Monemvasia Winery - Sweet Wine Revival

The local winery working to revive authentic Monemvasia wine from indigenous varieties. Their sweet wines attempt to recreate the legendary medieval export, while dry whites from Kydonitsa and Assyrtiko show modern Laconian potential. Tastings include historical context about the wine that made this fortress famous.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Taste the Wine That Was Dead for 500 Years Wine · Price: moderate

   In 1997, Giorgos and Elli Tsimbidi set out to resurrect a wine that had not existed for 500 years. The first bottle came in 2013. You are tasting a resurrection.

   The Tsimbidi family spent years working with Dr. Stavroula Kourakou-Dragona at the Greek Wine Institute to identify the original grape varieties and production method for a wine that had been dead for 500 years. In 2013 — the same year Monemvasia-Malvasia received PDO status — they bottled the first wine using the medieval method: grapes sun-dried on racks for 8-12 days, concentrating sugars to medieval sweetness levels. At Monemvasia Winery (Tsimbidi, Aggelona 230 52, Laconia), call ahead to book the 60-90 minute tasting (+30 2732 071705, monemvasiawinery.gr). When the Malvasia arrives in your glass, hold it up to light before smelling — the color should be deep amber-gold. Ask your host about Dr. Kourakou-Dragona and the years-long revival project that made the resurrection academically credible.

   Backup: If the sweet Malvasia is sold out or off the tasting menu, ask for the dry white Kydonitsa — a grape unique to this peninsula, described as 'among the most promising white varieties in Greece today.'

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2. 2 Watch (or Ask About) the Sun-Drying Racks Adventure · Free

   The production method that defines this wine is visible on the estate in late summer — grapes laid out in the Greek sun for up to 12 days to achieve the sweetness that made medieval merchants wealthy.

   Sun-drying (appassimento in Italian, passerillage in French) is among the world's oldest wine production techniques, and the Tsimbidi method uses the same Laconian sun that baked the ancient Greeks to concentrate sugars without adding any. Visit the vineyard and production area at Monemvasia Winery — ask on arrival: 'Can we see the drying area?' If visiting outside harvest season (September-October), the racks may be empty, so ask your host to show you photos of the drying process. Ask specifically: 'What is the sugar level in the grapes before drying versus after?' The answer demonstrates why this technique was so commercially valuable in the medieval period — the wine TRAVELS better when it's this concentrated.

   Backup: The winery's indoor tasting area includes production photos and explanatory panels about the Malvasia revival. The story is fully told even if you visit off-harvest.

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3. 3 Sample the Paired Sigklino — Laconia on One Table Wine · Price: moderate

   The tasting pairing includes Sigklino — traditional Laconian cured pork — alongside Graviera cheese and Kythera olive oil rusks. This is not a charcuterie board. This is Laconian terroir in edible form.

   Together with the Malvasia sweet wine and dry Kydonitsa, the pairing of Sigklino (cured pork preserved in fat), Graviera (hard sheep's milk cheese from Laconia), and Kythera olive oil rusks maps the entire flavor identity of the region onto one table. The tasting room at Monemvasia Winery serves these pairings as part of the 60-90 minute experience. Ask your host which wine they recommend pairing with the Sigklino — the answer will almost certainly be the Kydonitsa dry white, whose minerality cuts the fat of the cured meat. The Malvasia sweet wine pairs better with the Graviera cheese. Try both combinations and note the difference.

   Backup: If the full pairing is not included in your booking, the winery's wines can be purchased by the bottle to take to Monemvasia town for your own pairing at any taverna.

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4. 4 Find the Monemvasia Grape Itself Wine · Free · Optional

   The winery grows a grape called 'Monemvasia' — distinct from all the other varieties that carry the Malvasia name in Italy, Portugal, and Madeira. This is the original.

   The 'Monemvasia' grape is genetically distinct from the many varieties called Malvasia across Europe — those are named AFTER this place but are not necessarily the same grape. The Greek Monemvasia grape survived here when it was lost or replaced everywhere else. Walk the vineyard rows at Monemvasia Winery and ask to see the Monemvasia vines specifically among the seven varieties grown here. Look at the leaf shape and ask your host how the grape differs visually and in flavor from Kydonitsa. Then ask the crucial question: 'Is the Monemvasia grape the same as any Malvasia in Italy?' The answer (no, not genetically identical) completes the story — the name traveled but the grape stayed, and the wine world forgot the original.

   Backup: If a vineyard walk is not part of your booking, the winery has grape variety display panels in the tasting area. The key fact to confirm: Monemvasia grape = indigenous Laconian variety, NOT the same as Italian Malvasia Bianca or other European Malvasias.

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Insider tips

• The sweet Monemvasia is the must-try

• Ask about the grape variety history

• Book combined with fortress visit

• Their Kydonitsa is excellent with seafood