. Read my review of the Megas Oenos red blend here.
Bonus Question: Why Winemaking?
I chose winemaking at sixteen because I trusted my father’s work. The real turning point came at Guigal in the Rhône when I was nineteen. In high school I’d decided—almost overnight—that I would study winemaking in France, so I learned French and left for Montpellier at eighteen.
After a year of study, I went to Guigal for my first harvest. In the middle of the long, exhausting days, I realized: this is what I want to do.
Winemaking is nonstop decisions, trial and error, and months of waiting to see if your choices worked. That constant challenge, different every vintage, is what hooked me.
More than ten years later, it still does. Few jobs combine this level of difficulty, creativity, and reward—and sharing a great bottle with people you care about remains the best part of it.