The Garakis Winery is a family business with deep roots in grape cultivation in the Kounavoi region of Peza, Crete. The family has been involved in viticulture since the time of their grandfather, as cultivators of the land and grapes, and this close relationship with the vineyard—which is now organically farmed—remains at the core of their philosophy to this day. As they say: “We were, we are, and we will always be winegrowers first.”
Twenty-four years ago, Manolis Garakis created a traditional distillery, and in 2021, after two decades of experimenting with winemaking, the family took the next step: creating their own winery in the same location. The baton was passed on to the next generation, George and Drakos Garakis, who, after studying in different fields, returned “to where they actually grew up” to start bottling the estate's first wines in 2022.
The winery's philosophy is clear: respect for the environment, faith in local varieties, minimal intervention, and vinification that highlights the character of the region's limestone-rich, poor soil. The winery is welcoming, like everything Cretan, low-tech, with a “cute” manual, “super-durable” bottling machine that, as they themselves say, “what more does a small winery need?”
The vineyards are located in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas, at 400–600 meters above sea level, and in combination with the poor soils, they give freshness, acidity, and energy to the family's wines. The winery focuses on varieties such as Muscat of Spina, Vidiano, Mantilari, Syrah, and Kotsifali, while also maintaining an old Rozaki vineyard, with plans and ideas for a very special future project. Despite the fact that it is still in its infancy, the Garakis winery manages to present wines with a clear identity, which do not sacrifice the freshness and energy provided by the local terroir. Real, authentic wines with character.
For us, the Garakis Winery is a new, promising voice of the Cretan vineyard—sincere, grounded, and with exceptional potential for the future, something we eagerly seek in Greek production.
