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.