Daylight was quickly fading that end of October day, as we winded our way through the Northern Greece mountains towards the wine producing region of Metsovo. We were on our way to Katogi Averoff, a winery hotel, in the north-west corner of Greece. Still, I can not think of a better place to arrive at the end of a day touring wine country than at winery hotel. Katogi Averoff Hotel, located in the Pindus Mountains, is a perfect mountain getaway. During our Katogi Averoff stay we experienced what the hotel has to offer wine enthusiasts.
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Wine Bar, Katogi Averoff © Spaswinefood
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Katogi Averoff: Tour and Wine Tasting
Katogi Averoff, a four star winery hotel, on the northwestern slopes of Pindus, 55 km from Ioannine, is a special place for enotourists. Here visitors will experience a wine world where art and hospitality are the key foci of the hotel's operation. Throughout the hotel there are artifacts and artworks by
important Greek artists. Moreover, the audio-visual inspired tour is quite artistic. The relaxed atmosphere is ideal for experiencing Greek hospitality.
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| Touring Katogi Averoff © Spaswinefood |
Touring Katogi Averoff
Immediately after we checked in we did a tour, followed by a wine tasting. The audio-visual overview presented during the tour was inspired by Dionysus, god of wine making and wine. The images displayed during the tour are of the winery's history and the wine making process. Next door to the hotel is the Katogi Averoff winery which we did not tour. Like many winery history stories there is an interesting wine history behind both Katogi and Strofilia before they merged in 2001 to create Katogi & Strofilia SA. The company then founded the winery hotel in 2008. The audio-visual overview is actually a creative way of sharing the winery's story with hotel guests and visitors.
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The Story of Katogi Averoff Wine © Spaswinefood
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Katogi Averoff Audio-Visual Inspired Tour © Spaswinefood
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| Katogi Averoff Tour © Spaswinefood |
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We also took a quick peek in the wine cellar.
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| Wine Cellar, Katogi Averoff © Spaswinefood |
Wine Tasting
The tour ended with a wine tasting at a wine bar.
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Wine Tasting, Katogi Averoff © Spaswinefood
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The first two wines we tasted were their dry white and dry red wines.
1-2. Katogi Averoff Dry White 2014 & Dry Red 2011
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| Katogi Averoff Dry White & Dry Red Wines © Spaswinefood |
Katogi Averoff Dry White 2014
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| Katogi Averoff, Dry White 2014 © Spaswinefood |
Katogi Averoff Dry Red 2011
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| Kati Averoff, Dry Red Wine, PGI Macedonia 2011 © Spaswinefood |
3. Averoff Xinomavro 2011
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| Averoff Xinomavro, PDO Naoussa 2011© Spaswinefood |
4. Katogi Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
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| Katogi Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, PGI Macedonia 2009 © Spaswinefood |
5. Rossiu di Munte Yiniets 2009
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| Rossiu di Munte Yiniets, PGI Macedonia 2009 © Spaswinefood |
6. Katogi Averoff Syrah Traminer 2009
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| Katogi Averoff, Syrah Traminer 2009 © Spaswinefood |
The wine tasting was a great introduction to Katogi Averoff wines. After the wine tasting it was onto the restaurant for dinner.
Food and Wine
During dinner we explored the wine and food connection. The restaurant's menu included foods prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
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| Dinner, Katogi Averof © Spaswinefood |
Some of the dishes served that evening included:
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| Soup, Katogi Averoff Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Salad, Katogi Averoff Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Roasted Eggplant, Katogi Averoff Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Cheese Plate, Katogi Averoff Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Pasta, Katogi Averoff Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
We continued to taste other wines during dinner. One of these included:
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| Flogger Averoff Merlot, PGI Ioannina 2010 © Spaswinefood |
Dessert that evening included yogurt and locally available fruits. The locally made Greek yogurt was excellent.
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| Yogurt and Jams, Katogi Averof © Spaswinefood |
Next morning it was an early rise. I did manage to catch a glimpse of the cloud covered mountains in the early morning light.
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| Mountains in the Early Morning, Katogi Averof © Spaswinefood |
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| Early Morning, Katogi Averof © Spaswinefood |
During breakfast we had the opportunity to sample more foods made with local ingredients.
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| Breakfast, Katogi Averoff © Spaswinefood |
Both dinner and breakfast at Katogi Averoff were absolutely delightful. It was indeed overall a very pleasant stay at the Katogi Averoff Hotel & Winery in Metsovo. I was not surprised to discover that the hotel gets great reviews by online booking sources, such as TripAdvisor. I would highly recommend that visitors do at least a 2-3 day stay. This would allow then the opportunity to stroll the vineyards, forest, mountains and take time in the village. Yes, enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony. In our case because we arrived late and left early we did not get to see much of Metsovo. My understanding is that Metsovo is a charming mountain town. Indeed our mountaintop visit on the Wine Route of Epirus was far too brief. From Metsovo we traveled back down the cloud covered mountains to Stelios Kechris Domaine, where we would be introduced to a modern style Retsina.
Just in case you are wondering I will be waiting for the Greek wine goddess/god to call me back soon to the Northern Greece mountains. Spaswinefood is so looking forward to future explorations along the Wine Roads of Northern Greece. I invite you to join me in my travels in Greece and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
October 2015
Metsovo, Greece
© Spaswinefood
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Katogi Averoff Wine Bar © Spaswinefood
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Note: This expense paid Press Trip was sponsored by #dwcc15 and #NorthGRTrip
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