Are you a wine lover vacationing in the Heraklion, Crete area? Or looking for things to do after you’ve had your fill of archaeological sites? Visit these 3 best Heraklion wineries for wine tasting. They’re all less than 10 minutes from each other so they make an easy day trip.
As the largest city in Crete, Heraklion can feel a bit congested. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful and historic place worth visiting if you’re vacationing on Crete.
But with planes regularly taking off overhead and local drivers racing down the narrow cobblestoned streets like someone yelled “free wine while supplies last,” you may find you need a break from the craziness.
Just a half-hour’s drive south, you’ll be transported to a land of rolling hills blanketed with lush greenery and emerald vineyards. Here you’ll find Peza, the largest wine-producing region on Crete.
Peza is Crete’s easternmost PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). It was recognized in 1971 for red wines made from the Mandilaria (or Mandilari in Crete) grape and in 1982 for white wines from Vilana. Vineyards in this area must be planted at altitudes higher than 300 meters.
Before I go on, if you’re interested in learning more about the history of Crete winemaking, make sure to check out my Chania area wineries post. And if you haven’t yet, make sure to grab my free Wine Tasting Planner. It has 20+ wine night theme ideas, including the exact ones I’ve used for my wine tastings. Plus, a timeline, food pairings, games, free printables, worksheets, and more. Get your copy here.
Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Read on for my one-day itinerary for visiting these stunning wineries near Heraklion.
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Digenakis Winery
Start your day at Digenakis Winery, the closest of the three to Heraklion. Reservations are recommended, which you can book online through their website.
For you hard-core winos, they offer tastings as early as 10am. But most may want to opt for the more conservative noontime tour.
Entering the modern tasting room slash art gallery, you’ll be greeted by sweeping views of the surrounding vineyards. Then, you’ll start your visit with a tour of the winemaking facilities.
Winery Tour
Leftheris Digenakis, the owner and winemaker, has been producing wine since 2011, but the current winery didn’t open until several years ago.
He produces about 100k bottles of wine annually made from both native and international grape varieties. These are grown on 4 hectares of their own vineyards and also sourced from local farmers.
They use steel tanks for fermentation, with blending occurring afterward. The reds and some whites see 8-12 months of French oak.
At the time my husband and I visited in September, harvest was just beginning, and we ran into Leftheris himself during the tour. Despite it being the busiest time of the year, he took the time to speak with our tour group and answer our questions about his winery. What a guy!
Wine Tasting at Digenakis Winery
For our tasting, we each selected four wines from more than a dozen options. The tasting also came with a tasty platter of traditional Cretan cheeses and cherry tomatoes.
We both tried and liked Th{eros}, a new dry white blend of the native grapes Plyto and Thrapsathiri. It was herbal and tropical with lemongrass and pineapple. And even better paired with the soft creamy cheese drizzled in olive oil. Yum!
My favorite of the tasting was the Nymfaios, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. It spends 12 months on oak and 6 in the bottle. You get ripe blackberry, black cherry, and some spicy peppery notes. Excellent with a harder, aged cheese.
Digenakis also makes an oaked Assyrtiko, the primary white grape of Santorini. It was nicely balanced with acidity if you’re a fan of buttery, toasty whites like my husband (I mean the wine, although the hubs can be buttery when he wants something).
I don’t think Digenakis exports much of their wine, so if you like any bottles, I’d suggest grabbing them while you’re there.
Domaine Paterianakis
For your next stop, head less than 5 minutes down the road to the hilltop winery of Domaine Paterianakis.
If you took the noon tour at Digenakis, you’ll likely arrive around lunchtime (at least by Crete standards). They have a lot of different options for tasting experiences, but I recommend doing the Food and Wine Pairing. It’s one of the best food experiences I had on Crete.
You’ll want to make a reservation for this. But trust me, it’s worth the effort.
The Winery
Domaine Paterianakis has one of the most epic views I’ve seen at a winery. The wall-to-wall glass windows overlook the whole of the Peza winegrowing region. And the tasting room tables are situated so you can ogle over the landscape as you swirl and sip.
The winery was founded in 1988 by Giorgos Paterianakis, the father of 3 daughters, two of whom took over operations in 2012. Giorgos produced the first organic wine of Crete in 1997.
And since then, daughters Emmanuela and Niki have continued to focus on organic and natural grape cultivation of Crete’s indigenous varieties. This now includes their 3.14 range of minimal intervention wines without the addition of sulfites (yes, it is the number for pi, but stay tuned for the significance).
During our introduction to the winery, we learned that in order to use “Domaine” or “Estate,” a winery must have at least 8 hectares of its own vineyards. Paterianakis has 20 that are all farmed organically. So if you’re into organic and natural wines, this is the place for you!
Food and Wine Pairing at Domaine Paterianakis
If you opt for the food and wine pairing experience, make sure to come hungry! The dishes are homemade by Emmanuela and Niki’s mother. And many of the vegetables are grown in the winery’s garden.
We started with the Assyrtiko as an aperitif. It had crisp acidity, minerality, and lots of citrus flavors. I preferred this to Digenakis’ oaked version, but that’s my personal taste.
Our cheese plate with local olive oil, jam, and homegrown cherry tomatoes went with the Vidiano, Crete’s most popular white wine. It was creamy with peach and apricot and some tropical fruit aromas.
Next were warm spinach pies and crunchy spring rolls paired with Moschato Spinas. You may know it by its other name: Muscat. And in Crete, it’s usually made in a dry style. This one smelled of rose and violet with lemony acidity on the palate.
Between courses, we had the opportunity to try the rosé from their natural line, a blend of Kotsifali and Syrah. Niki herself came by our table and shared the backstory on the 3.14 name, representing the 3 sisters, 1 man, and 4 women of their family.
Produced in small batches of 1,000 bottles, this is not your basic b rosé. It had aromas of orange blossom and ripe orange as well as cherry. Based on the nose, you might expect it to be sweet, but it was crisp and dry. We bought a bottle and I’m looking forward to trying it with veggie pasta or a Mediterranean pizza.
As if we weren’t stuffed enough from the first 3 courses, we were then presented with Dakos. Kind of a Greek bruschetta, this Cretan favorite is crunchy bread topped with chopped tomatoes, crumbled cheese, and herbs. It’s a little messy to eat (at least for a klutz like myself) but so tasty!
The final wine was the 2017 Domaine Paterianakis red, a classic blend of 80% Kotsifali and 20% Mandilari. Mandilari is a very tannic grape so it needs Kotsifali to mellow it out. I got lots of cinnamon and spices with dried fruits like fig and prune. With an aging potential of 18-20 years, I’ll be holding the bottle I brought home for quite some time.
Domaine Paterianakis does export their wines so keep an eye out for these. In the U.S. you can find them in the Boston area (shout out to Ryan and Sarah for tracking one down at Curtis Liquors in Weymouth!), NYC, and Oakland, CA.
Also, if you’re looking for more great food and wine experiences in Greece, don’t miss these posts on Chania, Crete and Santorini.
Lyrarakis Winery
If you’re not too stuffed to move after lunch, finish your day 7 minutes down the road at Lyrarakis Winery. They do accept walk-ins for tastings during the summer. Coming during the off-season? Make sure to contact them for availability during November through March.
The Winery
The story of Lyrarakis starts in 1966 when Manolis and Sotiris Lyrarakis began growing grapes. But with phylloxera (that pesky root louse) hitting not much later, it wasn’t until 1992 that they began bottling wine under the Lyrarakis name.
Originally focused on international and indigenous varieties, the brothers eventually realized the importance of preserving Crete’s native grapes. Lyrarakis is now credited with bringing back the ancient white grape varieties of Plyto and Dafni. More recently, they’ve also revived another called Melissaki.
Today, the winery is run by Bart Lyrarakis, the next generation of the family. They own plots of land throughout the island, which are farmed organically. And they also work with 100 independent small growers.
Wine Tasting at Lyrarakis Winery
For the tasting, you can choose the standard option of 5 signature estate blends. Or go for the advanced tasting of 7 premium wines from their single area range. They do also offer a picnic experience if you wind up here for lunch (just book ahead).
Seated on their picturesque outdoor tasting terrace among the vines, we went with the advanced tasting. I liked this option because it allowed us to sample the single varietal Plyto and Dafni wines. I enjoyed the zesty and citrusy Plyto. The Dafni was more herbal — rosemary, lavender, and bay leaf.
For reds, my pick was the Kotsifali. As we saw at Domaine Paterianakis, this is more commonly found blended with Mandilari or other red grapes. But I also liked this single varietal version. Aging it 2 years in barrel gave it a garnet color and aromas of caramel and chocolate. It would go great with a lamb dish.
We finished off with the ZaZaZu, a sparkling blend of Muscat, Vilana, and Vidiano. It’s considered to be Crete’s first sparkling wine and was slightly sweet with flavors of pear and apple. A nice finish to the day.
I’m lucky enough to have a Greek-owned wine shop down the street from me that carries several Lyrarakis wines. But I do think out of all the Crete wineries Lyrarakis is one of the ones that distributes more broadly. So you may be able to find them near you too.
Where to Stay to Visit Heraklion Wineries
As the largest city in Crete, there are lots of hotel options to choose from in Heraklion. We stayed at Lato Boutique and had an amazing waterfront view of the fortress.
Reserve a table at their restaurant upstairs for panoramic views of the ocean at sunset. And you won’t be disappointed with the included breakfast (let’s just say I may have gone back for thirds).
If small-town vibes are more your jam but you still want to be within driving distance of the wineries, I’d highly recommend the town of Sisi. It has almost a Caribbean-like feel. We loved Maritimo Beach Hotel for its incredible ocean and sunset views, multiple pools, spa, and easy walking distance to town.
If you stay here, don’t miss the Jolly Roger bar. Owned by a couple of British ex-pats, it’s a fun place for cocktails and live music at night. Just be careful on the walk back along the ocean. If you’re three sheets to the wind, you may end up in Davy Jones’ locker.
You can find both of these hotels and many more great options on Booking.com. Just search below and enter your dates.
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Which one of these wineries are you most excited to visit?
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