spaswinefood: #Winelover time at the Wine Museum, Athens

Dionysus was smiling down on us on the last day of our #winelover adventure in Athens, Greece. Our day began with a trip to the Museum of Wine in Pallini, northeastern Athens. The Markou family, whose history of wine making spans four generations, founded the museum in 2005. Let's take a peek at our vine inspired outing.

Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

From the moment we walked through the entrance I knew that we were in for a very special treat. We had come to taste wines from the Vineyards of Attica.

Arriving at the Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

Just inside the gate there was a swimming pool leading up to the museum in the inner courtyard.
The pool area certainly captured my attention. I could not resist taking some time to enjoy the beauty of the setting.

Reflections, Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

I am glad we had some time to explore a little, for it allowed me to get a sense of this special place.

Courtyard Views, Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

I was not the only one, taking advantage of those courtyard views.

A Dionysus Pose, Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

Posing, Museum of Wine, Pallini © Spaswinefood

Without doubt the patio area certainly caught my attention.

#Winelovers, Museum of Wine © Spaswinefood

Patio, Museum of Wine © Spaswinefood

I could imagine relaxing with a glass of wine on patio at the Wine Museum. Not that day however, we had some wine tasting to do. I could hardly wait. After greetings were exchanged we did a brief tour of the museum. Next, I tasted wines from five producers who are members of the Wines of Athens Association.

Wine Producers, Museum of Wine © Spaswinefood

Vineyards of Attica are known for producing Greek varieties, such as Assyrtiko, Athiri, Agiorgitiko, Malagouzia and Savatiano. The international varieties produced include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Tasting the Wines of Athens
That morning at the Wine Museum I tasted wines from the following wineries:

1. Anastasia Fragou Winery
The Anastasia Fragou Winery was founded in 1986 and modernized in 1999 when Anastasia Fragou and her husband Dionysis, Fragou assumed leadership of the winery. Today the owners along with their children focus on producing high quality wines.

Anastasia Fragou pouring their wines © Spaswinefood

I particularly enjoyed discovering their Savatiano wine.

Anastasia Fragou, Savatiano 2015 © Spaswinefood

Then were Anastasia Fragou's Body, Heart and Soul wines.

Anastasia Fragou, Heart © Spaswinefood

Anastasia Fragou, Soul © Spaswinefood

With names like Heart, Body and Soul who would not want to taste these wines.

2. Domaine Papagiannakos
Earlier on my taxi ride from the airport the driver suggested that I visit Domaine Papagiannakos. Naturally, I was delighted to see that Papagiannakos was one of the wineries pouring that day.

Tasting Domaine Papagiannakos Wines © Spaswinefood

Two of Domaine Papagiannakos wines that hit high marks for me were a Savatiano and a Malagousia.

Domaine Papagiannakos, Old Vines Savatiano 2015 © Spaswinefood

Domaine Papagiannakos, Malagouzia © Spaswinefood

I really enjoyed the two Domaine Papagiannakos wines (Savatiano and Malagousia) that I tasted. Malagousia (also spelled Malagouzia) was not new to me however, Savatiano was very new for me.

3. Kokotos Estate

Anna Aga, winemaker was there pouring Kokotos Estate wines. Anna is a #winelover based in Athens who participated in our #winelover 4th Anniversary Celebrations in Athens.

Anna, Pouring Kokotos Estate Wines © Spaswinefood

In an earlier Spaswinefood article I introduced Kokotos Estate, a boutique winery in Stamata, East Attica where Anna is a winemaker. Anna is also quite at home in the social media world where she is actively engaged in promoting Greek wines.

3. Markou Vineyards
Markou Vineyards today continues a family tradition dating back 150 years. In 1983 they founded a winery in Peania, Attica. Their Attica winery produces wine from their privately owned vineyards in Attica and Nemea wine regions.

Beautiful Smiles, Mapkoy Vineyards © Spaswinefood

Regrettably, I only had enough time to taste two of their wines during the tasting.

Markou Vineyards Wines © Spaswinefood

I did make a note of the lineup for future reference.

Wines from Markou Vineyards © Spaswinefood

I look forward to exploring more Markou Vineyards wines in the future.

4. Mylonas Winery
The Mylonas Winery is a modern boutique winery. They date back to 1917 when they began to make wine in clay amphoras. Today this Attica winery's primary focus on the production of Savatiano. They also produce Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Aidani, Agiorgitiko, Limniona, Mandilaria, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Mylonas Winery Wines © Spaswinefood

It was certainly a highlight for me to taste their Savatiano.

Tasting wines with fellow #winelovers that day was very special.

Overall, I must say I enjoyed getting to know the grape varieties grown by each producer. In particularly, I especially enjoyed the Savatiano and Malagousia wines that I tasted. Moreover, to be able to taste wines poured by winemakers and/or owners made it extra special day for me.

#Winelover's Lunch at the Museum
Lunch was another opportunity to checkout some of wines that I did not get to taste earlier. Tasting wines with local foods is always a special treat.

One of the wines that I tasted during lunch included:

Let's not forget dessert wines. Yes, there were dessert wines of course. Greek yogurt with fresh fruit caught my attention. For me it is hard to resist Greek yogurt for dessert.

At this point in the day the dessert wines were big hit for me.

What a fabulous morning it was at the Wine Museum with Vineyards of Attica producers. The morning event did give me a sense of the wines being produced in Attica. I look forward to continuing my exploration of this wine region.

All too soon our #winelover visit to the Wine Museum was coming to an end. We returned to Athens for a farewell dinner at Aleria Restaurant. Yes, you too can discover that special #winelover magic in Greece. Do not forget when you visit Athens to turn it into a wine and food adventure. I look forward to writing about other Greek #winelover experiences at Spaswinefood, or you can visit my travel column at the Examiner.

Sharon

Athens, Greece

February 2016

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Saturday, April 9, 2016

#Winelover time at the Wine Museum, Athens

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