Attention wine lovers, today we are going to talk about wine tasting in Chania Crete. Although Crete is known for its olive oil production, historical, and archaeological sites, not to mention Feta Cheese. There is one other thing that Crete does very well and that is cultivating grapes, and producing some really fine wine.

Grapes have been cultivated in Crete for thousands of years and they have been used to produce wine and Raki(the local spirit) For a long time. For decades wine lovers from all over the world have been taking wine tasting tours, where they visit one winery after another getting a taste of Cretan wine. Wine tasting in Chania Crete has become very popular especially with young people, and that is why I wanted to give a small list of wineries to visit.

What makes Cretan wine so special, is that most grape growers opt for organic farming, which means the grapes are cultivated without any chemicals. Actually most Cretan farmers, don’t like using chemicals on their crops, may it be fruits or vegetables, and that is why the fruits and vegetables you eat here in Crete are so yummy, not to mention so beneficial to your health.

Dourakis Winery

One of the places wine lovers love to visit is the Dourakis Winery located on the foothills of the white mountains, just 39.1km from the city of Chania in the village of Alikampos, Apokoronos. And overlooking the sea, Dourakis Winery produces the finest wines on the Chania region of Crete, My favorite being their rose wine and the white wine. And given the fact that I love sweet wine, their dessert wine is the best. I enjoy it chilled on those hot summer evenings.

The winery was started in the early 1980s by Mr. Andreas Dourakis and since then it has been supplying fine wine to Greece and Europe at large. Dourakis Winery has won many awards including the 2018 International wine and spirit competition where they won the gold medal.

When you visit Dourakis Winery, you have different options, you can just do classic wine tasting, for 60 minutes, or you can do a premium wine tasting or you can opt for light lunch, or even wine and Cheese. Other options include a picnic in the vineyard, wine with a meal, cooking lessons, and many more. Their website provides you with booking options, so I highly suggest you give them a visit.

You can find out more about Dourakis Winery and their services by visiting their official website here

Or you can contact them by phone at +30 2825 051 761.

Manousakis Winery

They just announced that they have resumed business as of 13th of June 2020, so you can now book your wine tasting tour. Located in the village of Vatolakkos(16 km from Chania) Manousaki Winery started producing wine in the 1990s, and it has grown to be a favorite of wine lovers, it started by only producing 35,000 bottles annually and now it has made its wine production felt all through Greece, and Europe at large with a production of over 150,000 bottles annually and growing.

Manousaki Winery was a dream of a Cretan man who was in a faraway land, Mr. Manousakis, had traveled to The US, as a young man to further his education, and while there, after completing his University, he was able to curve a good life for his family working in different industries like real estate and hospitality.

But as a true Cretan, Mr. Manousakis’s heart was in the Island that he loved so much, and he needed to go back, and he needed to follow his passion, so the journey to start a winery started, and before long, he had found the exact location where based on lots of research, it was decided that he will grow varlets of Syrah, Grenache, Rousanne, and Mourvedre. The experts that had conducted numerous tests, informed Mr. Manousakis that those varlets, will be the best for the area, and they are still the kind that Manousakis Winery grows to this day.

The Experience Is What Manousakis Gives You

It was not enough for Mr. Manousakis, to just produce wine, he wanted to share the Cretan experience with the people who will visit his vineyard, and what better way to offer experience than to have traditional tavernas where people can enjoy not only fine wine, but also the finest of Cretan cuisine.

So when you book your wine tour with the Manousakis Winery, you will get to experience the things Mr Manousakis was so yearning for when he was in the US, the joy of Cretan people the beautiful views, good food, the music, and dance, and of course the taste of Crete in a wine glass.

Because Mr. Manousakis, wanted the authentic and organic wine, he does not use any Chemicals on his vines, also because he really wanted to give back to his beloved Island, some of the proceeds from his business goes towards helping a local school that caters for children living with a disability. For more information on Manousakis Winery, please click here

Karaviatakis Winery

This winery has been quenching people’s thirst for over 80 years. it’s a family-run winery located on the Koribari area just 30 km from the City of Chania, Karaviatakis, grows many varlets of grapes, including my personal favorite, Chardonnay. Local and even international varlets of grapes are cultivated on an area of over 150 acres of land.

I must say this is the most breathtaking vine Yard, with two wine tasting areas and it even features a small church in the middle of the vineyard which makes it so romantic. They do accept visitors even without appointments so you can just show up and you will have a wonderful experience.

Of course, given the fact that they have been in business for so long, they have a large selection of wines to meet your wine needs lol. As I mentioned they accept visits with or without appointments, if you would like to book an appointment, please visit their official website here

Miden Agan Wine Exclusive Chania

If all you want is to taste wine from different vineyards, then you need to visit Miden Agan. Located on 70 Daskalogianni Str. Chania, Crete, this is a place that has been recognized internationally for its efforts to raise Cretan wine to international standards. This is a job they have been doing for over 18 years.

They host wine tasting events, and some of their wine tasting events have been attended by wine critics from all over the world resulting in their name being featured in big media outlets like BBC, and National Geographic. When you visit their store, you will get to experience the best wines in Crete, and you can do some wine shopping to take back home with you. To learn more about Miden Agan, please visit their website here

Conclusion

Wine tasting is something that lots of people enjoy, and you cannot come to Crete and not take part in one or two wine tasting events. So I hope I have given you some useful information. If you are traveling to the Chania side of Crete, you will be able to visit the wineries that I have mentioned in this article, and I promise you, you will be happy 🙂

OK, now it’s your turn to share with me your wine tasting experience, have you been to Crete and have you taken part in wine tasting? how was it? Please share your thoughts with me in the comment section. Also, if you have found value in my article today, then please do me a favor and share it on your social media, that’s how you will help me grow my blog because you will show Google that my stuff is good.

Sharing is caring 🙂 thank you so much for your time.

Rose.

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