17 villages

The restaurant 17 Choria opened its doors in December 2021 in Nemea to the great excitement of its local winemakers and visiting wine lovers. And this, because it came to partially fill a big gap that existed in the area's focus.

For it was not right at Nemea, which is aptly characterized "Greek Tuscany" and where for the last 30 years there is an orgasm, as old wineries are renovated and new ones are created, and as you travel the enchanting routes between the vineyards with the road markings and the inscriptions of the wineries scattered everywhere, there is only one restaurant though all to meet the needs of the area.

And how o vineyard of Nemea with its 42 wineries, Mr Nemea PDO Winemakers Association (SON) which co-organizes with the Municipality of Nemea, the Great Days of Nemea – held every summer with a series of events, wine bike races, tastings, etc. – to become the exemplary protagonist of Greek Tourism, without restaurants and hotels. The great misery of Nemea with the restaurant 17 Choria and the new guesthouses that are being prepared, seems to be resolved.

The 17 Choria restaurant is a creation of Kostas Touloumtzis, known to wine lovers and the old owner of the store and his creativity Menio Tourlotou, which for two years has been trying to build the second gastronomic hangout of Nemea, after the decent tavern of Chrysos, located in the same neighborhood 100 meters above.

The personality of Kostas Touloumtzis is a guarantee for the success of the project. Founder and president of the Panhellenic Union of Winemakers and later president of the World Union, with experiences from his long stay in Italy and from Enoteca, the wine bar-restaurant that opened first in Vrilissia and then in Chalandri and which many even remember today, 30 years later, due to the first such rich lists of Greek and foreign wines.

The 17 Villages opened in December 2021 in a warm space with walls of earth colors, a wooden roof and a wood stove. Wine bottles, decorative objects, posters and books predominate in closed or open exhibitions, all signs that capture wine activities.

On the tables are the placemats with the map of the vineyard of Nemea and its 17 villages, the 15 in Corinthia (Nemea, Ancient Nemea, Leontio, Ancient Kleones, Koutsi, Dafni, Petri, Nightingales, Galatas, Asprokambos, Psari, Bozikas, Kefalari, Kastraki, Titani) and 2 in Argolis (Malandreni and Gymno), who gave their name to the restaurant.

Each village also gave its name to one of the 17 dishes of the restaurant, so e.g. the Malandreni dish is a black pork steak with celeriac puree, the Kutsi is a risotto with king mushrooms, the Nemea is rabbit with petimezi and artichokes, the Kefalari is gnocchi with gorgonzola and walnuts, the Asprokambos is a flambouritsa (cheese) with fried greens and sausage, Kastraki is ravioli with spinach and anthotyro, tomato, basil, Galatas is aubergine pasticcio, tomato aubergine slice, and Bozika is lamb shank with fried potato.

The wine list includes around 150 labels, mostly from Nemea. The first pages are dedicated to Agiorgitiko, in its various expressions. Other varieties grown in the area follow, as well as iconic wines and gems from the rest of the Peloponnese. In addition to red, white, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines by the bottle, at very good prices (introductory prices with Nemea), 8-10 options by the glass are proposed.

In 17 Villages one can taste wines of great wine personalities, wines from large and impressive wineries, but also from small family and traditional wineries, and all of these (e.g. Aivalis, Gaia Winery, Ktima Gofa, Dryopi Winery , Lantidis, Lafazanis, Mitravelas, Nemeion, Palivos, Papaioanou, Semeli, and Skouras) recommend the miracle of Nemea.

At 17 Villages, the visitor's acquaintance with the wines of Nemea can be made either in combination with the dishes of the restaurant, or in the pleasant adjacent tasting room around a monastic table with a capacity of 12 people.

The famous wines of Nemea, the wineries that can be visited, the beautiful vineyards, combined with the historical monuments of the area and the small scattered settlements, are a very good reason for a nearby escape, while at the same time they create the most suitable conditions for the development of the area in most exciting wine tourism destination in Greece.

The 17 Villages, for their part, will put their little hand and the above.