A Kefalonia olive oil tasting ranges from free 10-minute tastings of high-polyphenol Koroneiki oil at the Ionian Gold bar in Lixouri to the Liocharis olive mill in Spartia and food tours that pair the island’s oil with mountain honey and Robola wine. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the tastings: where to taste, prices, the olive oil bar, the mill, food tours, the harvest and how to book.
Where can you taste olive oil on Kefalonia?
At the Ionian Gold farm shop and olive oil bar in Lixouri, which pours free tastings every day, at the Liocharis olive mill in Spartia, run by the Taste Kefalonia family, and on food tours that add honey and Robola wine.
Louisa Farms makes single-estate oils from Thiaki and Koroneiki olives in the village of Skineas.
Farmers near Spartia welcome visitors to the harvest.
The wine side sits at Kefalonia wine tasting.
What is the Ionian Gold olive oil bar?
A farm shop and tasting bar on Antiochou Evangelatou in the centre of Lixouri, pouring free 10-minute tastings of the family’s high-polyphenol extra virgin oil from old Koroneiki groves, with no booking needed.
Staff explain harvest timing, olive varieties and polyphenol content.
It opens Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 13:30 and 18:00 to 21:00, and closes on Sundays.
The shop also sells honey, olive leaf tea from Paliki, pasteli, mandola and Robola wine.
How do you get to Lixouri for the tasting?
By ferry from Argostoli, which runs every 15 to 30 minutes in summer and crosses the bay in about 20 minutes, then a five-minute walk from the quay, or by road in about 30 minutes.
Lixouri lies on the Paliki peninsula on the west side of Kefalonia.
Mornings are quieter for ferry arrivals.
Parking is on the street outside the shop.
What is the Liocharis olive mill?
The family olive mill of Taste Kefalonia in Spartia, run by a certified master miller, which bottles extra virgin oil alongside Robola wine from its own vineyards and honey from hives on Mount Ainos, served at the family’s Dionysos Taverna in Lourdata.
The mill is the olive oil stop on the Kefalonia food tour.
The family trains with ESAO courses.
Guests of its Liocharis apartments see the production.
What is the Kefalonia food tour?
A guided tour to a honey tasting at the Michalatos bee farm, an olive oil tasting at the Liocharis mill, and a Robola wine tasting with cheeses and snacks at the Sarris winery.
Guests meet the producers where they work.
The tour shows beekeeping, cold extraction and winemaking.
The cooking side sits at Kefalonia cooking class.
When is the olive harvest on Kefalonia?
From late October to early December, when families spread nets under the trees and knock the olives down with sticks or light rakes, taking them to the press within hours.
Fresh oil runs green and peppery from the press.
Visitors wear light clothes and sturdy shoes, with a sun hat and water.
Kefalonian oil has a fruity aroma and a peppery finish.
How do you book a Kefalonia olive oil tasting?
Walk in to the Ionian Gold bar in Lixouri, book the food tour or private tasting online, or ask Ionian Gold for a longer private group tasting.
Free tastings need no booking.
Private tastings run on request.
The town side sits at Argostoli Kefalonia.
Where does a Kefalonia olive oil tasting take place?
At groves and mills in the hills behind Argostoli and Lixouri and in the villages of the south, where terraces of old trees run under the mountain.
The island grows olives on stony, well-drained ground.
Groves sit between vineyards and pine forest.
Most mills lie within half an hour of Argostoli.
What happens on a Kefalonia olive oil tasting?
A walk through the grove, an explanation of the harvest and the pressing, then a seated tasting of oils with bread, cheese and tomato.
Oils are poured from the mildest to the strongest.
Hosts explain acidity, bitterness and the peppery finish.
Tins and bottles are sold at the mill.
When is the olive harvest on Kefalonia?
From November into January, with the fruit picked onto nets and taken to the mill on the same day.
Early picking gives greener, sharper oil.
Later picking gives more oil and a softer taste.
The mills work day and night through the season.
What else is tasted with the oil?
Local cheese, bread, tomatoes, olives, thyme honey and Robola wine from the vineyards on the slopes of Mount Ainos.
Robola grows on limestone at height and is the island’s white variety.
The cooperative winery lies in the same hills as the groves.
Honey comes from the fir forest and the thyme.
How long does a Kefalonia olive oil tasting take?
About two hours at a mill and half a day when a winery or a village stop is added.
Transport is arranged from Argostoli and the resorts.
Groups stay small at the family mills.
Visits run through the year, with pressing in winter.
Does a Kefalonia olive oil tasting suit families?
Yes. The grove walk is short, the tasting is seated and the food served alongside suits children.
Children eat bread with oil rather than tasting oil alone.
Tables are set in the shade in summer.
Mills are working buildings, so the group stays together inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is olive oil tasting free on Kefalonia?
Yes at the Ionian Gold olive oil bar in Lixouri, where a tasting takes about 10 minutes with no booking.
When is the olive harvest on Kefalonia?
From late October to early December.
What olive varieties grow on Kefalonia?
Koroneiki and Thiaki, among others, pressed into single-estate oils.