Serres has a very long tradition of winemaking. Just how long? Well, it is said that a light was always kept burning at the temple of Dionysus in Ancient Visaltia to ensure a good harvest. Today the descendants of these ancient vines comprise acres and acres of viticulture on the slopes of Mounts Kerdylio, Menikio, Belles and Pangeon as well as in the lowlands around Gazoros and Abeloi. Mythology says that the god of music, dance and inebriation, Dionysus, married Ariadne, who had two sons, Staphillos and Oinopoeonas, who, in turn, gave grape cultivation and wine production to the Greeks.
Even today, a festival is held in Gazoros where Dionysian dances take place. Another myth says that a follower of Dionysus, Ampelos, was killed by accident when riding a bull and that the god took pity on the youth, bringing him back to life as a grapevine. No matter how wine production first arrived in Greece, it has flourished. Though not as well known as other European wines, Greece produces some excellent vintages, Serres in particular.