The Wines of King Minos –  Wine Touring in Heraklio

From the legends of the past and the great revelations of Sir Arthur Evans at the beginning of the 20th century when he discovered in Knossos an ideogram for wine in Linear B, the earliest attested form of Greek, Cretan wine has gone a long way. Today’s industry though has only recently turned to quality production following decades of producing ‘rocket fuel’ bulk wine often oxidized from the very start. The jump in quality is absolutely impressive, a result of many factors such as a new generation of producers that studied abroad bringing home fresh innovative ideas, a mosaic of fascinating indigenous varieties along the touristic explosion and the intense activities of the Wines of Crete network that have managed to bring to life the best of Cretan Wine.  

There more than 80 producers* on the island and excellent efforts in Chania and Sitia with Yiannis Economou raising the quality bar to stratospheric heights but the heartbeat is felt in the broader Heraklio area. In these terroirs that have existed for ages, approximately 50 producers are based covering 90% of the total production. White Vidiano, the Greek Viognier, and the perfumed and singular red Liatiko get more of the attention but there are many more indigenous varieties worth discovering such as Kotsifali, Mandilari, Thrapsathiri, Vilana, and Dafni. Let’s not forget also about the Cretan version of Assyrtiko and the unsung Rhone-like reds.