In Greece, success often comes with an unspoken rule: stick to what you know and avoid testing your strengths, knowledge, or resilience in unfamiliar fields. But Alexandros Megapanos is an exception. With over 30 years of experience in the winemaking industry, he built the successful business that bears his name armed only with a background in biochemical engineering and later oenology. He was among the pioneers who championed Greece’s indigenous grape varieties at a time when many winemakers favored international ones. Through persistence and vision, he bottled Savatiano, Moschofilero, Agiorgitiko, and Xinomavro, playing a pivotal role in establishing the reputation of Greek vineyards.

With a strong commercial presence both in Greece and abroad, Megapanos made a bold decision during the financial crisis: he gradually stepped away from winemaking. At 60, he embarked on a new journey, shifting his focus to gastronomy tourism. His goal was to showcase Greece’s rich natural bounty by promoting local products and traditional gastronomy. Though this was a new direction, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar; his involvement in gastronomy tourism had began years earlier when he welcomed visitors to his winery to experience the winemaking process firsthand and taste the wines, in order to appreciate their quality.

Just before the pandemic, he created an innovative website and mobile app – something unprecedented at the time – to attract visitors to Greek wineries. As he began collecting visitor data, he realized there were many exceptional local producers, from bottarga makers to herbal growers, who could also be featured on the platform. This insight led to the next big step: expanding his vision beyond wineries and creating www.gastronomytours.com, alongside a dedicated mobile app. This digital initiative connected users with Greek producers, farmers, and museums focused on Greece’s rich gastronomic heritage.

Today, Gastronomy Tours collaborates with over 400 local producers, offering visitors immersive experiences such as cooking classes, olive harvesting, grape picking, truffle hunting, and mushroom foraging. The platform also showcases museums dedicated to gastronomic traditions and religious festivals in which food plays a central role.

Through these initiatives, Gastronomy Tours allows both Greek and international visitors to experience Greece not only as tourists but as active participants in local communities, engaging with traditions and immersing themselves in the country’s cultural identity.

The platform’s exceptional work recently gained global recognition. It was shortlisted in the “Top Websites for Foodie Travelers 2025” competition, organized by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts & Tourism (IGCAT) – a prestigious initiative supported by European regions. Gastronomy Tours was recognized as one of the Top 10 Websites for Foodie Travelers in 2025, a recognition given by IGCAT to the best websites providing unique creative, cultural and gastronomic experiences in their respective regions. The award ceremony took place on February 6 in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. It was hosted by the Harghita region, which will be honored as the European Region of Gastronomy in 2027.

This remarkable success story not only shows the way forward for Greek tourism but also serves as an inspiring example that could be embraced by local governments and other institutions.

This article was previously published in Greek at kathimerini.gr.