2025 Dates:
Monday, May 26th- Monday, June 2nd
Monday, June 9th- Monday, June 16th
Monday, June 23rd- Monday, June 30th
Who We Are:
At Odyssey of Wine Tours Inc., we specialize in curated wine tours to the incredible Greek island of Ikaria. We truly believe that we provide one of the best wine tours in Europe, as we offer a luxury experience that introduces our clients to the ancient winemaking tradition of Ikaria, dating back over 3,000 years. We prioritize quality and authenticity over all else, and carefully create an environment in which you can fully immerse yourself in the unique blend of culture, history, and natural beauty that the island offers. Our tours are best suited for fellow food and wine lovers, history buffs, and those that are interested in authentic and off-the-beaten-track experiences. Ikarian wine is as fascinating as it is delicious, and we hope to explore its particular beauty alongside you on our 2025 tours.
This blog post will go into more detail about our tours, and what to expect when you join us for the ultimate wine and wellness tour on the gorgeous island of Ikaria.
Our Travel Philosophy: Blue Zone Slow Tourism
Our travel philosophy is what is known as “slow tourism,” which is the antithesis of mass tourism. Slow travel seeks to understand a place in depth, unveiling layers of meaning through its sites, history, culture, food, and wine. It is a way that honors the intricate connections of each of these elements, and allows the traveler to truly immerse themselves in an authentic experience that is reciprocated by both the place and its people. It is a deeper and more thoughtful way to navigate a foreign place, rather than being herded onto on a bus tour and paraded through a blurry of historical sites that are essentially meaningless without any sort of context or connection.
Sustainability and authenticity form an essential part of this philosophy. We work with local businesses and artisans to support the local economy on the island. Additionally, we emphasize the environmentally-friendly practices of biodynamic farming in our Ikarian wine tours, exploring how natural wine is produced, and the beautiful and beneficial symbiotic relationship between man and nature. We seek to not only entertain on our tours, but educate through authentic engagement with the people and places of the island.
Central Themes of our Tours: Ikarian Wine, Local Food, Culture & Heritage
Natural Wines from Ikaria and the Aegean:
Ikarian wine is the main focal point of our tours, the lens through which we view both culture and heritage. We begin our tours in Athens, where guests will meet us at the boutique hotel that we have booked for them. That evening, we will experience an incredible tasting of wines of the Aegean, giving us a wonderful overview of the vast and varied wine culture of the Greek isles. As we eat dinner overlooking the famed Acropolis of Athens, local wine is perfectly paired to give a true expression of Greek cuisine.
Once on Ikaria, we dive deep into the wine culture and heritage of this special island. We work exclusively with Nikos Afianes, founder and winemaker of the highly regarded biodynamic winery, Afianes Wines. Nikos and his wines are featured on Netflix’s series, Live to 100, in which he showcases the long lineage of wine from Ikaria, still utilizing the ancient methods of production to preserve the heritage of his home. These ancient-style Ikarian wines still impress the modern palate, as many of his wines are featured in some of Europe’s best Michelin-starred restaurants.
Throughout the week on Ikaria, we return to the Afianes Estate regularly, with a different focus for each visit. We witness how Nikos and his son, Konstantinos, create their beautiful Ikarian wines by ancient techniques such as stomping the grapes by foot in a granite press, utilizing a free-flow gravity system to transport the wine into amphorae, and sealing and burying the amphorae underground so that the wine is temperature-controlled while aging. We visit the vineyards that have been in their family for generations, and even have the rare and special opportunity to visit a pre-phylloxera vineyard. We dine under the stars at the estate, with a private chef creating an incredible and authentic Ikarian menu to pair with the wonderful Afianes wines. And in true Ikarian fashion, we experience music and dance at the Afianes amphitheater after!
Local & Seasonal Food:
As food and wine are inherently linked, gastronomy is an important theme on our tours. In Athens, we enjoy the fine dining of innovative chefs coming out of the capital city. Athens is a vibrant and exciting food city, with traditional tavernas wedged in between gourmet restaurants, allowing a food-lover to experience both familiar and innovative cuisine.
In Ikaria, we strive to follow the Blue Zone diet, regarded as one of the healthiest diets in the world, as it emphasizes whole foods and local, seasonal produce. We eat as the locals eat, in cozy, family-run tavernas, and at more modern and creative restaurants on the island. The produce is almost exclusively garden-grown and organic, and the meats are local and butchered on the island. We believe that food is culture, as it tells the story of the place where it was formed. In this understanding, we pay attention to the recipes and practices of the Ikarian islanders, participating in a cooking class to learn more about their food, and uncovering the vital understanding of diet in relation to longevity.
Culture & Heritage:
Though Ikaria is a lesser-known island, it is precisely for this reason that is has been able to maintain such a vibrant and rich culture. From mythology, to literature, to music and dance, we incorporate each of these themes on our tours with daily activities to both educate and entertain.
With a special emphasis on wellness, our activities focus on some of the therapeutic activities that contribute to the island’s Blue Zone status. We explore the natural thermal springs of the island, a healing tradition dating back to Roman times, as well as engage in lively conversation with a local doctor, who explores the Ikarian way of life and what components are necessary to live long and live well.
We incorporate visits to local artisans, such as beekeepers and cheesemakers, to connect our guests to the island culture. And for those of you interested in Greek history and mythology, we have the opportunity to visit the Acropolis of Athens in a privately guided tour, as well as the temple of Artemis on Ikaria, the ancient patron goddess of the island.
Boutique Accommodation:
We work with charming boutique hotels to provide the most comfortable experience for our guests. On Ikaria, we stay for one night at the architecturally impressive Pyrgos hotel, designed after a traditional stone Ikarian village. The rest of the week on the island, we stay at either Toxotis in beachside private villas, or at Erofili, a lovely beachside boutique hotel.
Between the planned activities, there will be ample free time for guests to truly relax and explore. You can tour the quaint town of Armenistis, read by the pool, or swim in the sea. Or, in true Blue Zone fashion, you can take a nap midday, a beloved and encouraged activity practiced by most of the Ikarian islanders.
Join Us For this Unforgettable Ikarian Wine Adventure!
We cannot wait for you to join us on this special Ikarian wine tour! We have carefully curated the details to ensure an authentic and beautiful experience of this magical island. In a world that is increasingly more divided and disparate than ever, we seek to provide a refuge of beauty and connection. At Odyssey of Wine Tours Inc., we believe fervently in the transformative power of travel, of the ways in which new inspiration can re-connect us to ourselves, and to each other. We hope that you will join us on this adventure, and fall in love with the culture and wine from Ikaria, Greece like we have. Please reach out to marykate@odysseyofwinetours.com if you have any questions or concerns! I would love to hear from you and chat in more detail. Cheers!
