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[1] A glass of Sauvignon Blanc wine with a dish of feta, olives, and caperberries for nibbling (photo © Vermont Creamery).
[2] We paired this Greek salad, assembled in rows like a Cobb salad, with a glass of rosé (photo: The Nibble).
[3] Try any of the wines with a spinach and feta pizza or flatbread (photo: The Nibble).
[4] Here’s another creative way to plate a Greek salad. A ring of tomato wedges and feta cubes surrounds the greens; the olives are speared on a long toothpick (photo: The Nibble).
[5] Want to try Greek wines? Look for the Boutari label (photo © Boutari Winery).
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Updated June 2026
Most of us don’t know beans about Greek wines, or time to learn the category. Thus, as big-time fans of feta and Greek cuisine in general, we sought out the best pairings with very familiar wines.
The list follows, but first, a bit of feta background.
Below:
> A bit about feta.
> Wine pairings with feta.
> Some favorite feta recipes.
Elsewhere on The Nibble:
> 25 feta recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
> The history of feta cheese.
> The history of cheese.
> The different types of cheese: a photo glossary.
> The year’s 30 cheese holidays.
> The year’s 16 Greek food holidays.
A BIT ABOUT FETA
Feta is Greece’s most famous cheese: a pure white, aged curd cheese that crumbles easily. It’s a semi-hard cheese, with a flavor that can range from mild and milky to salty with a very tangy acidity.
While the cheese has been made since antiquity, the name came into the Greek language in the 17th century, from the Italian word fetta, meaning slice.
It refers to slicing the cheese from the brick: Feta curds are formed into bricks and salted and cured for several months in a brine solution.
Authentic feta is a sheep’s milk cheese, or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milks. Outside of the EU, where the recipe is protected by law, it can also be made of cow’s milk.
If your experience with feta cheese is limited to Greek salads or a pita pocket, branch out: There are many ways to enjoy this tangy cheese—you can start with the recipes below.
Don’t Like Things Salty?
Watch out: Cheaper brands of feta can be extremely salty.
If you purchase a brand that turns out to be too salty, soaked the cheese in water or milk to remove some of the saltiness.
FETA CHEESE & WINE PAIRINGS
Of course, the logical place to look for wine pairings is the Greek wine section. But many stores don’t have one, and most Americans don’t know enough about the wines to make a selection.
Instead, just pair them with familiar wines that enhance the flavor of feta.
If you want to try Greek wines, look for the Boutari line (photo #5).
Beaujolais, a light, fruity red from France.
Boutari wines, from a Greek winery that produces more than 15 different Greek varietals.
Chardonnay, an American favorite; buy a steel-fermented wine rather than one aged in new oak.
Grüner Veltliner, a crisp and complex white white wine from Austria.
Muscat, Moscato, or Muscatel, a sweet and fruity white wine now grown around the world, that is thought to be the original grape varietal.
Rosé, a “blush wine” made from white grapes that has a pinkish color (the word in French means “pinkish”), which is achieved from allowing the crushed grape juice to remain in contact with the skin for 2-3 days.
Sauvignon Blanc, a white wine originally from France, now successfully planted worldwide.
Pilsner, a fairly dry, highly-hopped, bottom-fermented lager.
Wheat Beer, a beer brewed with a large proportion of wheat, including Hefeweizen, unfiltered wheat beer.
White Beer (Wissbier, Witbier), an all-wheat brew.
Ouzo, Greece’s signature, anise-flavored apéritif.
MORE FETA RECIPES
Best Greek Salad
Fried Feta Cheese With Olives
Mediterranean Tuna Salad With Feta
Mini Greek Salad
Radish & Stone Fruit Salad With Feta
Spanakopita: Greek Spinach Pie
Stuffed Baked Potatoes With Beets & Feta
Watermelon Salad With Feta
Watermelon Salad With Thai Basil & Feta
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*Feta and Roasted Eggplant Terrine, Feta Cheese Beggars Pouches, Feta Cheese with White Bean Hummus and more.
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