According to Apollodorus they were the daughters of the king of Delos Anios and his wife Dorippi and great-granddaughters of the gods Apollo and Dionysus.  Their names were Oino, Spermo and Elaïs, each representing a basic element of the Greek diet, wine, wheat and olive oil.

Together they were also known as the Nymphs of Delos, Oinotres, Oinotrofes and Oinofores, the Winemakers, the Winebearers, the Winegrowers and each was blessed by their grandfather Dionysus with a unique gift, “ποιείν εκ γης έλαιον, σίτον και οίνον”, “to bring forth from the earth oil, wheat and wine”.  Specifically, Oino was the protector of the grapevine which sprang from the earth anywhere she stepped and could also turn water into wine. Spermo made wheat grow from the ground anywhere she stepped and was the protector of the cereal crops.  Similarly, Elaïs turned any liquid into olive oil, olive trees sprouted under her footsteps, and she was their protector.

The Oinotropoi provided plenty of food to those who arrived for consultation at the Oracle of Delos. 

Ovid in his Metamorphosis states that the Achaeans, the bronze age Greeks, passed through Delos on their way to conquer Troy. Anios, who could predict the future, warned them that the war they intended to start would take ten years. He suggested they stay with him for nine years and the tenth to fight with the Trojans since then Troy would fall.  His three daughters would provide food tor their armies during that time.  The Achaeans refused and continued their journey. Realizing that Anios was correct in his prophecy they sent an embassy to Delos, consisting of Menelaus and Odysseus, to ask for the Oinotropoi to aid in the Greek army’s food supply. The three girls went to Troy but soon grew tired of the battle scens and the Greeks attempted to kidnap them after the Oinotropoi decided to return to Delos.  Dionysus interfered and transformed the three sisters into doves (or, according to others, in grapevines) and they flew back to their island home.  For centuries it was forbidden to kill doves in Delos.