Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/348953
84 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 Many of the island's modern-style wines, which often incorporate international grapes, are labeled instead with the regional Crete Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). rend-Setting Producers Despite Crete's long history of winemaking, the pro- ducers who are now taking chances and breaking tradi- tions are the ones best poised to realize the island's potential. At a site in Heraklion called Melissokipos ("Bee Garden"), which has been organically farmed since the 1990s, Emmanuelle and Nikky Paterianaki run the largest female-owned winery on Crete. Domaine Paterianakis's 37 vineyard acres are planted on grafted rootstock to a host of international varieties—Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot—that complement its traditional Cretan grapes. A 1999 blend of Kotsifali and Mandilari demonstrates the ageworthiness of Crete's indigenous reds, but the newer Melissinos line, in which international varieties are blended with native grapes, offers compelling combinations of the familiar and the exotic. In Peza, the Tamiolakis family has replanted 124 acres of mostly abandoned vineyards and olive groves with nearly extinct Cretan varieties such as the white Plyto, as well as international grapes like Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. Tamiolakis Wines' intriguing, modern-style blends range from the complex Ekti Ekdosi—which contains Kotsifali, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot—to a refresh - ing, spicy mixture of Vidiano and Plyto. Another promising producer is Diamantakis Winery, founded in 2007 by brothers Ioannis, Michalis and Zacharias Diamantakis. Their vineyards are planted at 1,475 feet in the eastern foothills of one of Crete's tallest peaks, Mount Psiloritis in the Dafnes region—an area that benefits from disease-mitigating westerly winds, stony calcium-clay soils and slopes steep enough to require some terracing. Red grapes seem to have adapted best to this terrain, yielding rich, mineral, vibrant wines with complex touches of dried herbs and spices. Diamantakis's 2010 Syrah Prinos and 2008 Diamond Rock (a blend of Syrah and Mandilari) are prime examples. The winery also houses a small distillery where the brothers produce a mildly peppery spirit akin to ouzo. Chania, on Crete's western side, is about as far away from the heart - beat of the island's wine production in Heraklion as one can get without a boat; it's home to fewer than ten pro - ducers. But this relati e isolation might explain the unique approach taken by Ted Manousakis. A native of the area who returned to his family home after making his fortune in real estate and hotel development in the United States, Manousakis brought back a keen understanding of modern consumer tastes. Manousakis Winery's Nostos ("Yearning") brand specializes in Rhône varieties such as Roussanne, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre; Manousakis has even added Laurence Féraud of Châteauneuf- du-Pape's famed Domaine du Pégau as a consultant to his father- son winemaking team of Kostis and Ioannis Galanis. Sparing no expense, they make modern, stylized and generously fruity wines whose Rhône influence is immediately recognizable. 1000 5000 5000 1000 5000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Dourakis Andreas Domaine Paterianakis Strataridakis bros. Winery Nikos Gavalas Winery Diamantakis Oinopoiia Minas Tamiolakis & Co. Lyrarakis Winery Stilianou Winery Alexakis Douloufakis Anoskeli Karavitakis Manousakis 90 90 90 Pakhnes Heraklion Knossos Toplou Monastery Chania Rethimnon Kissamos Sitia Paleochora Voukolies Neaploi Ierapetra Arkalochori Timpaki Spili Ida Spathi C H A N I A R ET H I M N O N H E R A K L I O N L AS IT H I Almyros Bay Gulf of Chania Gulf of Mesaras L i b y a n S e a S e a o f C r e t e M irabel l o B ay G eropo t a m o s Local winery Place of interest Contours (at 2000 ft intervals) 0 0 10 kilometers 10 miles 5000 CRETE Map data © Cosmographics Ltd. UK., 2014. Dia Gavdos Wines from Manousakis Winery appeal to modern consumer tastes.