The sun was shining, a light breeze added a freshness and we gathered on the harbour side in Nafplio to board the bus and head into the famous Nemea region – home of the Agiorgitiko grape.
The family owned estate of Palivos was our first stop. This winery is a leading estate in the region and makes a wide and eclectic range of wines covering indigenous and international varieties.
We were hosted wonderfully by Eleni who delivered a really succinct insight into the estate, the different terroir of the region and highlighted the specific differences in two of their vineyards which we then duly tasted. After a brief foray into the cellar, we settled into a comprehensive tasting of nine wines. The whites covered a Roditis/Moschofilero blend, a Malagouzia/Chardonnay blend, barrel fermented Assyrtiko and Kydonitsa, an Agiorgitiko dry rose, two contrasting Agiorgitikos, a Cabernet Syrah blend and culminated in their Nohma – a limited edition blend Cab, Syrah and Agiorgitiko.
The selection of wines was absolutely top class and eminently demonstrated the high quality of the local grapes as well as how well international varieties thrive.
From Palivos it was a half hour drive further up into the hills of Nemea and to the amazing Semeli estate. It is an extraordinary building with a hi tech, modern gravity fed winery, stunning barrel cellar, beautiful reception areas and a lovely restaurant. Hosted by Maria, Margarita and Iannis, we took a walk outside to take in the magnificent views over the valley and see at first hand the winery operations and cellar. We then headed up to the magnificent reception area where we tasted through six contrasting wines: Moschofilero and a Chardonnay/Malagouzia blend, two very different roses and three reds made from Agiorgitiko culminating in the 2003 – an incredible opportunity to taste the very first vintage of the estate. This really proved the ageing ability and quality of this grape.
Lunch now beckoned. Tomato and feta salad, dolmades, spinach pie, beef pasta and an utterly delicious orange dessert was on the menu – all washed down with more estate wines. A fabulous experience at another top winery in Nemea.
