At more than 800 meters above sea level, overlooking the Gulf of Corinth, is one of the most impressive mountain vineyards in Greece. It is about the historical vineyard of the Great Cave, the vineyard of the monastery of the same name, which was also the share of the monastery and in the old days was known as the share of Agios Athanasios.

The specific location had been chosen by the monks of the Monastery of the Great Cave since the middle of the 15th century, when they used the vine for the preparation of Holy Communion wine and also as part of their diet.

The grapes were pressed and harvested in the vineyard, while the wine was transported to the monastery by mules, where the monks then put it in barrels in the cellar.

Around 1960 the cultivation of the Great Vine was abandoned, since the monks of the Monastery were becoming fewer and fewer, thus making it difficult to care for the vineyard. As Yiannis Anastasiou, one of the owners of the Cavino wine company that now manages the area, told the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, “after so many years of abandonment, we had to create the vineyard from scratch”.

Initially they leased the lands from the Monastery and then with a team of experienced vintners and oenologists I did the vinification. The whole process began in 1999 when the first plantings began, thus taking the first steps towards its regeneration.

Some of the first international varieties planted were Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. At the same time, the Greek ones such as Assyrtiko, Lagorthi, Mavrodafni, Mavro Kalavrytino and recently Vertzami from red wine.

Of course, the effort did not stop only in the vineyard. “The three buildings that were the shares of the Monastery were restored and became a visitable winery with a wine-making area as well as a tasting room together with a shop selling our wines”, noted Mr. Anastasiou.

Recently, the Mega Cave Estate opened its gates to the public, with Mr. Anastasiou telling APE-MPE that the visitor once there “will be enchanted by the landscape, hear many stories, learn a lot about wine and try amazing wines”.

It is an entirely organic vineyard, with relatively dense planting, numbering about 400 plants per hectare. This results in competition between plants for better quality yields and production of almost one bottle per plant.

Investments and goals

A total of 15 wine labels are produced at the Mega Cave Estate, most of them from privately owned vineyards. As Mr. Anastasiou told APE-MBE, most of it is exported to Germany and Canada, while efforts are being made to further develop the Greek market.

However, as he noted, the investment is not yet complete. New vineyards are constantly being sought to expand the privately owned lands.

Finally, a significant part of the budget has been directed towards making the vineyard accessible. “We want in the coming years to have a sufficient number of visitors, so that we can introduce the special terroir of the region with its unique wines to as many people as possible.”