The present paper deals with the characterization of wastewater generated from Greek wineries and wine distilleries. The quantity and the quality of the wastewater of a distillery depends on the type of wine (white or red), on the processes followed for the production of wine as well as on the volume of the tanks that are used. The total production of wastewater from a winery is about 1.2 times greater than the production of wine with BOD₅ 1740 mg/l and 1970 mg/l for white and red wine respectively, while the corresponding prices for COD are 3112 mg/l and 3997 mg/l and for the total phenolic compounds 280 and 1440 mg/l respectively. From these results, it is expected that the biological treatment of wastewater from white wines will be more efficient than that from red wines. The characteristics from the waste (vinasses) from the distillation of wines and wine lees are also presented.