Stymfalia SA (Legga dairy)
Family dairy at Kaliani, 700 m up in mountain Corinthia, making cheese since 1936: barrel-aged PDO feta, graviera, zireiotyri, anthotyro and mizithra, sold at a shop beside the plant.
About Graviera
A hard Greek cheese made in wheels, resembling gruyère, from whose name graviera derives; English Wikipedia calls it Greece's second most popular cheese after feta. Three gravieras hold EU PDO status (Crete, Naxos, Agrafa); this is the plain, unprotected type, not one of them. Stymfalia in mountain Corinthia makes a yellow graviera with small holes from sheep and goat milk, in heads of 5 to 9 kg, and Katsouli in the Argolid matures one for at least three months. Semeli at Koutsi serves graviera with its tastings.
Made in: Made across Greece; in this area by dairies of Corinthia and the Argolid
On the plate
Stymfalia calls its graviera slightly sweet or spicy, with small holes. Katsouli, in the Argolid, describes a semi-hard cheese with a refined, full flavour that melts slightly in the mouth, sweet and rich.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Graviera
Barrel-aged Nemea Agiorgitiko Nemea
Our pickAn aged graviera is hard, rich and slightly sweet. Its fat and salt soften the tannins of a barrel-aged Nemea Agiorgitiko, and its sweetness sits well with the wine's ripe fruit and the spice the oak brings.
Dry Malagousia white Nemea
Our pickGraviera is semi-hard, slightly sweet and rich, and melts a little in the mouth. A dry Malagousia white, aromatic with ripe fruit and high acidity, matches that richness and cuts the fat between bites.
Oak-touched Peloponnese Chardonnay Nemea
Our pickGraviera is semi-hard, rich and slightly sweet, and melts a little in the mouth. A Peloponnese Chardonnay given some time in oak has the round texture to match it and enough acidity to cut the fat.
Old Vines Nemea Agiorgitiko Nemea
Our pickGraviera is a rich, semi-hard sheep's and goat's milk cheese, slightly sweet or spicy. A full, oak-aged Agiorgitiko from old vines, with medium tannin and tart red fruit, meets its fat and cuts the richness.
Merlot, PGI Peloponnese Nemea
Our pickGraviera is a hard sheep's and goat's milk cheese, rich and slightly sweet or spicy. A full, oak-aged Peloponnese Merlot with ripe fruit has the round tannin and weight that the firm, fatty paste can soften.
The grapes behind these winesAgiorgitikoMalagousiaChardonnayMerlot
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Cheese experiences nearby
Semeli Estate open wine tour with graviera
Guided tour of Semeli's winery and cellar with a four-wine tasting that the estate says comes with graviera cheese and crackers. Booking is mandatory and the estate is closed on Tuesdays.
Cheers & Cheese masterclass at Palivou Estate
Masterclass led by wine consultant and writer Eva Markaki pairing selected Palivou wines with cheeses, held on Saturday 5 September 2026 during the Great Days of Nemea.
Graviera: questions
Is graviera protected?
Only three versions are, from Crete, Naxos and Agrafa, according to English Wikipedia. A graviera from Corinthia is sold under the plain name with no PDO.
How is graviera eaten?
Stymfalia sells it as a table cheese. English Wikipedia adds sliced, fried as saganaki, grated over pasta, in casseroles or in salads.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Nemea
Plan the trip
Visit Graviera country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Booking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: stymfalia-sa.gr, www.allaboutpeloponnisos.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.