Wine trails in the Peloponnese

Our guide meets you in Athens for the drive south. We make one short stop on the way and reach Nafplio in the early afternoon.

The rest of the afternoon is free in the old town. On request, our guide takes you to Mycenae or up to the Palamidi fortress above the harbour; entry to either is not included. Dinner brings the first glasses of the trip, a preview of the Nemea reds that fill tomorrow. Tell us at booking if you want Mycenae or the Palamidi, so the afternoon can be planned around it.

From Nafplio the road runs north into the vineyards of Nemea for a day at two wineries. Each one walks you through its vines and cellar with the people who make the wine, and each makes Agiorgitiko differently: one in the classic style, the other shaped by altitude and the maker’s hand. Tasting the two on the same day shows the grape’s range better than any label can. Lunch falls between the visits, and we return to Nafplio in the afternoon. Ancient Nemea is available on request, with entry extra. Wear closed shoes, because cellar floors and vineyard rows are not made for sandals.

Arcadia’s Mantineia plateau lies at about 650 to 700 m, and the drive inland from Nafplio arrives around midday. In the afternoon, an e-bike ride through the vineyards (on request) leads to a winery; the vehicle takes everyone else. There you walk the vines and the cellar, possibly taste from the barrel, and compare Moschofilero in more than one style. This is one of the highest and coolest wine regions in Greece, which is why its white is so sharp. The evening is free on the plateau. Bring a layer, as evenings here are cooler than on the coast.

A side-by-side Moschofilero tasting at a second Mantineia winery fills the morning, after a short drive across the plateau. Several versions of the same white poured in a row is the clearest way to see what the plateau’s altitude does to it. In the afternoon, hosts on the plateau run a hands-on cooking session, and the meal that follows is paired with regional wines. There is no driving after the class. Spit at the morning tasting if you want to; it is normal practice, and the glasses come round again at the meal.

West from the plateau, a mountain road passes through stone villages and drops to the Elis plain. Most of today is on the road, so the stop at a cheese-making farm breaks it. The farm shows how the cheese is made, then serves a tasting outdoors with bread and a glass of wine. We arrive near Olympia in the late afternoon. Dinner is at a winery estate, as an introduction to Elis wines, Avgoustiatis among them. The late arrival still leaves time to change before the estate dinner.

Early in the morning, before the crowds and the heat, we visit the site and museum at Ancient Olympia, with entry included. Afterwards the drive runs north along the west coast road. The afternoon belongs to Achaia Clauss, a winery of stone buildings and old cellars. There you taste Mavrodaphne, the dark grape Patras is known for, alongside white Roditis. We reach Patras in the evening, and the night is free. Carry water at Olympia, because the site has little shade once the sun is up.

Helmos rises behind the first winery of the day, near Mega Spilaio, where hillside vineyards look down on the Corinthian Gulf. The visit runs into a long lunch. Afterwards, a smaller winery pours four grapes with the winemaker at the table: Roditis, Lagorthi, Sideritis and Mavro Kalavrytino. Tasting them side by side is the reason to come up these slopes rather than stay on the coast. We return to Patras for a free evening. If you would like a table for dinner, tell our guide in the morning and we book it.

Breakfast in Patras starts a slow morning, with nothing on the plan before the drive back to Athens. We leave once the morning is over, and the trip ends in Athens. On the road, the four regions line up in order: Nemea’s reds, the plateau whites, Elis at the estate table and the Achaian grapes of yesterday. Plan any flight out of Athens for the evening, because the drive starts late in the morning.