Small-Group Wine Tasting, Appetizers

Small-Group Wine Tasting, Appetizers, 2.5 hours, rated 4.9 across 35 traveller reviews.

Overview

This 2.5 hour walking tasting splits Greek wine into six glasses across three wine bars in central Thessaloniki. The route starts at the Electra Palace hotel on Aristotélous and moves between venues on foot, with short walks between each stop and a reserved table waiting at every bar.

The lineup is fixed rather than chosen on the night: two whites (Moschofilero and Moschato), two reds (Agiorgitiko from Nemea and Xinomavro from Naousa), and two rosés (Mandilaria and Xinomavro from Amyntaio), all grown and produced in Greece. Each glass is 75ml, and each bar serves meze, typically rusks or salty sticks, cheese, olives and tomato, picked to sit alongside the wines. The facilitator walking with the group talks through the varieties and how they are made.

It suits visitors who want a sociable, guided introduction to Greek wine without a full dinner. The meze are appetizers rather than a meal, so anyone expecting a food tour should eat beforehand or plan a later supper. English is the tour language, and there is no hotel pickup: the meeting point is the Electra Palace Thessaloniki.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Electra PalaceThe group gathers at Electra Palace Thessaloniki, Aristotélous 9, in the city centre. This is a meeting point, not a pickup service.
2. Walk to first barA walk of 10 minutes through the city centre to the first stop.
3. First wine barWine tasting with tapas at the first local bar, around 35 minutes at a reserved table.
4. Walk to second barAnother 10 minute walk to the next venue.
5. Second wine barA second tasting flight with meze, again about 35 minutes.
6. Walk to third barThe longest transfer of the evening, 15 minutes on foot.
7. Third wine barThe final 35 minute stop, with more wine and appetizers.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points worth knowing before booking, drawn from the listing and from traveller reports.

• Walking between bars. The tour is on foot between three separate venues, and one reviewer flagged the amount of walking as the main drawback. Comfortable shoes make the transfers easier. The route stays in the city centre.
• Appetizers, not dinner. Meze at each stop means rusks or salty sticks, cheese, olives and tomato, and the listing states plainly that this is not a full food menu. One traveller who ate beforehand regretted eating so much because the snack platters kept coming. Treat it as a tasting with bites, not a meal.
• Group feel. The tour runs as a small group with one facilitator who stays with everyone throughout. One reviewer described the bars as relaxed and said it never felt rushed. Tables are reserved in advance at all three venues.
• Guides rotate. Different guides lead different departures, and reviewers named several different hosts. What comes up repeatedly is friendliness and a mix of wine talk with stories about the city and local life. Anyone wanting deep technical detail on the varieties should know one reviewer hoped for more on that front.
• What you taste. Six Greek wines in total, two whites, two reds and two rosés, each a 75ml pour. The varieties are all grown and produced in Greece by local vintners, and the facilitator explains each one and how it is made.
• Meeting point. There is no hotel pickup. The meeting point is Electra Palace Thessaloniki at Aristotélous 9, and the tour runs in English. The 2.5 hour itinerary begins there and continues on foot between the three bars.

Common issues. The honest downsides are modest but real. Several stops mean several walks, and one reviewer found the distance between bars longer than expected. The food is appetizers only, so anyone arriving hungry for a proper meal will need to plan around that. One reviewer expected more depth on the local varieties than the guide provided, though most praised the wine commentary. There is no pickup, so travellers must make their own way to the Electra Palace meeting point.

Common Questions