Our winery is the realization of a vision that began in 1984 when the hills around the village of Vatolakkos were still untouched by humans and the wild herbs of Crete were intoxicating to one's senses.
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2 Mazi Rosé
Dry Rosé
Romeiko
Mandilari
Clear, dark pink colour, with cherry hues. Clean nose with ripe red fruits: cherry, raspberry, with some wild herbs hidden in the background. Big bodied rosé with some delicate tannins, and fresh acidity. Warm long finish with a lot of ripe dark berries. Drink now.
Food pairing: Our 2 Mazi rosé is best paired with roasted poultry, or lighter meat dishes.
2 Mazi White
Dry White
Roussanne
Vilana
Clear bright colour with green hues. Rich, dense legs. Delicate nose, with limestone, stonefruits, unripe citrus and plenty of minerality. The Roussanne gives the rich viscosity, while the Vilana gives the fresh acidity and minerality. Drink now but can be aged 4-5 more years.
Food Pairing: Our 2 Mazi white is best paired with grilled fish, or light poultry.
2 Mazi Red
Dry Red
Romeiko
Mandilari
Clear bright red with rusty edge in colour. Intense rustic nose with dried fruits, ripe berries and some nutty character. Medium bodied with smooth tannins, warm finish with bitter chocolate, notes of nuttiness, and a herbacious finish. Very long finish. Drink now, can be aged 5-6 more years.
Food pairing: 2 Mazi red is best paired with roasted lamb, game or rich stews.
Nostos Mourvèdre
Dry Red
Mourvèdre 100%
Clear deep dark red colour with a purple hue. Rich,dense legs. Intense nose with ripe juicy black fruits and some caramelized notes. Velvet tannins in this big bodied wine, warm finish with crunchy dark fruit. Bitter chocolate and a hint of eathiness. Long aftertaste that lingers for at least a couple of minutes. Drink now but can age up to 12-13 years.
Nostos Pink
Dry Rosé
Grenache Rouge 50%
Syrah 50%
Bright pink color. Intense nose with strawberry candy, grenadine and rose aromas. Medium bodied wine with gentle acidity and a slight sweetness in the aftertaste. To be consumed fresh! Food pairing: Fresh salads, grilled greens, pasta, poultry served with light sauce and seafood dishes.
Nostos Alexandra’s
Dry Red
Syrah 40%
Mourvedre 40%
Grenache Rouge 20%
Clear with dense ruby color and rich legs. Fruity aromas that are simultaneously dense and fresh. Aromas include strawberry, black cherry, mulberry, some notes of tobacco and spices. Full and dry mouth with smooth tannins and again, fresh fruit. It has a long and clean finish that accentuates the spices present. Ready to drink now and will remain at its peak for the next 2 to 4 years.
Nostos Assyrtiko
Dry White
Assyrtiko 100%
Bright light green color. Intense mineral nose, with green apples, pear, and some lychee fruit. Medium, to full bodied white with fresh acidity, and lively herbaceous character. Drink now, could age for another 4-5 years
Nostos Romeiko
Dry White
Romeiko 100%
Bright light green color., with a pink hue. Intense mineral nose, with green apples, pear, and some lychee fruit. Medium, to full bodied white with fresh acidity, and lively herbaceous character. Drink now, could age for another 4-5 years
Nostos Blend
Dry Red
Syrah
Mouvedre
Grenache Rouge
Roussanne
Clear, very dense ruby color with youthful purple notes. Many dense legs coat the glass. Intense nose, complex character with ripened black fruit in excellent balance with the oak. Some notes of leather with finesse and freshness. Mouth with volume and density of high but ripened tannins in perfect balance with the rich alcohol and good acid. Complex flavors follow and reflect the aromas. Long finish that accentuates the freshness while maintaining its richness. Ready to drink and will reach its peak in the next 3 to 4 years. It will remain at its peak for the following 5 years.
Nostos Vidiano
Dry White
Vidiano 100%
Clear light, grassy yellow with green hues. Intense nose with citrus and bright stone fruits, mineral notes. Dry light bodied crisp white wine with fresh acidity and a lot of mineral notes. Long finish, drink now.
Muscat of Spinas
Dry White
Muscat of Spinas 100%
Clean bright green colour with intense nose and floral aromas. Bright green fruits with a herbaceous finish. Dry, medium bodied with fresh acidity and floral in the mouth, medium finish. Ready to drink now and for the next 5 years. Food Pairing: Our Muscat of Spinas is great with green salad with fruit, marinated fish or even just on it’s own.
Nostos Grenache
Dry White
Roussanne 100%
Bright, moderate to dark lemon-green color with slow and rich legs. Nose with moderate to high intensity. Ripe, fleshy, white fruit, honeycomb, dried flowers, butter and vanilla. Dense, full bodied and complex mouth with intense flavor of white fruit. Long finish dominated by vanilla, honey and light oak flavors. Ready to drink now and will develop for the next 3 to 5 years. Once it reaches its peak, it will remain there for at least 4 more years.
Nostos Grenache
Dry Red
Grenache Rouge 100%
Clear, medium to deep ruby color with rich, dense legs. Intense nose with aromas that emphasize the maturity: red fruit juices, chocolate and sweet spices, mainly vanilla. Dry in the mouth with volume and depth. Ripe and smooth tannins. Long finish with intense presence of ripe, red fruits. Ready to drink now and will remain at its peak for the next 2 to 4 years.
Nostos Syrah
Dry Red
Syrah 100%
Clear, almost opaque dark purple color with nearly static legs. Intense, dense aromas of black fruit, tobacco, black pepper, ink and coffee. Simultaneously very complex and young in character. Mouth full of varietal character. Full bodied with intense tannins that are softened by the high level of alcohol. Flavors of black berries, black pepper and wild mountain herbs. Exceptionally long finish with freshness but rich at the same time. Ready to drink. It will reach its peak in the next 4 to 6 years which will last for the following 10 years.
Terroir Tasting & Tour
10€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery and a tasting of 5 different wines
Premium Tasting & Tour
15€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery and a tasting of 7 different wines
Cheese Platter & Tour
18€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery, a tasting of 5 different wines and a cheese platter
Mezze Platter & Tour
22€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery, a tasting of 5 different wines and Cretan specialties
Lunch & Tour
35€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery, a tasting of 5 different wines and a full Cretan meal
Cooking Presentation & Seminar
75€ /person
includes:
A tour of our winery, a tasting of 5 different wines and cooking of traditional Cretan dishes
Off-road Vineyard Tour
from 55€ /person
includes:
Safari Adventures of our winery, a tasting of wines and more...
Over the millennia the Lefka Ori Mountains of Western Crete have absorbed the quiet lifecycle for thousands of the island’s native flora. Walking these mountains in the spring is a sensory adventure filled with the scents of rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender, and chamomile. In the fall, they descend back to the soil and are absorbed. The quiet lifecycle continues.
Our philosophy at the Manousakis Winery is just as simple. We believe in carefully and organically cultivating our vines to absorb this scent-filled terroir. The flavors of the grapes combine with the herbs for a truly unique taste. Each bottle of Nostos captures the character of this verdant island, and the slopes of the Lefka Ori.
The Manousakis Winery is the culmination of one man, its founder Theodore Manousakis. Ted, as he is more commonly called, was born in the village of Vatolakkos in 1943. He left his village eleven years later, into an unknown future.
America: The Promised Land. For an enterprising young man, the possibilities were endless. After university, Ted was successful in a number of business endeavors including industrial security, real estate development, and hospitality. But success came at a price: the near loss of his Cretan heritage.
The Return: Nostos is the yearning to come home. It propelled Ted to the land of his birth, and on a higher level than mere visitor. He wanted to give something back to the island that he loved. Wine was a way of life in the village and a memory from his boyhood. There was no better way to pay homage to those traditions and it brought people together to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Soil, sun, weather conditions and yearning converged to perfection. The Manousakis Winery was born and the first vineyards planted in 1993.
Our winery is the realization of a vision that began in 1984 when the hills around the village of Vatolakkos were still untouched by humans and the wild herbs of Crete were intoxicating to one’s senses. Since Ted is neither an oenologist nor a viticulturist, a carefully selected team of expert consultants conducted numerous studies and the decision was made to plant the varieties of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Roussanne.
We felt that the environmental conditions and the terroir were ideal for these exquisite grapes. The island of Crete lies at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea, one hundred miles from mainland Greece. Largest of the Greek islands, its span is 135 miles from east to west and 30 miles from north to south. Although it is a mountainous island, Crete is a major producer of olive oil, citrus fruit and garden vegetables.
In 1993, the first vines were planted at elevations of 350 meters (1000 ft) on 2 hectares. Over the next six years, much to our satisfaction, we observed that the chosen varieties did exceptionally well in their new environment achieving great balance in the vineyard and finding a comfortable home in Crete. Having achieved these results, in 1999 we started planting an additional 10 hectares of vineyards which brought our winery to a whole new level of wine production.
Our vineyards are situated on the hills just outside the village of Vatolakkos at elevations of between 350 and 600 meters above sea level (1000-1800 feet). The predominantly sandy soils are rich in clay and argil, ideal for limited plant growth but great for good soil wringing. The climate of this region is typically Mediterranean, with mild rainy winters, and warm dry summers. Gentle breezes keep the air moving. During the growing season, the days are long with sunlight and the nights are quite cool. The conditions are ideal for healthy grapes free from disease and rot. The vines are mostly oriented in a northeast direction to avoid overexposure to the sun. The plants are closely spaced, one meter between vines and two between rows, or 5,000 vines per hectare.
From the outset we felt that organic farming was the only way to show respect for nature and the environment. Being sensitive to the needs of the ecosystem is extremely important in our philosophy. We are committed to the sustainable development of our vineyards through the use of rigorous earth-friendly practices. Our vineyard team works vine by vine, mostly by hand in weed removal, leaf thinning, stem thinning and harvesting. Each vine is treated with individual attention and care. Due to the wide variation of soil conditions, we practice customized farming for the many small plots of the vineyard. This “mosaic” style of cultivation is time consuming, tedious and costly, but, we believe it is quite necessary for uniform fruit ripeness and ultimately, quality wines.
In addition to playing with several other varieties on an experimental basis, in 2010 we planted the ancient white Cretan variety Vidiano.