Greece - Korina Miller [230]
Porto Camping ( 23750 41346; camp sites per adult/tent €3.80/4.50), on Kalamitsi’s main beach, and the pricier Camping Kalamitsi ( 23750 41411; camp sites per adult/tent €6.50/7.20; May-Sep), around the western headland, are both good. The best rooms are O Giorgakis ( 23750 41338; fax 23750 41013; studios €75), above the eponymous restaurant opposite the beach. The studios sleep five and are fully equipped. The quieter Souzana Rooms ( 23750 41786; apt €50) sits in a spacious garden and has good-sized apartments.
EAST COAST
Sarti, further up the coast, is a quiet resort with some nightlife, rooms and eating options, plus a very well-developed camping ground. Its long, sandy beach used to make it a place for escapists, though it’s since been ‘discovered’. There are great views of Mt Athos, also visible by boat excursions run by Sarti travel agents.
The large and very popular Camping Armenistis ( 23750 91487; www.armenistis.com.gr; per person/tent €7.20/6.30; May-Oct), at Sarti, has a fantastic setting between forest and beach, and is outfitted with an astonishing range of services, from market, restaurant and crêperie to cinema, sports grounds and medical centre. Summer sees frequent concerts and DJ parties.
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WINERIES OF NORTHERN GREECE
Ever since the wine-inspired writings of Homer, Greece has been famous for its viticulture. Some of Greece’s best wines are produced in the north. Here, conditions are ideal for grape cultivation, with arid yet fertile fields bounded by lakes, mountains and the sea, creating unique microclimates and cultivation zones. In Macedonia, endemic varietals are grown, along with more famous varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The most distinctive include xinomavro, a superlative dry red, rich in tannins and with high alcohol content. It’s grown widely, and especially in Naoussa, Amyntaio, Pella and Velvendos, and in Halkidiki’s vineyards.
Macedonian wineries run from small, family-size establishments to major producers with big export capacities. Both sorts now offer tasting tours (usually, with advance arrangements), often for free, with the opportunity to buy wine cheaper than in shops.
The renowned Kir-Yianni Estate ( 23320 51100; www.kiryianni.gr; Yianakohori village; 9am-5pm) near Naoussa, was established by Yiannis Boutaris, a living legend on the winemaking scene. Since the 1960s, this fourth-generation winemaker has helped shape the agricultural innovations and technological development that have enhanced Greek wine’s reputation internationally. Yiannis helped revitalise whole tracts of territory near Naoussa, in vineyards on Mt Vermio (230m to 320m elevation) and the Amyntaio area south of Florina, near Lake Vegoritis.
Now, Yiannis’ son, Stellios, is carrying on the family tradition. Speaking at a restored Ottoman-era tower overlooking the vineyards, Stellios says ‘we are very proud of the progress we have made, and we have many plans for the future’ – both for making better wine, and in offering more sophisticated tours. Visitors learn about Kir-Yianni’s wine production, tour the facilities and sample several excellent wines while gazing out over the winery’s lush vineyards – all for free.
Not far away, Chateau Pigasos Winery ( 23320 24740, 6937093658; chateaupegasuswine@hotmail.com; Polla Nera village) is a small boutique winery operated by winemaker Dimitris Markovitis and his sister Katerina, with vineyards in Polla Nera village, halfway between Naoussa and Edessa. Visitors to the winery, which produces Xinomavro, Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, should arrange in advance to make sure someone is there. According to the cheerful Katerina, presenting samples of Chateau Pigasos wine along with select cheeses, ‘we believe our wines are so good because we use only our own, carefully tended grapes and store the new wine in barrels 7m below the earth, for at least two years before being bottled’.
Visitors to western Macedonian wineries could