Wine Tasting Tour Greece & Israel Feb 11-26, 2007

What do you think?
"No bottle of wine is worth more than $10, in my opinion" says Fred Franzia creator of Two Buck Chuck. What do you think? Under $10 $10-$20 $20-$30 $30-$45 Over $50
Results

DAY 1 Sunday, 11 February

Depart JFK International Airport at 5:40PM for Athens, Greece

DAY 2 Monday, 12 February

Arrive Athens Airport at 10:10 AM. Transfer to domestic flight from Athens to Thessaloniki around 12 noon. Thessaloniki is the capital of Macedonia and second largest city of Greece. It was founded by Kassandros and named after his wife Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great. Here Paul, the Apostle of the Nations first brought the message of Christianity to the West. It was the second most important city of the Byzantine Empire after Constantinople and therefore has many Byzantine churches and other remnants. Tonight in Ladadika we will host a welcoming wine party and dinner at the renowned restaurant Kioupia. Return to the hotel after dinner. Overnight at the five star luxurious hotel Makedonia Palace, Thessaloniki (www.grecotel.gr)

DAY 3 Tuesday, 13 February

Breakfast at our Hotel. Depart for Neos Marmaras in Halkidiki to visit the Domaine Porto Carras. Lunch enroute. Visit Tsantalis at Agios Pavlos and on to Epanomi to visit the Domaine Gerovasiliou. Return to Thessaloniki late afternoon. Overnight Makedonia Palace (www.grecotel.gr)

DAY 4 Wednesday, 14 February

Breakfast at our Hotel. Depart via Langadas to Ossa to visit Domaine A.Babatzimopoulos. Drive to Goumenissa to visit the Domaines of the region: Boutari - Tatsis - Ligas. Goumenissa is a small town of 5000 inhabitants only 85 kilometers north of Thessaloniki located at the slopes of Mount Paikos. It has been inhabited from ancient times although the existing town was founded in the 14th century. Lunch en route. Drive to Naousa, known as the gardens of King Midas and in ancient times as Mieza, the existing town was founded in the 15th century. It was liberated from the Turks, as was all of Northern Greece during the Balkan Wars of 1912 - 1913.The school of Aristotle, where Alexander the Great was educated was also in this region. Overnight at the Hotel Vermion in Naoussa.

DAY 5 Thursday, 15 February

Breakfast at our Hotel. Leave for Amindeo. Visit Kyr-Yiannis S.A.Winery. Return via Edessa to Naoussa. Edessa is known as the town of waters because of its waterfalls. The town is well known from the time of Alexander the Great. Visit the Wine Museum. Lunch en route according to time and place. Visit the Naousa-Boutari winery. Drive via Kozani to Larissa the capital of Thessaly, commercial industrial and cultural centre of the province. Tradition has it that Hippocrates ( 460 - 377 BC), Father of Medicine, spent his final years and died here.The modern city has museums and galleries. Nearby is the Valley of Tempe, a natural monument of rare beauty with the river Pineios and long known as the region of many myths,where once muses lived. Famous for the production of tsipouro in Elassona and Tirnavos. Overnight in Larissa at the Grecotel (http://www.grecotel.gr/)

DAY 6 Friday, 16 February

Breakfast at our Hotel. Depart for Rapsani to visit E.Tsantalis S.A. Return to Larissa to visit Domaine Katsaros. Lunch enroute. Overnight in Larissa at the Grecotel (http://www.grecotel.gr/)