Η Nemea, the historic city of Antiquity, which is reasonably characterized  "Greek Tuscany", is located between mountains that surround it and almost hide it. Here lies the Nemea Vineyard, The largest centralized Greek vineyard area of ​​25.000 acres and the most important and most popular local red variety is cultivated in agiorgitiko. The image of the landscape gives the impression of an intricate mosaic, and not monotonous and uniform as is the case in the vineyards of northern Europe

The wines of Nemea, the visitable wineries, the beautiful vineyards, in combination with the historical monuments of the area and the small scattered settlements, are a very good reason for a short getaway, while at the same time creating the most suitable conditions for the development of the area into an exciting wine-tourist destination.

This year has been a difficult one. The rains of July and the heat of August caused the appearance of downy mildew which damaged both the grapes and the foliage of the vineyard. Nevertheless, the year ended with satisfactory results - winemakers say that the year was saved - which of course we will see very soon in the bottled wines of 2018.

 

Papaioannou Estate

We had our first contact with the grapes of the year at Papaioannou winery, of "Nestor" of Nemea, who when he starts the conversation with you can not detach. 90-year-old Thanasis Papaioannou justifiably - considered the "guru" and the pioneer of Nemea - talks about the vineyard in antiquity, about Theophrastus, about the natural treatment of cultivation and organic farming. In the 80's -when Agiorgitiko went as anonymous to the big wineries, or arrived as a bulk of unknown quality in our glasses- Thanasis Papaionnou made the big upset.

With vineyards of 570 acres, following organic farming with deep knowledge, with vinification of specifications, is one of the first producers, who conceived and promoted the idea that wine must retain its special characteristics, coming from the variety, the position of the vineyard , thus imposing in its region, the type of wine of the quality classic Nemea.

 

Lafazani Winery

Then we headed to Lafazani winery. Few people know that Spyros Lafazanis is the largest wine producer in Nemea and is in the top ten in the country. His winery covers an area of ​​4.000 sq.m. which is surrounded by 100 acres of privately owned vineyards. The Nemea Winery employs a total of 35 employees, and can receive 200 tons of grapes daily. The production capacity of the Winery is 4.000 tons per year of which 2.500 tons are channeled in bags, 1.500 tons in bottled wine and the rest to friends winemakers, while 15% of production is exported.

 

We met Spyros at his winery, where after tasting his wines and visiting the facilities, he showed us with great pride, the new machine, a huge tractor - the first in a Greek winery - that does the vintage on its own and automatically collects healthy noodles.

 

Estate of Palyvos

The Palyvos winery, located 800 meters from the important archaeological site of ancient Nemea, is one of the most famous, quality and historical in the area. George Palyvos is the soul of the estate and is never complacent. He is constantly experimenting, both in the privately owned vineyards of 300 acres - the second largest vineyard in the area - with the cultivation of new varieties, as well as in the vinification with new methods.

It is no coincidence that it is one of the producers that offers a wide range of different wines from Agiorgitiko, which includes from dry fresh, or aged wines, to sparkling and sweet. An additional strong point of the estate is the hospitable production area. Since 1995, when the traditional family press was transformed into a beautiful boutique winery and is one of the most visited in the area - it was the first to be organized and visited - and today welcomes about 4.500 visitors from Greece and abroad annually.

 

Gaia Winery

His story of Gaia estate in Nemea begins in 1994 when Giannis Paraskevopoulos and his collaborator Leontas Karatsalos made a successful selection of vineyards, in the charismatic Koutsi Nemea, with the aim of managing the Agiorgitiko of the semi-mountainous areas and producing aging wines.

The consistently lower acreage yield of the vineyards of Koutsi in combination with the lower temperatures and the ideal exposure of the vineyards to the sun guarantee a level of quality of Agiorgitiko higher than that of the rest of the zone. Today, the 9.800 bottles of 1994, exceed 350.0000. Our main characteristics, were and remain, our dedication to high quality and honesty towards those who trust us.

 

Aivali Winery

Goal of Christos Aivalis, from the beginning that started in 1997 in Petri Nemea in Ayvalik Winery, was the production of high quality wines, which express the terroir of the area. Christos Aivalis, idiosyncratic, explosive, exuberant, does not hide his passion for the vineyard and works hard with his son the oenologist in it, taking care of minimal fertilization and keeping acre yields low (550 kg per acre).

Its vines are located in selective vineyards of the area and the wines, which it does not stabilize and does not filter, are characterized by complexity and special aging potential and it is no coincidence that its wines of Aivali estate deservedly won their place among the top of Nemea.

 

Semeli Estate

The Semeli estate is an exemplary large winery of Nemea -one of the most impressive projects in the field of wine in Greece- which is perched at an altitude of 600m in the area of ​​Koutsi. The size of the winery, its design, its architecture and the view from above will take your breath away.

The winemaking process - but also the course of the tour of the winery - starts from the fourth level, where the grapes are received at the entrances, at the top of the tanks and slowly following the normal course of the wine that is done by gravity, reaches in the third which is the bases of the tanks, in the second which is the bottling, and finally, in the first level, a huge living room with beautiful aesthetics with sofas and fireplaces, where there is the bar where the tastings are done, and on the ground floor where the cellars with barrels for maturing wines. Responsible for the production is the well-known oenologist-winemaker  Leonidas Nasiakos. 

I had the good fortune to spend the night in the hostels of the winery, a night with shaving, a brightness of the galaxy unrepeatable and the absolute silence of the night to be interrupted by the choirs of the crickets!

 

Dark Estate

George Skouras is undoubtedly one of the strongest wine personalities in Greece. After graduating from Dijon with a degree in Oenology, he worked in wineries of traditional wine regions of France, Italy and Greece and in 1986 he created the Skoura estate with emblematic wine Mega Oino, an innovative blend of Agiorgitiko with Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, Megas Oinos is one of the most consistent presences in the field of European wine, with a proven aging potential that few Greek wines can touch.

In 2004, production needs increased and he set up a new winery in Malandreni with larger facilities and excellent infrastructure. Impressive are the 80 glittering stainless steel tanks, the bottling line, which currently has the capacity to bottle 3.000 bottles per hour, while basements with 1000 oak barrels are growing in the basements.

The winery can be visited, with a Greek architecture abroad that covers two basic needs, the impeccable wine production process and the good hospitality. Inside, the modern high-aesthetic reception areas host works of art by renowned artists, with spacious terraces, as well as an impressive tasting room that transforms into a modern bistro. Here, winery people - multilingual, educated and polite - serve and care for all visitors.