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.
About Kefalotyri
A hard, salty white cheese made from sheep milk, goat milk or both in Greece and Cyprus; the name joins the Greek words for head and cheese, possibly after the wheel's shape. It is not a protected name, unlike the similar kefalograviera, an EU PDO since 1996. Katsouli at Koliaki in the Argolid makes it from local sheep and goat milk and matures it at least six months. The All About Peloponnisos guide to Corinthia lists kefalotyri among the cheeses to look for at small family-run dairies. It is grated, fried as saganaki or put on a platter.
Made in: Greece and Cyprus; in this area made in the Argolid and listed among the cheeses of Corinthia's small dairies
On the plate
Katsouli describes a rich, lightly spicy, brackish taste and a hard but creamy texture. English Wikipedia adds that wheels a year old or more are stronger and are eaten as a meze with ouzo.
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Kefalotyri
Oak-aged Peloponnese Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah Nemea
Our pickAged kefalotyri is hard, brackish and lightly spicy, with a creamy texture. An oak-aged Peloponnese Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah has the structure to meet that salt, and the cheese's fat rounds the wine's grip.
Oak-aged blend of Agiorgitiko with Cabernet Sauvignon Nemea
Our pickAn aged kefalotyri is hard, brackish and lightly spicy, with a creamy texture. Oak-aged blends of Agiorgitiko with Cabernet Sauvignon are full-bodied and structured, and the cheese's salt and fat soften their tannin.
Old-vine Nemea Agiorgitiko Nemea
Our pickHard, salty kefalotyri, lightly spicy with age, suits a full Agiorgitiko with peppery, leathery notes and vivid acidity: the acidity cuts the salt and the pepper meets the cheese's spice.
The grapes behind these winesCabernet SauvignonAgiorgitikoSyrah
Cheese experiences nearby
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.
Kefalotyri: questions
How is kefalotyri different from kefalograviera?
English Wikipedia says kefalograviera is a similar cheese sometimes sold outside Greece and Cyprus as kefalotyri. Kefalograviera has been an EU PDO since 1996; kefalotyri is not a protected name.
How is kefalotyri used?
Katsouli suggests it on a cheese platter, grated over pasta or salads, or fried as saganaki.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Nemea
Plan the trip
Visit Kefalotyri 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: katsou.gr, en.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.