| Day
1 - Athens |
| Arrival Athens, meet and
transfer to your hotel. Welcome wine party and dinner at the "Yachting
Club" overlooking the Microlimano harbor. Overnight in Athens. |
| Day
2 - Athens tour / Kokotos Estate / Nassiougic Mansion |
Athens, the cradle of
democracy and birthplace of western civilization is a vibrant city
where the new and the old co-exist. The majestic Parthenon rises above
the city, its ancient glory still visible in the timeworn stones. Our
panoramic tour of the city includes the most significant sites and a
visit to the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill. We then drive to Kokotos
Estate; a British lady - M.W. (Master of Wine) - will welcome you to
this craft style winery producing some of today's most reliable Greek
wines.
Upscale Cheteau(from the estate's own Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard) and
refreshing white vin de pays from Savvatiano, Attica's traditional
grape variety.
Lunch and wine tasting at the beautifully kept Nassiougic Mansion in
Messoghia; a wine producing area since the days of antiquity, will be
followed with an introductory lecture by experts.
Our dinner experience tonight is at the "Varoulko" restaurant,
renowned for its unique Greek cuisine, where the chef Bouliani will
introduce us to the tastes of the Mediterranean. Overnight in Athens. |
| Day
3 - Gerovassiliou Estate / Thessaloniki |
Morning flight to
Thessaloniki. Drive to Gerovassiliou Estate (in Epanomi) to meet
one of the leading Greek oenologists. Taste his award winning products
and enjoy his appealing approach, as the big asset of our host
Evangelos is not only his fragrant and well balanced bottles but also
the friendly advice he generously offers to his numerous colleagues.
Lunch at a fish restaurant and continue with a tour of Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC, and was named after the sister of
Alexander the Great! The city flourished under the Byzantine Empire
and its most important buildings from that time. Our panoromic tour of
the city will include the Massive White Tower an the nearby Triumphal
Arch of Gallerius, built in 303 AD.
Dinner tonight includes a selection of grilled and cooked meat
specialties. Overnight in Thessaloniki. |
| Day
4 - Domaine Carras / Halkidiki |
Domaine Carras, situated
on Sithonia, the middle finger of the three - pronged
Halkidiki peninsula, is the biggest and perhaps most majestic
privately owned
vineyard in Europe. 450 hectares on the gentle slopes of Meliton
facing Mt. Athos and the North-Eastern Aegean. Lunch at Port Carras
Resort. Continue to Anchialos where we meet a most colorful
personality of the Macedonian vine world - the Zorba of the Greek
wine, Mr. Anestis Babatzimopoulos. Listen to his wonderful stories and
discover, besides his refreshing bottles, some unique varietal grappas.
This evening a local "fiesta" (dinnertime). Overnight in Thessaloniki. |
| Day
5 - Vergina / Naoussa |
Visit of the royal tomb
at Vergina which is associated with the resting place of King Phillip
the Second, father of Alexander the Great. Then drive to the heart of
Greece's Burgundy Naoussa. The Xinomavro Naoussa's dark skinned
varietal - has been compared (and not only by the locals) to the noble
Pinot Noir. John Boutaris, Greece's top producer and negociant,
guarantees that you will sample the region's wine at its best. A taste
of the local cuisine at Naoussa and return to Thessaloniki.
This evening savour a delicious dinner at "Ladadika"; over 15 dishes
of Greek Mezes(hors d'oeuvres) in this unique atmosphere of the oldest
and most traditional part of town.
Overnight at Thessaloniki. |
| Day
6 - Olympos / Dion / Katsaros Estrate / Krania / Kalambaka |
Continue our tour with a
visit to Dion, the most important monument of the
Macedonian era, this sacred city of the Macedonians at the foot of
Mount Olympus, was founded by the Kings of Macedonia as a place to
worship the Olympian Zeus. Drive to Katsaros Estate near Krania
Village. The gods of Mt. Olympus would surely choose the Katsaros
Estate grapes for their nectari! Sample the aromatic, robust and slow
maturing Cabernet Sauvignon, made by Dr. Katsaros (from wineyards at
an altitude of 750m!) and learn in a most pleasurable way. Lunch at
Krania. Continue to Kalambaka where we overnight with dinner. |
| Day
7 - Meteores / Metsovo / Ioannina |
Meteores, a particularly
impressive scenery: ageless monasteries containing
priceless historical and religious stand suspended between earth and
sky, atop huge granite rocks. Visit to the monasteries.
Drive to Metsovo; built in a unique traditional fashion using wood and
stone Metsovo is indeed one of the most picturesque towns of this
beautiful region. The old basement of the Averoof Mansion is
definitely worth a call. Taste the famous KATOGI wines and try the
local varieties of cheese from the Tositsas Foundation. Lunch. We
continue to Ioannina lake where the legend has it that the beautiful
maiden "Efrosini" was drowned in the lake rather than to deny her
lover. Dinner and overnight at Ioannina. |
| Day
8 - Parparoussis Winery / Achaia Clauss / Patras |
 Continue to
Patras and visit of the hospitable domain of Thanassis and Vasso
Parparoussis. Taste their home style wines with delicacies such as
fried small fish with a salad of vineshoots! After lunch visit of
Achaia Clauss, one of the most important Greek wineries of the solera
style red nectar Mavrodaphne. Dinner and overnight at dix Porto Rio
Resort and Casino in Patras. |
| Day
9 - Oenoforos / Ziria / Kalavrita / Patras |
 Dinner anArguably,
the best white wines at present in Aegion and take the famous
cog-wheel train which climbs through the Boraic gorge to reach
Kalavrita. Lunch at Kalavrita and we take our motorcoach to visit the
"Cave of Lakes".d overnight in Patras. |
| Day
10 - Mercouri Estate / Olympia |
| In surroundings which
brings to the mind the setting of a Visconti movie (patrician villa
cum garden with... peacocks), taste the suave blend - Refosco
(Northern Italian grape variety) and Mavrodaphne of the
Kanellacopoulos Brothers, who revive the tradition of the 19th century
estate. Lunch. Depart for Olympia, the cradle of the Olympic Games!
Visit the Sanctuary of the Olympian Zeus and the Museum. Dinner and
overnight in Olympia. |
| Day
11 - Mantinia / Spyropoulos Estate & Tselepos Estate / Nauplia |
Discover the spicy and
aromatic "Blanc de noir" wine of this idiosyncratic mountainous region
in Central Peloponesos: Mantinia. The local variety Moschofilero is
said to have some resemblance to Alsace's Gewurztraminer. Visit the
Spyropoulos & Tselepos Estates, refurbished old mansions turned into
modern wineries equipped with state of the art material. Local taverna
lunch in Mantinia.
Dinner and overnight in Nauplia. |
| Day
12 - Epidaurus / Mycenae / Nemea (Skouras) / Athens |
After breakfast, leave
for Epidaurus to visit the ancient theater (4th century BC)
famous for its astonishing acoustics. Drive on to Mycenae, the Homeric
city of the Atrelades - the city "rich in gold" of the ancient poets.
Visit the Lion's gate, the Cyclopean Walls, the Royal Tombs. Continue
on to Nemea. The hearty - and heady - wines of this famous
since-the-antiquity area, made exclusively from the local red variety
Aghioritiko, used to be called "Hercules' blood". Our host here has
remarkably refined and updates the taste with his "Super Nemea" blend
"Megas Oenos", undoubtedly of cru classe quality. Return to Athens.
Farewell dinner at a "Temple of good dining", the SYMPOSIO restaurant
to taste a combination of traditional as well as creative Greek
dishes. Overnight in Athens. |
| Day
13 - Departure |
| Transfer to the airport
for your flight home. |
