The great escape to Greece

Arrival flights to Athens International Airport (ATH) and transfer to the predefined hotel – one shuttle for the 13:10 arrival, otherwise own arrangements, but we will help.

Accommodation at a 5*Hotel in Athens

We stay in the luxurious NJV Athens Plaza, centrally located in the heart of Athens, on the historic Syntagma Square and very close to the world famous Acropolis. The 5-star NJV Athens Plaza looks back on almost 40 years of history and welcomes guests from all over the world who want to experience the highest level of hospitality.

Afternoon Athens City Tour. You will definitely take hundreds of photos!

Dinner in a beautiful wine bar alongside wine tasting of 8 distinctive PDO wines from all over Greece. This is a great first day! Overnight.

Morning visit to Domaine Costas Lazaridis + Museum – tasting of both Athens and Drama wines – http://www.domaine-lazaridi.gr/en/oenotria-land/

Less than 1 hour from the Acropolis, but far from the traffic and the usual touristic paths, there is an oasis for wine lovers or simply curious people that want to have a taste of “real Greece”.

The first impression of Domaine Costas Lazaridis you will get is a very well kept estate of around 10000sqm with a large parking space for visitors, a beautiful garden and pool with a lovely view on the hills and and an ideal place for marriages, baptism or business events. I learned that this family run company, producing excellent biologically cultivated wines, has won more than 700 international awards and now exports quite a lot of their production all over the world. They are so fond in wine that they wanted to create a “temple” both for connoisseurs and for beginners in order to help them to appreciate wine making and later wine tasting.

We will visit also their incredible wine museum where we might learn about history and mythology of the wine. You can admire a huge collection of instruments and showcases with corkscrew and caps, the beautiful cellars and the prive’ taste rooms. After our discovery tour we will have the pleasure to taste several very interesting wines, like maybe a Syrah Agiorgitiko (limited edition) and a kind of delicate Greek Grappa distilled from Sauvignon Blanc created to be “married”to Cigars or bitter chocolate. We can even taste different types of “aceto botanico”, a Greek kind of “aceto balsamico” aged several years in oak and sold in very nice small bottles. Don’t miss this experience if you are not just a “normal tourist”.

Transfer to Aigialeia region (2 hours from Lazaridis).

Light Lunch with yummi Greek food.

Check in at the hotel Semantron Traditional Village.
http://www.semantron-hotel.gr/en/
The Semantron Traditional Village is located in Elaionas, Diakopto in the Peloponnese, just 167 Km from Athens, 50 Km from Patras and 40 Km from Kalavrita. It is the ultimate combination of tranquility and serenity of the plain with the vivid blue of the sea at the beach of Elaionas and the wild charm of Helmos Mountain.

The former «cells», built since 1840, in which the monks of the Monastery of Mega Spilaion (Great Cave) were living, have been recently renovated to create 42 deluxe / superior rooms and suites. What an amazing experience! A monastery turned into a hotel in the best way possible. Very cozy and comfortable in everything, from the bed to the decor. Spectacular to find something like this in such a “sleepy” little town. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. An ideal place for families, couples and professionals.

Dinner at the hotel. The food is a great combination of homemade and luxury. Presentation and tasting of some very exciting local wines from Aigialeia region.

Overnight.

On this day we will discover the wonders of nature, history, craftsmanship, religion and of course vinification. In the morning we will embark on the small train with direction to Kalavryta through the magnificent Vouraikos Canyon, considered one of the eight most beautiful train rides worldwide. Upon arrival to the historic city of Kalavryta we will have free time to visit the village and shop traditional products in the pedestrian streets.

We continue our trip to the famous monastery of “Mega Spileon”, which produced wines during the last century. In complete harmony with the wild and impressive landscape of the area, the eight-storey complex of the Monastery is imposing.

Our next stop will be at the “Mega Spileon” vineyards. These are the old vineyards of the monastery, now exploited by a modern winery with premium wines. We will walk through the vineyards, with breathtaking views over the canyon, taste excellent, aromatic wines and have lunch in the vineyards – https://www.cavino.gr/en/winery-domains/domain-mega-spilaio.aspx

Transfer to Nafplion, from 1821 to 1834 the 1st capital of the first Hellenic Republic and of the Kingdom of Greece. This town has one of the best promenades in Greece.
Afternoon arrival and check in at our hotel.
Hotel Grande Bretagne Nafplion – https://www.grandebretagne.com.gr/

Located right in the heart of Nafplio amidst the emblematic Filellinon Square, the hotel offers you unique accessibility within walking distance to all the attractions in the area. Overlooking the Argolic Gulf and the iconic water castle of Bourtzi, the hotel is just the place to be when visiting the picturesque town of Nafplio.
Take your time to enjoy the “Nafplio-Promenade-Walk”. Start from your Hotel at the Promenade and continue to the point beneath the castle for a lovely and great sea view and then walk all the way to the beach on the other side. Then you can turn back into the town. It is a lovely walk which will stay in your memories forever.

Located right in the heart of Nafplio amidst the emblematic Filellinon Square, the hotel offers you unique accessibility within walking distance to all the attractions in the area. Overlooking the Argolic Gulf and the iconic water castle of Bourtzi, the hotel is just the place to be when visiting the picturesque town of Nafplio.

Take your time to enjoy the “Nafplio-Promenade-Walk”. Start from your Hotel at the Promenade and continue to the point beneath the castle for a lovely and great sea view and then walk all the way to the beach on the other side. Then you can turn back into the town. It is a lovely walk which will stay in your memories forever.

Dinner in the restaurant 3sixty life at the heart of the old town – http://3sixty.life/

3Sixty cafe is located on the ground floor of a neoclassical building of 1890 in the historical city’s center of Nafplion. Respecting the building’s history and distinctive architectural features, they composed a metropolitan ambience with timeless connotation, without missing out on artistic sense. It is an excellent restaurant with an interesting wine list, consisting of local wines only. The food is made with great care & mainly with fresh local ingredients.

So…we will have a lovely dinner at this “not-so-Greek” restaurant in Nafplio.The emphasis is definitely on their amazing selection of delicious steaks/seafood/chicken,-Highly recommend the Greek salad, the Australian filet, the grilled shrimp (probably the most flavorful shrimp you have ever tasted) and the cheese-stuffed chicken with Greek pasta! Everything is excellent. The wine selection is also excellent and we will have delicious bottles of red and white wines from Greece. Recommended by your sommelier.

The atmosphere might be “a bit“ more uptight than most other places, but the food and wine are so amazing, means we will have great time during our lovely, relaxed dinner.

Return at the hotel. Overnight.

Today we will visit Nemea wine region. Nemea offers one of the most stunning landscapes in the Peloponnese. Here you can savor the unique local wine varieties paired with food delicacies and we see some interesting cultural spots that introduces you to the history of Greece. In Nemea region it is a must to taste a high quality Greek Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) red wine from the variety of Agiorgitiko.

Agiorgitiko, a name that comes from St. George (Agios Georgios in Greek), is one of the two most recognizable Greek red varieties along with Xinomavro of Naoussa (located in northern Greece). The area is divided into three sub-zones, classified by altitude where you can find various wineries and taste the different styles of Agiorgitiko together with other Greek wine varieties. Other varieties cultivated in the area are the pink-skinner Moschofilero and Roditis, the white Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and the red Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Semeli Wines – https://www.semeliwines.gr/
After a lovely journey through the slopes of Nemea mountains we arrive at the Semeli Estate, a modern winery, where the productions follow very strict and highly quality standards! This place is amazing. Founded in 1979, Semeli Estate is a leading Greek winery and one of the country’s most significant wineries.

The sunny Mediterranean climate the extraordinary terroir (soil), combined with the expert craftsmanship of their winemaker and the successful blending of indigenous and international varieties, result in wines of distinct character that have earned the respect of experts and captured the hearts of wine lovers worldwide.Having established a strong brand name in the Greek market, Semeli exports mainly to the USA and the UK. We grab the opportunity to taste some of the best wines of Greece . The wines are really delicious and our guide will “feed” us with great stories, and give wine information and winery facts with humor.

Domaine Skouras – https://www.skouras.gr/

George Skouras was born in Argos, one of the oldest towns of Europe with a 3,000 years long tradition of wine and culture. And his dream was, to have his own winery.

In 1980, George went to study Agriculture at the University of Dijon, in Burgundy, France.
After graduating from Dijon with a degree in Oenology, George started gathering experience in many classic wine-producing regions of France, Italy and Greece.

His long-held vision, the creation of his own wine estate Domaine Skouras became reality in 1986. Initially, he started with a small wine-making facility in Pyrgela, a small village at the outskirts of Argos. With the money he earned from producing high quality wines, the next logical step was the creation of the new boutique winery in the village of Gimno (Nemea Appellation).

The relocation to the final winery in Malandreni, also in the Nemea Appellation, took place in 2004. The new infrastructure offers increased capacity and more technical capabilities, but not for creating more technical wines. For the Domaine Skouras team, technology is all about control and observation, allowing for minimal intervention on the wines, if and when it is needed – and only to the requisite extent. And indeed, Domaine Skouras is a great winery to visit. This winery is well designed to welcome wine lovers. Most of the wineries in the world are not designed to host the public. You need to call them and make an appointment, and maybe they have a small room in which they could let you taste their wines.

But this winery is designed to receive guests, George call them friends. You have a wonderful indoor and outdoor wine tasting area with great views on the vines. Their cellar is impressive, very nicely lit with this beautiful smell of wine that ages. George, Dimitris or Tzina will be our hosts, give us a tour of the winery and lead the wine tasting. They share great information on the wines, the philosophy of the winery and great stories on the indigenous grapes. George has done incredible things with the native varieties. He has done incredible things especially with Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko! In any case this cannot be described in words, this should be seen, felt and tasted :). You will enjoy your visit to the full!

This amazing place is ideal to have also Lunch here. It will be served, depending on the weather conditions inside the winery or on the terrace.

Return to Nafplion and free time to go shopping or for a massage/treatment like Panta Rei
1 Soutsou, Nafplio 211 00, Tel: +30 697 340 7817 or just relax and enjoy yourself

Now it will be time to think about having a lovely dinner. The following proposal is still not confirmed, but in any case we would have some other nice alternatives in hand. Idea is to enjoy dinner at the restaurant Arapakos. The restaurant is a recommendation from locals and from some of our winemaking friends. Many choices of fish, very fresh, well prepared, wonderfully presented. Traditional cuisine with a modern touch. The red mullet, snapper and sea bream are just wonderful. Add some chips, tzatziki, a Greek salad and a white wine and you have a feast fit for a king! For sure, we will have a great, tasty dinner. You might want to finish with the fabulous dessert. Overnight.

Departure for Athens.

Visit Domaine Papagiannakos – http://www.papagiannakos.gr/en/

The Papagiannakos Winery is the first winery especially designed and built in Greece according to innovative bioclimatic standards. This exceptional and award winning Boutique Estate is just 15 minutes away from Athens Airport, set in a beautiful landscape close to Porto Rafti. Run by Vassilis Papagiannakos and his lovely wife Antonia in 3rd generation , one can feel and taste the know-how and passion they put into the production of their exceptional wines. Besides the highly acclaimed Savatiano they also produce smaller quantities of other varieties. Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Greco di Tufo, Agiorgitiko, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon – hard to tell which one is best, and hard to imagine one could not find a new favourite. It is also a great place for weddings and corporate events. Looking forward to our tour and wine tasting.

Lunch in local seaside fish tavern. Last Lunch together in a very nice Greek Taverne directly located at the waterfront. Also some last awesome wines. Enjoy the view and start dreaming about the great time you had here in Greece.

Transfer to the airport and say Bye Bye to the Greek Paradise..
Departure flights.