Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon: June 2022

Greece has allured winelovers since the beginning of time. For sure the opportunity to celebrate with Greek Wines prompted winelover community to hold their 10th #Winelover Anniversary Celebrations in Greece June 10-13, 2022. On a personal level, my fascination for Greek Wines all began when I visited Northern Greece in 2015. Later I attended the 2016 #Winelover Anniversary in Athens, and hence to return for the 10th anniversary was a must. I am drawn to Greece, home to over 300 indigenous grape varieties, with white grape names, like Assyrtiko and Malagousia; and red grapes, like Agiorgitiko, and Xinomavro, just to name a few. Greek wines with their impressive history are exciting to explore. Greece is where my wine soul feels at home.

#Winelover 10th Anniversary, Greece © Spaswinefood

In this post I will give an overview of my wine travels. My future posts will feature the many discoveries made during my recent wine travels in Greece.

Winelovers: Welcome to Greece

For those who arrived in Athens early Cinque Wine Delights offered a pre-anniversary wine event on June 9th. Cinque's Nikitas Prassas did a Premium Greek Red Wine Tasting.

Premium Greek Red Wine Tasting © Spaswinefood

I was excited to participate in this session with fellow winelovers.

Master Class on Premium Greek Wines © Spaswinefood

Nikitas and Luiz Alberto, Founder of #Winelover introduced us to the follow Greek wines:

Premium Greek Red Wines © Spaswinefood

This event was the perfect kick-off to winelover events that would follow over the next days.

10th Anniversary of #Winelovers

Winelover BYOB

First event of the Winelover 10th Anniversary Celebration was held at Cinque on June 10th. There were so many wines to try from all over the world. Beyond exploring the wines meeting up with friends, both old and new at Cinque was awesome.

#Winelover BYOB, Cinque © Spaswinefood

#Winelover BYOB © Spaswinefood

#Winelover 10th Anniversary © Spaswinefood

Cinque was the site of many gatherings both pre and post 10th Anniversary Celebrations.

Cinque Wine Delights, Athens, Greece 2022 © Spaswinefood

Both throughout the anniversary celebrations and during prior visits I have discovered that Cinque is special. I still remember when I arrived in Athens for a #winelover Anniversary February 2016 I just happen to connect with Evangelie, a Facebook friend who owned a wine bar in Central Athens. Yes, the wine bar was Cinque. Some places are special because of the people. For Cinque it is not just because they are nice but also, because they are knowledgeable about the wines and bring a special passion to sharing Greek Wine. What I encountered on my initial #winelover outing, (Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2016) at the Cinque was not only great wines and food, but also amazing hospitality from the owners (Evangelie Tseliou & Greg Prassas).

Acropolis from the Roof Top, Athens © Spaswinefood

Visitors to Athens will soon discover that they can take in the best views of the Acropolis from roof tops of restaurants and hotels. We were most fortunate to experience great roof top views of Athens.

Day One: June 11, 2022 Nemea

Lafazanis Winery

9 am on the bus and off to our first visit to Lafazanis Winery in the Nemea wine region, about an hour from Athens.

Lafazanis Winery, Nemea © Spaswinefood

During our visit we were introduced to their awesome wines.

Tasting Lafazanis Wines © Spaswinefood

Barafakas Winery

Next, we were off to Barafakas Winery for a tasting with the owner and winemaker. We also toasted with a glass of rosé to celebrate National Rosé Day. Throughout the day we would do a number of toasts to celebrate National Rosé Day.

Barafakas Winery, Nemea © Spaswinefood

Barafakas Wines © Spaswinefood

Domaine Skouras

Our last visit of the day was to Domaine Skouras. The following wines were introduced during lunch.

Domaine Skouras Wines © Spaswinefood

Lunch, Domaine Skouras © Spaswinefood

After lunch we toured Domaine Skouras's amazing wine cellar.

Manouka Restaurant

The day ended with dinner on the rooftop at Manouka Restaurant, with great views of the Acropolis. We arrived at 8:30 pm to take in the sunset. While the clouds blocked out the sunset the ever changing views of the Acropolis were stunning.

Acropolis at Night Fall, Greece © Spaswinefood

From our dining tables at Manouka we viewed the acropolis. While dining we were treated to delicious wines from Northern Greece.

Manouka Restaurant, Athens, Greece © Spaswinefood

All winelovers had great views that evening.

Our Table at Manouka Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Winelovers, Manouka Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Winelovers, Manouka Restaurant, Athens © Spaswinefood

It was a fun evening with great friends. For sure it was the perfect ending to a vine-filled day.

Acropolis from the Roof Top of Manouka Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Day Two: June 12, 2022 Valley of the Muses

Kokotos Estate Winery

By 9am we were back on the bus. First stop of the day was at Kokotos Estate Winery, in the Valley of the Muses. A truly beautiful estate that produces wonderful wines.

Kokotos Estate Winery, Greece © Spaswinefood

Here we toured the vineyard and did a wine tasting.

Kokotos Estate Winery,Greece © Spaswinefood

Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

Thivaiki Gi

Second stop was Thivaiki Gi vineyards on the slopes of Sfinga Mountain, just a few kilometres from Thebes, right outside Vagia village. This area is known as the birthplace of the Sphinx. Upon arrival at Thivaiki Gi vineyards we were given a traditional picker’s snack (cheese, bread & olives tied up in a hankerchief) for a quick picnic. It was a true pickers picnic.

Thivaiki Gi Vineyard, Greece © Spaswinefood

Some of us hopped into the back of a truck to go see the vineyard’s oldest vines.

Thivaiki Gi Vineyard © Spaswinefood

Old Vines, Thivaiki Gi Vineyard © Spaswinefood

After the vineyard visit, we drove to their winery for wine tasting over lunch. It was a spectacular Greek family lunch. We were spoiled with a huge, delicious meal that went perfectly with their great wines. What an awesome traditional greek cuisine dining experience it was!

Lunch at Thivaiki Gi, Greece © Spaswinefood

Lunch at Thivaiki Gi, Greece © Spaswinefood

Thivaiki Gi Wines © Spaswinefood

Domaine Costa Lazaridi

Despite being totally stuffed from lunch, off we went to Domaine Costa Lazaridi for a wine tasting, and dinner. We also toured their wine museum, and ended with dancing.

Domaine Costa Lazaridi, Greece © Spaswinefood

Domaine Costa Lazaridi, Greece © Spaswinefood

It was a beautiful setting for our farewell dinner. Special thanks to Costa Lazaridi’s team for hosting such a wonderful finale to our 10th anniversary.

More Wine Adventures In Greece

I was most fortunate to arrive in Greece for wine country adventures before our anniversary gathering. Of course I just had to return to Northern Greece, and checkout Santorini.

North Greece

While in Northern Greece we attended a blind wine tasting in Thessaloniki, and next traveled onto Naoussa to visit wineries.

Blind Wine Tasting, Thessaloniki © Spaswinefood

One of my discoveries at this tasting was a 2018 Blanc de Noir Xinomavro.

2018 Blanc de Noir Xinomavro © Spaswinefood

Naoussa was a delight to revisit.

Naoussa Wine Country © Spaswinefood

Two of the wineries we visited were Kir-Yiannai and Domaine Foundi where I focused on tasting their Xinomavro wines.

Kir-Yanni

Naoussa's Xinomavro Lineup, Kir-Yanni © Spaswinefood

This was an inviting line-up of wines showcased the wide range of Xinomavro wines produced at Kir-Yanni. While at Kir-Yianni we enjoyed a very delicious lunch in their restaurant.

Domaine Foundi

Tasting at Domaine Foundi © Spaswinefood

I loved their Xinomavro's.

I loved these Xinomavro wines. A discovery for me was their demi-sec Xinomavro Rosé wine.

One of my take aways from North Greece was the amazing range and diversity of Xinomavro wines available. Special thanks to Alexandra for assisting us in our North Greece travels.

Santorini

Given Greece's indigenous grape variety Assyrtiko (A seer' tec ko), indigenous to Santorini, and arguably Greece's most iconic white wine grape variety, it was a must on my list. For sometime now I have been excited to learn more about this wine with great diversity. Grown in the arid volcanic-ash-rich soil of Santorini and other Aegean islands, it is also found in other regions of Greece, planted as far north as Drama in Greek Macedonia. It is a versatile grape variety, with wines being made in a multitude of styles, from fresh, mineral driven white wines to rich, nutty dessert wines known as Vinsanto. Santorini added to my appreciation of Assyrtiko.

Santorini, regarded as the most famous of all Greek islands, is also one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The amazing caldera formed by the volcanic eruption centuries ago, resulted in the most stunning sea views a human eye can ever see. Its fertile volcanic land produces products with distinctive flavors. Of course wine is at the top of this list. Santorini is renowned for its tradition in wine making and fine wine varieties. While in Santorini I visited the following wineries.

1. Anhydrous Winery

2. Gavalas Winery

I was impressive by our wine tasting at Gavalas.

3. Domaine Sigalas

Again, I was impressive by the wine tasting given to us at Domaine Sigalas.

Overall, one of the amazing discoveries for me was that Santorini grape growers have adapted to the growing conditions on the island by training their vines into baskets. Baskets are created by winding the canes into wall around the fruit, providing shelter from strong winds.

During our Greek travels I was delighted to have my friend Carol, as a traveling buddy. Also while in Santorini we meet up with Deborah.

Thanks All

Of course while in Greece we visited Cinque a few times during our travels.

Thank you to our wonderful organizers Ted Lelekas, Greg Prassas, Evangelie Tseliou, Karin Luize De Carvalho, Alexandra Anthidou and to all our wonderful hosts for an over the top 10th anniversary.

Let us not forget Nikitas Prassas who was always ready to help.

A shoutout to #winesisters: In addition to her #winelover contributions Karin Luize De Carvalho also kickoff #winesisters with a t-shirt launching.

It was such a pleasure to see old friends and make lovely new ones in Greece. For sure Greece is for winelovers therefore I invite you to join me in my travels in Greece and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook. Special thanks to all of our wonderful Greek hosts for making my vine-filled explorations so memorable.