Everything you need to know about the authentic wines produced on this ancient winemaking island
Photo Credit: Douloufakis Winery
The island of Crete is the biggest of the Greek islands and the most southerly. Although it only recently got into the spotlight as a winemaking region, this beautiful island is ancient in the winemaking business, producing and exporting wines more than 4,000 years ago! Fast forward, Crete is still producing authentic wines from its indigenous grape varieties, leveraging on its mountainous terrain that sets it apart from all the other Greek islands.
Winemaking Journey
Once upon a time, Crete was home to the Minoan civilization that is believed to be the oldest civilization in Europe. The Minoans used to produce, store, and export wine to the civilizations surrounding the island, particularly ancient Egypt. Ancient amphoras (pithos) along with old frescos in the Knossos Palace in Heraklion, capital of Crete, and paintings in Egyptian burial chambers stand testament to that.
As time passed by, Crete witnessed crises, wars, and major challenges, while the wine industry suffered terribly in the background. The biggest latest blow was the centuries long Ottoman Empire invasion, when wine production was extremely restricted.
When Crete started making wine again it was low quality bulk wine. That is until there was a shift in mentality in the 1990s and a rise of a young generation of winemakers who believed in the land and its heritage native varieties. The winemakers’ deep knowledge of the climate and terroir, paired with expertise gained from global wine making regions, brought about the birth of the new “modern yet authentic wines of Crete”
Viticulture sponsored by the mountainous terrain
The location and southerly latitude of Crete could have made it too warm and unviable for viticulture, if it wasn’t for the island’s winning card: Mountains. The fragmented mountain ranges that spread from west to east, along with the sea breezes, made the climate cooler and viticulture possible…Read more
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