Private Lavish Wine Tour visiting Emponas, Kritinia and Pataludes Wine Producers

Embonas

2 hours

Let's visit Embonas for our first wine tasting. Wineries near Embonas village are famous for producing the best wine in Greece. What makes the wine here so good? Foremost, it is the location. The village is on the slopes of the highest mountain on the island called Attaviros. Here there is a very special cooler microclimate. The rich soil on granite rock helps to increase humidity which is very important for adding flavors to the wine. The temple of the main Greek god Zeus used to be on top of this mountain. So we may say that the wine-making in the region was supervised by the Greek gods for at least 2 500 years. The village itself is incredible, being inland and relatively far from the big cities it is almost untouched and unspoiled by tourism. The houses are brilliant examples of typical rural Greek architecture. All this looks like decoration for a movie, but it is not, it is real.

Kritinia Castle

1 hour

Let’s take a break between the first and second wine tasting and visit Kritinia Castle where fascinating history meets breathtaking beauty. The castle of Kritinia is built on a 131 m hill above the village. The name of the place – Kritinia means New Crete. Initially, the village was on the coast but had to be moved to the hill because of the constant threat from the pirates. The place for the castle was chosen because of the ideal strategic position – a perfect view of the Aegean Sea. The construction under the supervision of the Knights of the Order of St. John started in the 15th century, and it took around 100 years to complete. Nevertheless, the time was merciless to the Castle of almighty Knights. Nowadays, there are only impressive walls, remains of the chapel, and towels. One thing was preserved absolutely unchanged – the view - this magnificent and unapproachable old castle, surrounded by the gorgeous landscapes

Petaloudes

2 hours

Let's visit the winery of the respected Greek family Zafeirakopoulos-Triantafillou: Anastasia, Nikos, and Jason are not just beautiful & friendly people but hardworking bees as well. They are the only professionals on this island authorized by the state to produce tsipouro(soma). You will explore their vineyard and distillery, Jason as your personal guide will tell you much about the history of their winery, grape plants, distillation, and vinification processes & introduce their famous wines. Enjoy an in-depth wine-tasting experience.