Are there any wines on Crete?
Cretan wines and their grapes
Archanes, Peza, and Daphnes are certified wine regions. With vineyards covering nearly 13% of Greece’s wine regions, the island is renowned for its exceptional wines. Each year, the vineyards produce about 120,000 tons of grapes. While honoring tradition, winemakers continue to innovate with new techniques and flavor profiles. These excellent wines can be enjoyed in local tavernas and supermarkets.
On several Routaki car routes, you’ll pass by vineyards and wineries, giving you the chance to savor these delightful flavors yourself.
Cretan wines back in the days
Archaeological excavations in the eastern reaches of the island, particularly in Kato Zakro, unearthed evidence of Europe’s oldest vineyard. Moreover, near Archanes, researchers discovered a wine press dating back over 3,500 years—a testament to Crete’s vinicultural heritage. If you traverse the Routaki route through this region, you’ll encounter these historical sites firsthand.
Today, a harmonious blend of tradition, and technological advancements drives the island’s viticulture. Carefully selected regions, coupled with optimal soil composition and local climatic conditions, foster the cultivation of exceptional grape varieties.
Third and fourth-generation winegrowers
Crete has the potential to produce exceptional wines due to its unique combination of factors, including the geographical location of its vineyards, the climate, water availability, and abundant sunshine. But, Cretan winegrowers historically faced challenges in selling their grapes at a fair price. They focused on producing the best possible grapes, understanding that delivering grapes for high-quality wines meant discarding more than half of their harvest. Contract farmers were exceptions as they had pre-arranged pricing agreements and cultivated grapes to meet specific standards.
Today, Cretan wine production is led by third and fourth-generation winegrowers who create beautiful, award-winning wines. They blend the knowledge gained from experiences in France, America and Australia with local grape varieties and the island’s hilly landscapes.
Grape varieties on Crete
Crete boasts an array of indigenous and international grape varieties, each thriving in the island’s diverse terroir. Notable white varieties include Vilana, Vidiano, Dafni, Thrapsathiri, Malvazia di Candia, Muscat of Spina, and Plyto.
While red varieties encompass Kotsifali, Mantilari, Liatiko, Tsardana, and the legendary Romeiko.
Several different types of grapes
There are three different types of grapes; the table grape, the wine grape and the grape that is used for the production of raisins. The Sultanina grape is the grape used mostly for all different products.
In the ’60 and ’70 of the last century the big money could be earned by the production of raisins. Meanwhile the price for this product has decreased so much that one does not specialize in this product any more. One cultivates the grapes and waits to see the quality of the harvest.
The best quality will then be used for table grapes, while the other grapes will be sold to wine factories to produce wine. The least quality grapes will be hung out to dry to make raisins or will be used of course for the distillation of Raki, the Cretan national drink.
Available Routaki routes:
Ending up at the coast line of Mirabello after day trip – Route 58 – ‘Spinalonga’.
Have a lovely moment on the lake of Kournas during route 32 – ‘Myriokefala’.
Visit the Knossos excavations near the end of route 53 – ‘Knossos’.
This topic is mentioned in….
Fragment from Route: Discover Authentic Crete: Heraklion to Margarites via Anogeia and Axos, in which the following is said…..
“At the beginning of the sweeping bend to the left, you’ll find another beautiful viewpoint where you can park your car and enjoy the panoramic vista over Axos.
In the foreground, you’ll notice the grapevines, which are cultivated for the production of grapes used in making fine wine.
In recent years, there has been a trend in Crete towards producing increasingly high-quality wines. Younger generations of winemakers are venturing abroad to acquire knowledge and expertise, which they then apply to the estates inherited within their families.
What you might also be interested in:
City walk Rethymnon – GPS interactive audio tour
You can experience this beautiful city centre with the interactive GPS app VoiceMap. Install the app for free and choose ‘Rethymnon’.
In the webshop of this site you can purchase a code that gives access to all the information you need to experience a great day in Rethymnon.
Would you like to get an impression first? Then read this page about Rethymnon first.
Or you can read one of the following articles:
Read about Agios Nikolaos and why it’s so important for Crete and tourism.
Visit the Agios Titus church during the GPS interactive city walk through Iraklio with Voicemap.
Wait till sun set and admire the lighthouse of Rethymnon with the audio tour through town.