Words you’ll be hearing this year at FYSIKA – the largest natural wine fair in Greece

We’ve prepared a short glossary of key terms you’re bound to come across at FYSIKA this year — so you can show up fully “in the know.”

On Sunday, November 2, the Athens Conservatoire opens its doors to FYSIKA, Greece’s largest natural wine celebration.
For one full day, more than 50 producers from Greece and abroad will welcome visitors with over 300 wines that speak the language of their land. From Thrace to Crete, and from Ikaria to the Peloponnese, winemakers from every corner of the country gather in Athens to reveal the depth and uniqueness of Greek natural wine and its diverse terroirs. Among them, guest producers from Serbia, France, and Hungary, among others, will also be present.

Organic and biodynamic wines, made with little or no added sulfites, native yeasts, unfiltered and unfined-wines that carry within them both their origin and their maker. In just one day, you’ll meet the winemakers in person and taste wines made with minimal intervention, full of authenticity, respect for nature, and-above all-pure enjoyment.

At the historic Athens Conservatoire, you’ll find an experience that goes far beyond tasting:
– Try dozens of rare varieties and experimental labels rarely found on the market.
– Talk to the creators and discover the stories behind each bottle.
– Learn about philosophies and techniques that give wine a whole new dimension.
– Meet people, exchange impressions, and become part of a community that loves natural wine.

We’ve put together a glossary of key terms you’re bound to hear at FYSIKA this year-so you can arrive well-prepared:

Organic
Means the grapes are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, growers rely on natural methods like compost, green manure, and eco-friendly pest control. The goal isn’t just a “clean” product, but a living vineyard that respects its surrounding ecosystem.

Biodynamic
Biodynamics takes things a step further, seeing the vineyard as a living organism with its own soul. Producers follow nature’s and the moon’s rhythms, use natural preparations (herbal teas, composted manure), and seek harmony between soil, plant, and human. It’s a philosophy, not just a method.

With little or no sulfites
Sulfites act as wine’s preservatives, ensuring stability. Natural winemakers limit or skip them altogether, letting the wine evolve on its own. The result can be unpredictable-but wonderfully alive. These wines breathe, change, and surprise you with every glass.

Native yeasts
Instead of commercial yeasts that guarantee consistency, natural producers trust the wild yeasts found on grape skins and in the winery. Each wine thus reflects its place-its air, soil, herbs, and even vineyard dust. It’s terroir in its purest form.

Unfiltered and unfined
These wines skip filtering and fining, which can make them appear cloudy or contain sediment. That’s not a flaw-it’s proof the wine remains alive, textured, and true to itself. A bit wilder, more honest, closer to nature.

Minimal intervention
The umbrella term of natural winemaking. The producer interferes as little as possible-no flavor corrections, no additives, no manipulation. Just guidance. The wine becomes a mirror of its year, place, and maker.

Orange wine
No, it’s not made from oranges! “Orange” refers to its color-white grapes fermented with their skins, just like reds. This skin contact gives a deeper hue, a tannic texture, and aromas reminiscent of dried fruit, herbs, or tea. These are expressive, handmade wines with strong personality.

Retsina
A word with a storied past-and a renewed future worth rediscovering. Retsina is perhaps the most authentic Greek natural wine: a white wine fermented with pine resin. The resin acts as a natural preservative and aromatic signature. Modern retsinas at FYSIKA are fresh, refined, with subtle resin notes and a taste that speaks of place and tradition.

Brett
Short for Brettanomyces, a wild yeast that divides wine lovers. It can lend aromas of “stable,” “leather,” or “earth,” adding complexity in small doses-but overpowering the fruit in larger ones. In the natural wine world, brett isn’t always a flaw; it’s a reminder that wine is alive, untamed, and full of surprises.

Pet-Nat (Pétillant Naturel)
The playful star of the natural wine scene. Pet-Nat means naturally sparkling wine, made by the méthode ancestrale: fermentation stops briefly, the wine is bottled with its natural sugars, and finishes fermenting inside the bottle. No additives, no disgorgement. The result? Gentle bubbles, a light haze, and an exhilarating freshness. It’s the most carefree wine around-and the symbol of the modern natural wine movement.

Sustainability & Organization

At FYSIKA, we strive every year to minimize our environmental footprint. All equipment used is designed for reuse, made from eco-friendly materials, and no single-use plastics are employed anywhere in the event.

Throughout the fair, every leftover—from glass bottles and cardboard boxes to corks and cigarette butts-is collected and sent for recycling or composting. This year, in collaboration with CorkCycle and CigaretCycle, there will be dedicated collection points at the booths and across the venue, ensuring that every material finds a second life. The organizing team also makes regular rounds among the exhibitors to gather empty bottles and boxes, making sure that nothing ends up in the trash.

Visitors are encouraged to return their tasting glass at the end of the event and receive a partial refund of its value—a gesture that goes beyond the familiar “reduce–reuse–recycle” principle, embodying the very essence of the zero-waste philosophy.

At wine events around the world, thousands of glasses are used for just a few hours before being forgotten in cupboards or thrown away. We want to break that cycle. Returning your glass is a simple yet meaningful act, a reminder that true sustainability begins not with recycling, but with reducing production.