Discover the richness and inventiveness of Greek cuisine! You will visit the historic centre of one of the most beautiful coastal cities of the Peloponnese: Kalamata, in Messinia region. The place is known for its exquisite olive oil and its world-famous black Kalamata olives. However, the city has so much more to offer and this tour will help you uncover its hidden gems. Visit local family-owned food and pastry shops, learn old stories and feel the authenticity of the locals. Part 1: Visit to Traditional Workshop and tasting of Local Home-made products Many times, you can find the tastiest local products in the most unlikely places of a town you visit, where you’d never think to look. Together we’ll discover a traditional Workshop, literally hidden in the tiny alleys of the city. The local women working at the Workshop will show how to make one of the oldest delicacies of Messinia and Mani, using the simplest of ingredients, flour and olive oil. And while enjoying this staple of the Spartan warriors and satisfying your sweet tooth in the healthiest of manners, you’ll also learn about its long history and inextricable link to the local tradition. Part 2: Tasting of Spoon Sweets, Corinthian Raisins and Healthy Local Delicacies Upon entering the shop, the aroma of the exquisite herbs and spices wafting through the air will transport you to the top of Mt. Taygetos, the local mountain. You’ll get to taste homemade glyka tou koutaliou (spoon sweets), black Korinthian raisins and other products of the Messinian and Greek land, discovering their nutritional value and their importance in a well-balanced diet. Part 3: Greek Coffee Tasting at Local Coffee Grinding Shop It’s time for your morning coffee! And what’s better than a hot traditional Greek coffee prepared by Giorgos, who’ll reveal the secrets to its proper preparation. You’ll find out all about the origins of this type of coffee, how it got its name and how it has become a part of the Greek tradition and temperament. Part 4: Tasting of Local Appetizers at a Traditional Greek Coffee Shop-Cum-Ouzo Tavern Right in the heart of the city, under the shadow of an age-old plane tree, flavoursome Messinian appetizers - mezedes are waiting for you to discover them. Part 5: Visit to an Olive Oil Shop & short Olive oil tasting You’ll find out all about the Koroneiki variety and its unique features, and will taste different quality olive oils. Part 6: Visit to a Shop with Local Wines & Traditional Spirits Find out all the local varieties, including Fokiano, Roditis, Malaguzia and Moschofilero, as well as how they are combined with foreign varieties to produce excellent white, rose and red wines through a short wine tasting along with Mr. Giannis! Part 7: Light Lunch with Mediterranean or Messinian Dishes and Local Wines A light yet filling lunch will conclude your gastronomic experience and spoil your senses, in one of the cosiest Coffee Shop-Cum-Ouzo Taverns in the heart of the city.

Let your senses guide you through a winery counting nearly 40 years of wine-making tradition! A 3-hour guided wine experience from the locals that includes a tour in the vineyards and the winery, the cellars and a wonderful wine tasting! A visit to Kapsia Cave, one of the top ten Greek caves upgrades the whole wine experience depending on the season. Visit the first certified winery in Arcadia region in Peloponnese to open to the public, taste award-winning wines and discover the secrets of the Greek wine-making tradition. You will visit a local Estate and an organic winery located at a small village at the foot of Mt Mainalo, located in Arcadia region in Peloponnese, 100 km (60 mi) from Kalamata. The Estate is a family business, with a wine-making tradition that goes back nearly 40 years. The private vineyards occupy an area of around 30 acres and produce 3 varieties: Moschofilero, Cabernet and Merlot. The local family use organic methods to produce all their wines, with natural vinification. Part 1: Tour of the Vineyards (May - November) Enjoy a tour of the vineyards and find out all about the history and philosophy of organic farming. This part of the experience is only available from May to November. Part 2: Grape Harvesting (depending on availability - September & October) Get a first-hand look at the harvesting of organic grapes, straight from the vineyards. Find out all the secrets of traditional winemaking from the local experts. Part 3: Tour of the Cellars Take a tour of the wine cellars and discover all the different wine varieties of the beautiful winery! Part 4: Wine Tasting Get a taste of the Estate's entire wine range. Immerse yourself in the deep flavours and rich aromas of the 5-7 different wine labels. Part 5: Petimezi Tasting Discover the flavoursome and aromatic petimezi (boiled grape must). At the Estate, this traditional Greek product and superfood is produced from organic grapes. Part 6: Full local Lunch at a village tavern (upon request & at an extra charge) What could be better than conclude your exciting wine experience with a delicious homemade food that includes mouthwatering appetizers, such as traditional pies with eggs, wild greens, Greek salad and local cheeses? This is followed by a choice of pork cooked in egg-lemon sauce, beef in red sauce served with homemade pasta or oven-baked lamb with potatoes or similar dishes. For dessert, there’s traditional walnut pie with ice cream! Vegan and vegetarian dishes are also available.

You’ll discover hidden little villages, perched on mountainsides, and taste magnificent local products and food, prepared by Greek mamas. Stop 1: Winery Visit and tour and Local Wine Tasting During this 2-hour activity, you’ll visit a well-known estate in one of the largest villages, known for its local produce. You’ll tour the vinification and wine ageing areas and the vineyards, and find out all about the indigenous varieties of Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko. The tour concludes with a wine-tasting experience, paired with local cheeses. Stop 2: Tour in a Greek village and Full Lunch Part 1: Coffee-shop stop and tour of the village and area You’ll enjoy a coffee, tea or any other hot beverage and a light snack at the local coffee shop, before embarking on a tour of the village. You’ll then go on a small hike of the surrounding area, taking in the natural beauty. Part 2: Full lunch with local cuisine at the village tavern Enjoy some of the finest meals based on traditional recipes, cooked daily by a local mama, who uses the freshest of ingredients. Meals are seasonal and there is something for everyone, including vegan and vegetarian options, while the dish of the day may include wild boar, pork with garlic and walnuts, homemade cheese or vegetable pies. Visit to an Environmental Centre, Hiking and Visit to Traditional Shop Part 1: Visit to Environmental Centre and hiking A local tour guide will tell you all about rare and indigenous flora and fauna, types of natural habitats, & local areas of historic, religious and archaeological interest. The village is also home to one of the two Environmental Information Centres in the area. The experience can be combined with activities in nature, such as exploring the Juniperus drupacea forest, a rare cedar species, unique in the entire European continent. Part 2: Visit to traditional local shop Discover unique local delicacies, such as walnuts, honey and aromatic herbs from Mt. Parnonas, in a traditional shop right on the central village square. Maria, the owner, will reveal some of the secrets of local products, including trachanas (fermented milk pasta), liqueurs, homemade desserts and spoon sweets, and excellent cheeses. As a matter of fact, her sour cherry spoon sweet has received an award in a Greek contest. Stop 4: Visit to a small Cheese Farm & cheese tasting in a small Greek village You’ll visit a small local cheese-making farm, where Takis produces graviera, myzithra and feta cheese with milk from local farms. Takis will give you a tour of his farm and will explain the whole cheese-making process, from the moment the milk is received to the end product. You’ll then enjoy a cheese tasting experience at the local cheese shop, accompanied by rusks and olives. You can even buy any of the cheeses that take your fancy. This gastronomic one-day tour experience through nature concludes with a trip down Mt. Parnonas and back to the seaside town of Paralio Astros Kynourias.

A 3-hour wine tour experience of a winery in a small village of located 35 km (24 mi) and 30' from Kalamata, in Messinia region, in Peloponnese. Passed down from father to son, this family-owned business has stayed true to tradition, with minimum intervention, to ensure quality grapes and wine. Cultivating Greek and European grape varieties, the winery produces some of the best local vintages you’ll have the chance to enjoy. Where You’ll visit a family-owned winery located in a small village in Messinia region, just 35 km (24 mi) outside of Kalamata. The private vineyards occupy an area of around 15 acres and produce 5 varieties: Roditis, Carignan, Tempranillo, Merlot and Chardonnay. The vineyards were first cultivated in the 1980s and wine production started in the mid-2010s. When • The wine tour and tasting experience is available all-year round, apart from Sundays, public holidays and during grape harvesting. • The grape-harvesting season varies from year to year, but usually takes place sometime between the end of August and the beginning of October. The Wine experience Join us for a 3-hour wine experience tour of a family winery in Messinia. Part 1: Tour of the Vineyards Enjoy a one hour stroll through the vineyards, weather permitting. The owners, Vasilis and Maria, will talk to you about the area’s microclimate and the 5 varieties of grapes grown onsite, some of them since the 1980s. Uncover the secrets of Greek variety Roditis, French varieties Chardonnay and Merlot, and Spanish varieties Carignan and Tempranillo. Part 2: Visit and tour of the Winery During the tour of the winery, you’ll find out all about the wine-making process. Vasilis and Maria will take you through all the stages, from grape harvesting, to vinification and bottling. Part 3: Wine Tasting experience Enjoy the entire range of wines during a 1-hour wine tasting experience. You’ll get to taste 5-7 wine labels. The wine tasting may be paired with local products, such as cheese and cold cut platters, bruschettas with olive paste and Messinian sausages with orange, and lalagia (savoury looped ribbons of dough). Part 4: Light or Full lunch (upon request) If you wish to conclude your wine tasting experience with a delicious light or full lunch, full of Messinian flavours, in one of the most welcoming Coffee Shop-Cum-Ouzo Taverns in the heart of Kalamata’s historic centre, just let us know and we can arrange it for you!

You will visit an Organic Farm located in a very small village, 150km (90 mi) from Kalamata in Laconia region towards to Sparta. The Organic Farm produces the olive oil and wine, strictly through sustainable farming practices and techniques. It also operates as a retreat, offering unique experiences, close to nature. Part 1: Tour of the Vineyards & Olive Groves Take a majestic stroll through the vineyards and the olive grove. Some of the olive trees have been standing on this land for more than 500 years! You’ll also discover the history and the mentality behind organic farming. The tour of the vineyards is only available May to September. Part 2: Olive Oil Tasting Discover the rich taste and texture of fresh, extra virgin olive oil and the Greek olive varieties. This unique olive oil experience will teach you how to distinguish among the various olive oil varieties and choose the best one for your cooking or your dinner table. You’ll also get tips from our resident experts on how to best store your olive oil. Part 3: Wine Tasting & light lunch You’ll get to taste 4-5 different labels of natural Greek wines: Agiorgitiko, Avgoustiatis, Athyri, Kydonitsa and Moschofilero. Our wine sommelier will guide you through the whole experience and introduce to you to the magnificent world of organic wines. Discover varieties unknown outside of Greece and embark on a beautiful journey through the unique Greek terroir. A light lunch with local delicacies will accompany your wine tasting. Extra Experiences (upon request & at an extra charge) Depending on availability and provided time permits, you may participate in extra experiences upon request. Visit to the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil in Sparta Take a tour in the modern Museum and learn everything about the history of Olive oil and olives from antiquity until today!