Wine has been integral to Greek culture for over 4,000 years, with its origins dating back to the ancient civilizations of Crete and Mycenae. The Greeks believed that wine was a gift from the gods, and it played a significant role in their religious ceremonies and daily life. Greeks are also credited with spreading the cultivation of wine grapes throughout Europe, especially across Mediterranean Islands like Sicily and Corsica.
Today, wine remains intimately intertwined with food, culture, and lifestyle. Forgoing a taste of Greek wine or a visit to a winery would be as remiss as visiting Athens and skipping the city’s ancient hilltop sentry, The Acropolis. With the expansion of wine tourism and hospitality facilities, visiting wineries in Greece has never been easier. The only question to answer is whether to pick the Classic Route through the fabled Greek Islands or the Adventurous Route leading into the Peloponnese Peninsula and northern Greece, or Macedonia.
Yesterday, I presented the Classic Route. Today, I will explain the Adventurous Route.
Adventurous Route
Logistics for the Adventurous route are more straightforward than the Classic Route. Effectively, you’ll rent a car, likely in Athens. You’ll be visiting regions on the mainland and need a vehicle to get between cities, wineries, and lodging, whether in the Peloponnese Peninsula or around Macedonia. To visit Nemea in the Peloponnese, you’ll drive about 90 minutes from Athens. To visit the wineries in the north around Macedonia, your best bet is to fly to Thessaloniki, pick up a car, then drive two hours west towards Naoussa and Amyndeon. Of course, you could also take a six-hour leisurely drive through the scenic parks and mountains of the hinterland between Nafplio in the Peloponnese up to Naoussa.
Nemea, Peloponnese Peninsula
Located in the northeast corner of the Peloponnese peninsula, PDO Nemea is Greece’s largest red-wine appellation. PDO Nemea an esteemed region within the larger appellation of PDO Peloponnese, which produces around 25 percent of Greek wines with a winemaking history dating back to antiquity.
For over 3000 years in PDO Nemea, locals have cultivated the red grape Agiorgitiko. Surrounded by fertile plains, Nemea’s viticultural area spans just over 6400 acres, 17 villages, and three zones with many mature vineyards growing in white clay soil. Viticulture starts at 650 feet above sea level and tops out at 3000 feet for the highest vineyards. As a result, multiple microclimates contribute to a vast array of styles further influenced by the hand of the winemaker. High-quality red and rosé wines span easy drinking, fresh and fruity expressions to full-bodied complex wines capable of aging.
Given the region’s proximity to Athens—just under 90 minutes’ drive—one would imagine Nemea would have blossomed into the Napa of Greece. City dwellers can take a day trip to the vineyards while tourists can carve out a day or two for a wine tasting before heading to the islands. Yet the region remains delightfully low-key, agrarian, and authentic.
Dozens of wineries open their doors to the public, offering wine tours, wine tastings, food and wine pairing experiences, and mini seminars on the process of winemaking. You can have fun, learn, or do both, depending on your level of interest and motivation.
If visiting in September, don’t miss the annual Great Days of Nemea festival during which wineries in the region open to visitors. You can meet the winemakers and learn everything you ever wanted to know about Agiorgitiko.
One of the best wineries for a fun, scenic tasting is Domaine Skouras. The property offers both private and public tours weaving history, science, and Greek culture into the storytelling. Wine tastings run the gamut from current vintages, perfect for neophytes looking to familiarize themselves with regional wines, to older vintages for guests eager for deeper experiences. If space in luggage is an issue, you can find these wines back home through Diamond Wine Importers.
Visitors can book a lunch based on local delicacies such as Ntolmadakia or stuffed vine leaves with rice and minced meat, Gogkes pronounced ‘go guess,’ a handmade pasta topped with white cheese called mizithra, and of galaktoboura millefeuille filled with custard crème and honey syrup.
Of course, Nemea is much more than winery visits. It’s the perfect destination for any wine lover who appreciates beaches and antiquity. Sandy stretches along the Corinthian Gulf, a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece, providing spots for swimming and sampling seafood at waterfront tavernas. The best option for accommodation is found in Nafplio town. Marianna Pension, Grand Sarai Hoteland Nafplia Palace Hotel are recommended by local vintners.
Budding archaeologists can explore nearby Mycenae, an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, and the ancient theatre of Epidaurus. Mycenae was the most important and richest palatial center of the Late Bronze Age in Greece and is thought to be the kingdom of the mythical Agamemnon.
Naoussa and Amyndeon, Macedonia, Northern Greece
Few international tourists trek to Macedonia in Northern Greece, which is even more reason to go. Some of the most important wine regions in the area include PDO Amyndeon, PDO Naoussa, PGI Macedonia, PGI Florina, and PGI Imathia. Amyndeon and Naoussa sit in the hills between an hour to two hours’ drive west of the regional capital, Thessaloniki.
Both regions focus on the noble red variety Xinomavro and feature some of the coolest growing sites in Greece. This attribute serves growers in several ways, namely in an increasingly hotter climate, winemakers can produce fresh wines. The reason for the climate lies in part with elevation: vineyards sit on a plateau as high as 2300 feet above sea level surrounded by the Vermion, Vitsi, and Voras mountains.
The interior landlocked location creates a mild continental climate with moderate summers and cold rainy winters moderated by several nearby lakes. During the summer, warm bright days, and low rainfall aid ripening while cool nights extend the growing season which helps retain freshness and develop flavor. Thus, Amyndeon is one of few places in Greece making a variety of wines from light reds and rosés to sparkling wine, all of which need acid for structure. In fact, PDO Amyndaio is one of only two sparkling wine appellations in Greece (the other is Zitsa in Epirus).
Like much of Greece, winemaking in Macedonia dates back thousands of years to 2700 BC. Today, the main grape of note is Xinomavro. Many vineyards grow on old, own-rooted vines due to the lack of phylloxera in the sandy soils. This creates conditions for tasting one of the purest expressions of Xinomavro in Greece.
Xinomavro is not only an exceptional variety but is the most promising red varietal ambassador for Greece overseas. The taste of Xinomavro blends red and black fruits with savory notes of tomato, olive tapenade, earth, and spice. For American consumers, Xinomavro may be relatable as the Greek answer to Piedmont’s Nebbiolo, given the wine’s full body, youthful tannins and high acidity as well as its capacity for aging into complex, structured reds from the finest vineyards and vintages.
Of course, a trip to taste in situ will help you decide.
There are two key wineries to include on a wine tourism itinerary in the region. If driving from Thessaloniki, you’ll approach Kir-Yianni in Naoussa first.
Naoussa is called the “city of wine” and the heartland of Xinomavro, given the appellation’s sole dedication to the grape. Over twenty producers of distinctive styles and winemaking philosophies reside here, so there’s plenty of wine to taste on a wine holiday.
Kir-Yianni, which has vineyards in Amyndeon, Florina, Naoussa, and Imathia, offers winery tours and wine tastings punctuated by monthly thematic events and concepts like yoga classes, picnics and cinema in the vineyard. The winery also features a restaurant aimed at blending local gastronomic traditions and products with an elevated yet relaxed experience through Chef Kiriaki Fotopoulou. The winery remains open year-round. If space in luggage is an issue, you can find these wines back home through Diamond Wine Importers.
Year-round, as in winter, you ask? Yes! Skiing is big business in the area, thanks to the Tria Pente Pigadia resort, considered one of the best in Greece. Of course, if winter in Greece isn’t on your travel bucket list, the area offers a wealth of hiking and mountain biking. You can follow the trails that lead to Aristotle’s School where the famous philosopher taught a young Alexander the Great. Another must-visit is the Vergina Archaeological site of Aigai where the royal tombs of Alexander’s father, Philip II, and family were discovered in the 1970s and are now enshrined as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located an hour west of Naoussa in Amyndeon is Alpha Estate. Given the higher elevation of the area, Xinomavro from Amyndeon can exhibit more elegance and fragrance than its counterparts in Naoussa. Open 362 days a year (breaking for Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Easter), Alpha Estate offers visitors tours of the vineyards, notably a block of ungrafted bush vines of Xinomavro planted in 1919 (a definite thrill for oenophiles), then tour the winery and conclude with a tasting of Alpha Estate wines. You can also find these wines in the United States through Diamond Wine Importers.
Other activities in the area include visiting the Byzantine city of Kastoria to the west and the lakes of Prespa (big Prespa and small Prespa), to the northwest along the borders of Albania and North Macedonia.
Look out for traditional foods such as Florina red peppers, a horn-shaped sweet red pepper that is famous all-around Greece and elephant dried beans, often prepared multiple ways. You might see a vegan bechamel sauce called sout makalo on menus; historically, it was used as a flavor and texture boost to leftovers meats and vegetables. Pies, either cheese, spinach, leeks, or nettles, are widely available, make for a delicious snack, and are typically home-made with filo pastry.
For lodging, the beautiful, restored stone village of Nimfeon has many small boutique hotels and inns and two of the region’s best restaurants.
Now, only one challenge remains: Should your next trip to Greece follow the Classic Wine Route or the Adventurous Wine Route?
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