A Nafplio wine tour is a four to nine hour run into the Nemea valley, 40 minutes north-west of the town, tasting Agiorgitiko at two or three estates with a driver-guide, priced from 65 euros a head. Plan the rest of the trip with Greece Tours.
This page covers the tour: what it costs, the route, the wineries, the grape, the tastings, Ancient Nemea, the Mycenae combination, the harvest and how to book.
What does a Nafplio wine tour cost?
From 65 to 120 euros a head for a half day to two Nemea wineries with tastings, 130 to 190 for a full day with lunch and three estates, 280 to 550 for a private day for two to four, and 25 to 45 for a tasting in Nafplio town.
The price covers the vehicle, the driver-guide and the tasting fees at each estate. A Nafplio wine tour is booked around it.
Tastings run four to six wines per winery with bread, cheese and cold cuts. Hosts raise it early on a Nafplio wine tour.
Lunch at a village taverna adds 20 to 35 euros a head where it is not included. A Nafplio wine tour covers the cellar around it.
Private tours quote by the party and set their own estate list.
Hotel pickup in Nafplio, Tolo and Drepano is included on most products.
Bottles bought at the estates are paid separately and cost less than in shops.
Where does a Nafplio wine tour go?
North-west into the Nemea valley, 35 to 45 minutes from Nafplio, through the villages of Ancient Nemea, Koutsi, Asprokambos and Gymno, stopping at two or three estates among the vineyards under Mount Killini.
Nemea sits at 250 to 900 metres between Corinth and the Argolid plain. Every Nafplio wine tour is routed around this.
The route passes the site of Ancient Nemea with its temple of Zeus. It decides which Nafplio wine tour suits the party.
Vineyard terraces cover the valley floor and climb the surrounding slopes. The Nafplio wine tour season turns on this.
Some tours add the Corinth canal on the drive out or back.
Full-day versions pair the wine with Mycenae or Ancient Nemea.
Private tours reach the higher estates at Asprokambos that coaches skip.
What is Nemea?
The largest protected designation of origin for red wine in Greece, 3,000 hectares of vineyard in the hills of Corinthia, growing the Agiorgitiko grape at altitudes from 230 to 900 metres across more than 40 wineries.
The region has grown vines continuously since antiquity. The Nafplio wine tour listing states it plainly.
Its wine was called the Blood of Hercules after the Nemean lion of the myth. The Nafplio wine tour price reflects it.
Altitude splits the appellation into distinct growing zones. A Nafplio wine tour is booked around it.
Most estates are family-owned and produce 30,000 to 500,000 bottles a year.
The valley is 90 minutes from Athens and 40 from Nafplio.
Visiting it is the reason a wine tour exists on this coast at all.
What is Agiorgitiko?
The red grape of Nemea, named after Saint George, producing soft, deep-coloured wines with red-fruit aromas and low acidity, made as a young fresh red, an oak-aged reserve and a rose.
It is the most planted red variety in Greece. This is what a Nafplio wine tour delivers.
The grape takes oak well and the reserves age for a decade. A Nafplio wine tour fills first on that count.
Rose from Agiorgitiko is dry, pale and drunk young. Every Nafplio wine tour is routed around this.
Only Agiorgitiko grown in the Nemea zone carries the appellation.
Blends with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are sold outside the designation.
Tastings pour the young red, the reserve and the rose side by side.
Which wineries do you visit?
Two or three of the valley’s estates, chosen by the operator from the Semeli, Gaia, Palivou, Skouras, Lafkiotis, Driopi, Bairaktaris and Papaioannou wineries, ranging from large modern cellars to small family producers.
Larger estates run a visitor centre, a tasting room and a shop. Nafplio wine tour guides prepare for it.
Small producers pour in the cellar with the winemaker. The Nafplio wine tour calendar is shaped by it.
Most tours pair one large and one small estate for the contrast. The Nafplio wine tour listing states it plainly.
Booking a week ahead lets the operator confirm a named winery.
Estates take walk-ins in season and prefer a call first.
The vineyard walk is part of the visit at the smaller producers.
What does a tasting include?
Four to six wines per estate, poured with commentary on the vineyard and the vintage, served with bread, local cheese, cured meat and olives, inside the cellar or on a terrace over the vines.
The pour runs from the white or rose through the young red to the oak-aged reserve. A Nafplio wine tour settles this at pickup.
Winemakers or trained hosts lead the tasting rather than a ticket desk. Guests meet it within the first Nafplio wine tour hour.
Barrel and tank samples are offered at the smaller estates. This is what a Nafplio wine tour delivers.
Spittoons are on the table and nobody is expected to finish every glass.
A visit to one estate takes 60 to 90 minutes with the cellar tour.
Bottles are bought at cellar-door prices at the end.
How long does a Nafplio wine tour last?
Four to five hours on the half day with two estates, seven to nine on the full day with three estates and lunch, and two hours on the in-town tasting that skips the drive entirely.
The drive to Nemea takes 40 minutes each way. The Nafplio wine tour route is set by it.
Each winery visit uses 60 to 90 minutes of the day. That is the Nafplio wine tour advantage over a hire car.
Full-day versions build in a taverna lunch of two hours. Nafplio wine tour guides prepare for it.
Morning departures leave Nafplio between 09:30 and 10:30.
Afternoon half days return in time for dinner in the old town.
Private tours run as long as the party books them for.
Is lunch included?
On the full-day products yes: a taverna meal in a Nemea village or a platter at one of the estates, with the wines of the house. Half-day tours serve the tasting plates only.
Village tavernas here serve grilled meat, wild greens and local cheese. Hosts raise it early on a Nafplio wine tour.
Estate platters run to cheese, cured meat, bread and olive oil. A Nafplio wine tour covers the cellar around it.
Vegetarian plates are prepared when the booking says so. A Nafplio wine tour settles this at pickup.
Lunch costs 20 to 35 euros a head where it is extra.
Eating slows the alcohol and the guides plan the day around it.
The meal is where most guests decide which bottles to buy.
What is Ancient Nemea?
The sanctuary of Zeus in the valley, with three standing columns of the fourth-century temple, a stadium with its vaulted entrance tunnel, a bathhouse and a museum, and the site of the Nemean Games held every two years.
The games were one of the four crown festivals alongside Olympia, Delphi and Isthmia. It decides which Nafplio wine tour suits the party.
Nine columns of the temple stand today after a long re-erection programme. The Nafplio wine tour season turns on this.
The stadium tunnel still carries the scratched names of ancient athletes. The Nafplio wine tour route is set by it.
Heracles killed the Nemean lion here in the first of his labours.
A revived games is run every four years with barefoot races in the stadium.
Entry is 6 euros and the site sits among the vineyards.
Full-day wine tours add it between two estates.
Can you combine it with Mycenae?
Yes, and it is the most booked full-day format: Mycenae with its Lion Gate and beehive tombs in the morning, lunch in a village, and two Nemea estates in the afternoon, all within 40 minutes of Nafplio.
Mycenae sits 25 minutes from Nafplio on the road towards Nemea. The Nafplio wine tour price reflects it.
The site and its museum take two hours with a guide. A Nafplio wine tour is booked around it.
Epidaurus is in the opposite direction and makes a separate day. Hosts raise it early on a Nafplio wine tour.
Ancient Corinth is 45 minutes north and pairs with the same wineries.
Private tours set the balance between the ruins and the cellars.
The archaeology and the wine share one valley here.
Is there a wine tasting in Nafplio town?
Yes: a two-hour seated tasting in a wine bar or cellar in the old town, pouring six to eight Greek wines with meze, run in the evening and priced from 25 to 45 euros a head.
These tastings range across Greece rather than staying in Nemea. A Nafplio wine tour fills first on that count.
Sommeliers lead them and the format suits anyone without a car. Every Nafplio wine tour is routed around this.
Wine bars on Staikopoulou and around Syntagma square host them. It decides which Nafplio wine tour suits the party.
The town version is booked as an evening rather than a day out.
Groups cap at eight to twelve.
Anyone short of time takes this instead of the valley.
What are the Nemea growing zones?
Three bands by altitude: the valley floor at 230 to 400 metres producing soft early-drinking reds, the middle slopes at 450 to 650 metres giving the balanced reserves, and the high vineyards above 700 metres at Asprokambos and Koutsi with the longest-lived wines.
Harvest runs from late August on the floor to early October on the heights. The Nafplio wine tour calendar is shaped by it.
The higher vineyards keep acidity that the valley floor loses to heat. The Nafplio wine tour listing states it plainly.
Single-vineyard bottlings from the high zone are the region’s benchmark wines. The Nafplio wine tour price reflects it.
Tastings that cover two altitudes show the difference in one sitting.
Soils run from clay on the floor to limestone and gravel on the slopes.
Guides use the altitude to explain why two Agiorgitikos taste unalike.
What white wines are made here?
Malagousia, Moschofilero, Roditis and Assyrtiko are grown around Nemea and the wider Peloponnese, sold outside the red-only appellation, and poured at the start of every tasting.
Malagousia is aromatic with peach and citrus and was revived from near extinction. Guests meet it within the first Nafplio wine tour hour.
Moschofilero comes from Mantinia in Arcadia, an hour south-west. This is what a Nafplio wine tour delivers.
Assyrtiko planted on the mainland gives a softer wine than the Santorini original. A Nafplio wine tour fills first on that count.
Roditis is the everyday white of the region.
Sparkling wines from Moschofilero appear on a few estate lists.
The whites open the tasting before the reds take over.
When is the harvest?
Late August to early October, earliest on the valley floor and latest in the high vineyards, with the estates busiest and most interesting to visit through September.
Harvest visits show the crush, the sorting table and the fermenting tanks. That is the Nafplio wine tour advantage over a hire car.
Some estates let guests pick for an hour during the vintage. Nafplio wine tour guides prepare for it.
Tasting rooms stay open through the harvest on normal hours. The Nafplio wine tour calendar is shaped by it.
September combines the work in the cellar with 28-degree days.
Booking a week ahead matters more during the vintage.
Spring visits show the vines in leaf and the cellars quiet.
Do you need a driver?
Yes if the day covers two or three estates. Greek drink-driving limits are 0.5 grams per litre and 0.2 for new drivers, so the tours run with a driver-guide and the in-town tasting needs no car at all.
Roadside checks are routine on the Nemea road at weekends. A Nafplio wine tour covers the cellar around it.
Spittoons at every estate let a driver taste without swallowing. A Nafplio wine tour settles this at pickup.
Taxis from Nafplio to Nemea and back run 90 to 130 euros. Guests meet it within the first Nafplio wine tour hour.
Private tours include the driver in the quote.
Shared departures use a minibus with a professional driver.
Self-driving to one estate and back works for a party with a designated driver.
Is a Nafplio wine tour good for beginners?
Yes. The hosts pitch the commentary at the table, the wines are soft and approachable, and nothing about Agiorgitiko demands experience. Questions are the point of the visit rather than an interruption.
Tastings explain the grape, the soil and the ageing in plain terms. The Nafplio wine tour season turns on this.
Small groups of eight to twelve keep the room conversational. The Nafplio wine tour route is set by it.
Guests who dislike red are poured the whites and the rose instead.
Notes and a price list are handed over at the end.
Nothing is scored and nobody is tested.
Most guests leave with two or three bottles and the names written down.
Can you ship bottles home?
The larger estates arrange shipping to Europe and North America at 30 to 90 euros a case, and travellers flying home pack bottles in hold luggage with wine sleeves sold at the cellar door.
EU travellers carry wine home without duty within personal allowances. A Nafplio wine tour is booked around it.
Cabin bags cannot carry bottles through security. Hosts raise it early on a Nafplio wine tour.
Estates sell padded sleeves and boxes for 3 to 8 euros.
Cellar-door prices run 20 to 40 per cent below shop prices in northern Europe.
Reserve bottlings run 15 to 45 euros at the estate.
Guides carry the purchases in the vehicle for the rest of the day.
When is the best time of year?
April to June and September to October, with 20 to 28 degrees, vines in leaf or in fruit and the estates on full hours. July and August reach 35 degrees in the valley and the tastings move indoors.
September adds the harvest to everything else. Every Nafplio wine tour is routed around this.
Spring brings wildflowers between the rows and quiet cellars. It decides which Nafplio wine tour suits the party.
Winter visits run on request with the vines bare and the reserves open.
August fills Nafplio with Greek holidaymakers and the estates with day trippers.
Booking two to four days ahead covers the summer.
Nothing here sells out the way an island boat does.
Is it a private or a shared tour?
Both run. Shared minibus departures cap at eight to sixteen and cost 65 to 120 a head; private cars and minibuses take two to eight, set their own estates and pace, and quote 280 to 550 for the day.
Private is the format most couples and families choose here. The Nafplio wine tour listing states it plainly.
Parties of four split a private day to roughly the shared per-head price. The Nafplio wine tour price reflects it.
Shared departures run daily in summer and on fixed days in the shoulder.
Private tours can add Mycenae, Ancient Nemea or the Corinth canal.
Cruise passengers from Nafplio port book the timed private version.
Quotes come by message and cover the vehicle, the guide and the tasting fees.
How do you get to Nafplio?
Two hours from Athens by the motorway through Corinth, 90 minutes from Athens airport, two and a quarter hours from Kalamata, with KTEL buses from Kifissos and a cruise berth in the town harbour.
The drive passes the Corinth canal and the Mycenae turn-off. This is what a Nafplio wine tour delivers.
Buses from Athens run hourly through the day. A Nafplio wine tour fills first on that count.
Car hire in Nafplio runs 35 to 70 euros a day.
The old town is walkable and the wineries need the tour vehicle.
Cruise ships tender passengers into the harbour in season.
The town walk sits at Nafplio walking tour.
What do you bring on a Nafplio wine tour?
Closed shoes for the vineyard rows and the cellar floors, a layer for the cellar temperature, water, a card for the bottles, and a hat for the outdoor tastings in summer.
Cellars hold 14 to 16 degrees whatever the day outside is doing. Nafplio wine tour guides prepare for it.
Vineyard walks cross uneven ground between the rows. The Nafplio wine tour calendar is shaped by it.
Estates take cards for the wine and the tasting fee is in the tour price.
Strong perfume interferes with the tasting and the hosts ask guests to skip it.
A notebook or a phone keeps the bottle names straight by the third estate.
Guides carry water in the vehicle on every departure.
What are the common Nafplio wine tour mistakes?
Driving yourself to three estates, booking the valley in the middle of an August afternoon, expecting the Nemea whites to carry the appellation, and arriving at a small producer without a booking.
Greek drink-driving limits make a self-driven three-estate day unworkable. A Nafplio wine tour settles this at pickup.
The valley floor reaches 35 degrees in August and the outdoor terraces empty. Guests meet it within the first Nafplio wine tour hour.
Nemea is a red-only designation and the whites are sold under other labels.
Family estates open for booked visits rather than for passing traffic.
The fifth is skipping lunch, which makes the third tasting wasted on the palate.
A booked half day with a driver solves four of the five.
How do you book a Nafplio wine tour?
Book two to four days ahead in summer and a day ahead out of season, longer during the September harvest. Shared departures cap at eight to sixteen and the private versions confirm the named estates at booking.
Operators confirm the pickup and the wineries by message the evening before. The Nafplio wine tour route is set by it.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead is standard on the platform listings. That is the Nafplio wine tour advantage over a hire car.
Dietary needs and non-drinkers go on the booking so the estates can plan.
Groups of four or more take a private quote rather than separate seats.
Cruise-day bookings state the ship and the tender time.
The regional food side sits at Kalamata walking tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Nafplio wine tour cost?
From 65 to 120 euros a head for a half day to two Nemea estates, 130 to 190 for a full day with lunch and three estates, 280 to 550 for a private day for two to four, and 25 to 45 for a tasting in Nafplio town.
What grape is Nemea known for?
Agiorgitiko, the red grape named after Saint George. Nemea is a red-only protected designation, so the whites poured at the estates are sold under other labels even when they grow in the same valley.
Do you need a driver?
Yes for a day covering two or three estates. The Greek limit is 0.5 grams per litre and 0.2 for new drivers, so the tours run with a driver-guide, and the in-town tasting needs no car at all.