Mitravelas Estate

The Mitravelas family's viticultural roots in Nemea predate the modern winery by close to a century. Administrative records from the Kapodistrias government dated October 10, 1828 confirm that the family already owned vineyards in the Nemea valley at that point, making them among the oldest documented winegrowing families in the appellation. The winery itself was built in the town centre of Nemea in 1913, established as a working production facility and the first modern winery operating within the town. The 1913 founding placed the project well ahead of the formal OPAP framework that ratified the Nemea appellation in 1971 and ahead of the Nemea Wine Cooperative founded in 1937. The next major chapter came in the 1950s, when three Mitravelas brothers (Andreas, Spyros, and Nikos) took over the family operation and continued production through the second half of the twentieth century. The modern bottled-wine programme dates to 2003, when Konstantinos Mitravelas, son of Andreas, returned to the family business after business administration studies and took over the operation with a focus on modernising equipment and launching the estate's own bottled labels.

• Kapodistrias-era documents dated October 10, 1828 confirm Mitravelas family vineyard ownership in the Nemea valley.
• Winery building established in the town centre of Nemea in 1913, the first modern winery in the town itself.
• Three brothers (Andreas, Spyros, Nikos) ran the operation from the 1950s through the late twentieth century.
• Konstantinos Mitravelas, son of Andreas, took over in 2003 and launched the estate's own bottled-wine programme.

Mitravelas farms approximately 10 hectares of privately owned vineyards scattered across the Nemea zone, with most parcels planted on hillsides at roughly 450 to 500 metres of elevation. That positioning places the estate in the appellation's mid-altitude band, between the lower valley-floor sites at around 250 to 350 metres and the higher mountain parcels above 600 metres. The mid-elevation Nemea hillsides are widely regarded as a productive zone for Agiorgitiko, combining the ripening conditions of the warmer valley with the freshness and acidity preservation that comes from cooler nights at altitude. Soils across the estate's parcels reflect the broader Nemea pattern of limestone-rich substrate combined with gravel, sand, and clay components, with the well-drained hillside positioning supporting dry-farmed viticulture and naturally low yields. Estate fruit is grown without irrigation, and the older parcels in particular contribute the concentration and structural depth that anchor the upper-tier bottlings.

• Approximately 10 hectares of privately owned vineyards across the Nemea zone.
• Most parcels on hillsides at roughly 450 to 500 metres, in the appellation's mid-altitude band.
• Limestone-rich soils with gravel, sand, and clay components; well-drained hillside sites.
• Dry-farmed viticulture without irrigation; low yields support concentration in upper-tier bottlings.

When Konstantinos Mitravelas took over in 2003, he created two anchor labels that remain the core of the portfolio. Red on Black was the more disruptive of the two: a 100 percent Agiorgitiko fermented in stainless steel with no oak aging, focused on capturing the variety's fruit character and freshness. The wine is widely cited as one of the first inox-only Nemea bottlings released on the Greek market, and the playful name plays on the red colour of Agiorgitiko juice against the dark skins of the variety. The Mitravelas Estate label, the second of the two founding bottlings, comes from 40-year-old vineyards and is aged for approximately six months in French oak, presenting a more structured expression of Agiorgitiko with light wood seasoning. Both labels share the producer's focus on PDO Nemea Agiorgitiko, and together they established the contemporary identity of the winery: a family operation with deep roots in the appellation, modernised cellar work, and a clear stylistic split between the fresh fruit-driven Red on Black and the more traditional oak-touched Estate label.

• Red on Black: 100 percent Agiorgitiko fermented in stainless steel with no oak aging; cited as one of the first inox-only Nemea bottlings on the Greek market.
• Mitravelas Estate: 40-year-old vines, approximately six months in French oak, more structured expression of Agiorgitiko with light wood seasoning.
• Both labels created by Konstantinos Mitravelas in 2003 as the modern bottled-wine programme launched.
• Together they anchor the producer's identity: family roots in the appellation, modernised cellar work, clear stylistic split between fresh and structured expressions.

The portfolio has expanded beyond the original two reds to cover a broader range of styles and varieties. The Old Vineyards bottling is the producer's ultra-premium Agiorgitiko, sourced from two very old vineyards averaging around 55 years of age, with long maceration and judicious use of oak producing a concentrated, full-bodied wine intended for cellaring. The Mitravelas Rosé is a short-extraction Agiorgitiko rosé that captures the variety's softer, fresher fruit register. On the white side, White on Grey is a Moschofilero from the neighbouring PDO Mantinia zone in the Arcadian highlands, taking advantage of the cool-climate aromatic profile that Mantinia is known for. Emigré, launched in 2021, is a blend of Assyrtiko and Kydonitsa, two varieties whose origins lie elsewhere (Santorini and the Peloponnese coast respectively) but which have been planted in Nemea and given a short barrel maturation. The combined range gives Mitravelas a complete portfolio across red, rosé, and white styles, anchored by the producer's continuing focus on Agiorgitiko as the cornerstone of the Nemea identity.

• Old Vineyards: ultra-premium Agiorgitiko from two vineyards averaging 55 years old, long maceration and judicious oak, intended for cellaring.
• Mitravelas Rosé: short-extraction Agiorgitiko rosé capturing softer, fresher fruit register.
• White on Grey: Moschofilero from neighbouring PDO Mantinia in the Arcadian highlands.
• Emigré: Assyrtiko and Kydonitsa blend launched in 2021 with short barrel maturation.

Red on Black has been the producer's most internationally visible wine and has accumulated consistent Decanter World Wine Awards recognition across many vintages. Silver medals are documented for the 2011, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 vintages, with the 2014 vintage earning a Regional Trophy at the 2015 awards, establishing the cuvée's track record across more than a decade of vintages. Distribution extends across the United States (through Astor Wines and Spirits and Salveto Imports), the United Kingdom (notably through The Wine Society's long-running listings of multiple Red on Black vintages), Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, and other markets. The everyday-tier pricing on Red on Black (typically in the low teens in dollar terms for the entry bottling) positions it as one of the most accessible PDO Nemea wines internationally, frequently used as a reference Agiorgitiko by importers, sommeliers, and wine educators introducing the variety to drinkers outside Greece. Within the modern Nemea producer landscape, Mitravelas sits alongside other family-owned operations such as Lafkiotis (founded 1963), Palivos, and Lantides, distinct from the larger modern reference cluster of Domaine Skouras, Gaia Wines, and Driopi.

• Red on Black Decanter World Wine Awards Silvers documented for vintages 2011, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022; Regional Trophy for the 2014 vintage at the 2015 awards.
• Distribution across the United States (Astor, Salveto), United Kingdom (The Wine Society), Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, and others.
• Everyday-tier pricing makes Red on Black one of the most accessible PDO Nemea bottlings internationally; widely used as a reference Agiorgitiko in trade education.
• Sits in the family-house tier of the modern Nemea landscape alongside Lafkiotis, Palivos, and Lantides; distinct from the larger modern reference cluster.