Wine tourism has quickly grown in Greece, becoming a new trend among tourists who decide to spend their vacation in the country. Greece’s vast variety of wines and the large number of vineyards in the country offer a perfect opportunity for tourists who wish to combine their vacation with wine tastings and winery visits.
Metsovo, a scenic town in northern Greece hosts the country’s best example of wine tourism: Katogi Averoff hotel and winery.
A favorite destination for wine enthousiasts, Katogi Averoff combines luxurious accommodation with tours around its historic winery. Although the winery was established in 1973, after eight separate extensions and renovations, it is considered a state of the art facility for producing and bottling premium wine. The cellars boast over 1200 oak barrels where the red wines mature, while the winery shop offers rare and collectible wines for sale.
The audio-visual-enhanced tours introduce visitors to the art of wine production and the history of the winery. The tour is always rounded off with tastings of a premium selection of Katogi Averoff wines.
While staying in Metsovo, visitors will also be able to visit the local cheese factory which is part of the Tositsa Family Foundation.
The Tositsa Family Foundation was first established in the late 1940s by the benefactor Michail Tositsas and Evangelos Averoff. In 1958 the foundation launched a model cheese factory. Through the years, the course of the cheese factory, fulfilled the vision of its founders to become a sustainable business combining the knowledge of science with the wisdom of experience and tradition. The factory always chose to employ cheesemakers who were willing to experiment and create unique products. The employees are always experimenting with different ingredients, trying to combine Italian and Greek methods.
In addition, Metsovo offers a variety of museums such as the Averoff Gallery, also known as the Averoff Art Gallery of Metsovo. It was built in 1985 and inaugurated in 1988. In 1994 the building was extended to include a new wing and its facilities were renovated. Its initial collection consisted of 200 paintings and sculptures by Greek artists from the 19th and 20th century, which are still part the museum’s permanent exhibition. After the gallery’s expansion, the collection was significantly expanded.
Also the museum of folk art, located close to the town center offers a large collection of every day life artifacts, used by people in the area through the centuries. The museum is hosted in the renovated Tositsa family mansion which showcases the local architecture.
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