The best wines from Crete in Greece

Wine from Crete has been a household name in the wine world for thousands of years. Due to its strategic location, Crete played an important role in the spread of wine and wine grapes from Greece and Egypt to western Europe in ancient times. Nowadays, a lot of wine is made again. Especially from typical grapes of the island, such as the white Vilana and the red Liatiko.

Check out our sixteen wines from Crete

Until well into the Middle Ages, Cretan wines from the Malvasia grape were exported to Western Europe by Venetian merchants. This was followed by a long period of Ottoman rule, during which wine growing virtually came to a standstill. It was not until the 1930s that wine growing on Crete began to flourish again. It now accounts for almost a quarter of all Greek wine production.

Most vineyards are located on the northern side of the island, in valleys and on mountain slopes that benefit from the cool Aegean north wind and are protected by the mountains from the hot wind from the east. You will find several unknown indigenous grape varieties there, such as Vilana, Kotsifali, Mandelaria, the obscure Melissaki, the ancient Liatiko, Romeiko and the rare Thrapsathiri, Dafni and Plyto. In the last century, international varieties such as Syrah, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were also planted.

The appellations of Crete

Cretan winemakers press a wide range of white, rosé and red wines, both dry and sweet. There are four top-level appellations: Archanes, Peza, Dafnes and Sitia and just as many regional wines: Crete, Kissamos, Heraklion and Lassithi.

In Archanes, two red grape varieties are grown: the local Kotsifali and the Mandelaria, which is also popular on the other islands in the Aegean Sea. The blend of both may be sold under the name Archanes. In Peza, Kotsifali and Mandelaria are cultivated to make a red wine of the same name. But the white Peza from the ancient Cretan Vilana grape is much better known.

In Daphne, on more than 400 meters high northeastern slopes, grows the Liatiko. A real Cretan grape variety that can develop considerable sugars and can be made both dry and sweet. In Siti, more to the south of Crete, at an altitude of 600 meters, wine is also made from the Liatiko and white from Vilana, from the scarce Vidiano and Thrapsathiri. We currently have sixteen wines from Crete in our range. You can view all our wines from Crete here.