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 Mizithra
A Greek whey cheese, or mixed milk and whey cheese, from sheep or goats, eaten fresh or salted, aged and grated. Fresh mizithra is soft, snow-white and creamy, hung in a bag so it has a rounded bottom and a conical, wrinkly top. Stymfalia at Kaliani makes a salty, spicy mizithra from sheep and goat whey with fresh milk, dry enough to keep a long time, and Gaia's winery at Koutsi serves handmade pasta with chicken and myzithra in its Village Flavors meal. Plain mizithra is not a protected name; Crete's Xynomyzithra Kritis is an EU PDO.
Made in: Made across Greece; in this area by dairies of Corinthia and the Argolid
On the plate
English Wikipedia describes fresh mizithra as soft, snow-white, creamy and moist, with an almost sweet, milky taste. Stymfalia's mizithra is salty and spicy and is grated over pasta.
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Mizithra
Dry Moschofilero Nemea
Our pickFresh mizithra is soft, snow-white, creamy and almost sweet. A dry, aromatic Moschofilero with high acidity lifts the milky curd without covering it, and with the salted, grated kind the acidity cuts the salt.
Medium-bodied crisp rose Nemea
Our pickFresh mizithra is soft, snow-white and almost sweet. A dry rose of medium body and high acidity brings red-berry fruit and a clean finish; with the salted, grated kind, the acidity cuts the salt.
The grapes behind these winesMoschofileroAgiorgitikoSyrahCabernet Sauvignon
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.
Mizithra: questions
What is xynomizithra?
English Wikipedia says mizithra that is salted and aged becomes drier, denser, saltier and more sour, and is then grated. A Cretan sour version, Xynomyzithra Kritis, has been an EU PDO since 1996.
How is dry mizithra used?
Stymfalia lists it grated over pasta, and Katsouli suggests it over pasta or salads.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Nemea
Plan the trip
Visit Mizithra country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: stymfalia-sa.gr, katsou.gr. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.