The second full day of wine tasting started with 25 minute trip North of Nafplio to the Koroniotis Winery.
A beautiful and boutique winery run by a welcoming family, led by Kyriakos who set up the estate 35 years ago. The sun highlighted the rows of vines that backed onto the main house, as we were led through an interesting and informative talk about the vineyard practices and conditions of the land. Kyriakos has a well-rounded sense of humour, that incorporates his knowledgeable views on viticulture, supported by his impressive scientific background – a man you can trust!
We were lucky enough to see every aspect of the wine making process, having our tasting right next to the stainless steel tanks and laboratory. We tasted 5 wines, including Malvasia, a white Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko and Merlot. My preference went to the Rose, also made from Moschofilero.
From Koroniotis, we travelled an hour and a half further North, up to Corinth, and then west along the coast into the mountains, to the village of Diakopto, 450m above sea level. Our stop was at the established estate of Tetramythos, where we were greeted by winemaker Melitini, who gave us a wonderfully informative tour of the winery. Lucky for us, their harvest has finished the day we arrived, and we were able to see the pneumatic press in action.
We then began our tasting, with Roditis, Malagousia, and Black of Kalyvrytino on the list of wines we were so fortunate to try as well as the infamous Retsina. This Retsina was a beautiful example with delicate and finely integrated resin. We were then treated to the 2011 Agiorgitiko, which surprisingly turned out to be my favourite – a personal win for red wine! We were presented with a fresh bread, 3 types of cheese, and a beautiful Greek salad, before moving on to courgette pie and then roast lamb with potatoes. We finished with a delightful bowl of sour cherries in a fruit syrup, accompanied by Mavrodaphne of Patras, a fan favourite.
