The facilities of the Achaia Clauss winery in Messatida, constitutes a museum of architecture.
The factory was built in 1861 by the Consul of Germany Gustav Clauss. The magnificent stone buildings and additions that have received the following years, within a green landscape, make Achaia Clauss a destination for numerous visitors of Achaia. Here you will find very old objects and barrels of 1873 Mavrodafni, and 1885 wines and 1887 cognacs.
In 1859 Gustav Clauss, a representative of the company Fels and Co., is purchasing 60 acres of land at 500 meters altitude, near the Riganocampos point from landowner George Kostakis. There he built his summer residence, where he also planted vines.
In 1861 he founded Achaia Clauss winery and in 1908 the company focuses on the production of noble wines such as "Mavrodaphne" and to a lesser extent, the production of "Demesticha" wine.
Achaia Clauss over the years has won 15 major awards, 51 gold medals, 38 silver and 32 diplomas.
Factory
The factory has several storage areas, which can hold up to 7500 tonnes. The main ones are: the store with the old Mavrodafni, the warehouse of table wine, the underground tanks and Daniilidas storage . Of particular interest is the "imperial" cellar, where all the barrels are commemorative from visits by Greek and foreign Kings. Stored at the site is the oldest wine in Greece, the old Mavrodafni of 1873. The most intriguing part of the plant is the bar. The tables and chairs are shaped barrel-like while the chandeliers are made of green bottles and the curtains from cork. Also noteworthy is that in the plant operates a sewage treatment plant.
Famous visitors
All these years Achaia Clauss has experienced great moments. Some important personalities who visited the factory: Otto von Bismarck, Franz Liszt, Eleftherios Venizelos, Melina Mercouri, the Empress Sissi of Austria, General Montgomery, Alexander Fleming, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Pavlos Koudouriotis, Aristotle Onassis, Omar Sharif and the King Gustav Adolf of Sweden, George A', Constantine A', George B' and the queen Alexandra of Great Britain, Louise of Sweden and former Queen Olga and Sophia of Greece and Princess Marie Bonaparte.
Mavrodaphne
Mavrodaphne is the most famous wine produced in Achaia Clauss. According to the legend, Klaus named so this variety of wine in honor of his fiancee Daphne, a beautiful Greek woman with dark black eyes, who died at a young age. The wine is produced from a variety of red grapes and during the end of its maturity it gets a particular flavor like cherry, vanilla and dried fruit (especially raisins and chocolate) thus making it ideal liqueur wine. Mavrodafni is a very sweet wine and it can easily cause intoxication. It is consumed in large quantities during the carnival of Patras.
Information
Visits: daily from 09.00 to 17.00
Tel.: 2610-368.100
Source: http://el.wikipedia.org
