Lyrarakis Wines

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+30 2810 284614 G. Papandreou 92
Heraklion Crete,
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info@lyrarakis.com
www.lyrarakis.com

Brought up in this environment, in 1966 the founders of the company decided to become professionally involved with the production of wine. The founding of the company was accompanied by planting some of the best local wine varieties, namely the white Vilana, and the reds Kotsifali and Mandilaria. The winery is situated in one of the most noteworthy vineyard regions of Crete, namely at Alagni, Heraklion, the most mountainous village of the appellation area (AOC) of PEZA.

The company only started bottling wines under the Lyrarakis family brand in the early nineties. The first vintage of Lyrarakis was 1992, until then all the production was sold in bulk to major wineries of Greece or abroad.

Today, the company is managed by the second generation. The family vineyard comprises of 14 hectares of gravel soil on limestone and is situated on an average altitude of 550 meters. Since the late eighties special attention is paid to rare Cretan varieties. In particular the white varieties “Dafni” and “Plyto” that have been saved from extinction constitute a source of pride for the vine-grower Manolis Lyrarakis. Vilana, White Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc complement the range of white varieties. As far as the red varieties are concerned, the local Kotsifali, Mandilari, and Black Muscat are complemented by the foreign varieties Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The family and technical team puts a lot of effort into experimenting with smaller batches of other native varieties, in the hope to be able to offer you new exciting wines soon.

The company is recognized as the leading quality producer on the island, focusing on the use of native varieties - some blends also use foreign varieties. The family is credited for reviving the two ancient local white varieties, Dafni and Plyto, which are part of the company’s range of wines called “The Treasures of Crete”. The latest pride in our “Treasures of Crete” range of wines is the oaked red wine from 100% Mandilari, the red variety that was never vinificated by itself on Crete. Lyrarakis is also credited for being the first winery of Crete to blend the native Kotsifali variety with Syrah, in order to create an unusually exciting red blend, back in the late nineties. Lyrarakis wines have won numerous international awards and are exported in most of the European countries and abroad (USA & CANADA).

The winery is located at the northern side of the community of Alagni, almost in the middle of the small plateau. The construction of the new bottling facility finished in 2004. After that, the family also finished the first phase of the renovation of the visitable cellar, where the oak barrels are stored and bottle aging takes place. The cellar can now welcome visitors on a regular basis.

– Description from Claudia Angelillo (hide)

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Lyrarakis Dafni (2011)

Winery:	Lyrarakis Wines
Region:	Greece » Crete
Type:	Table Wines

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Gregory Dal Piaz

A bit soapy, and stony, and slighty chemical smelling in a cherry, melon, banana peel and sweet gum sort of way. this smells faintly of balsam with a bit of bone meal thrown in for good measure. After having said all that, this does smell good. Low and...

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Varietals Produced by Lyrarakis Wines View all

Mavrodafni
Mandilaria

Mandilaria is an ancient red grape variety indigenous to Santorini, Greece. It has deep red coloring, medium body and...
Assyrtiko

Assyrtiko is a white Greek wine grape indigenous to the island of Santorini. Assyrtiko is the most widely planted on ...
Syrah

The irony here is that Syrah’s origins could give Carmen Sandiego a run for her international wallet. Syrah’s deepest...

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Lyrarakis Wines on Snooth

May 2015

Not a good time to bring up the Clips again. Ouch.Okay, Terra d'Oro Barbera from our excursion. Thought I wouldn't have a lot of thirst after tasting close to 20 wines today (i know, amateur level), but we finished the bottle. Then my wife's group drank part of a bottle of Lyrarakis Kostifali, a red from Crete that is like a much better versi... Read More

Forum post in the topic Whatcha drinking tonight?
February 2015

No weird grape varieties tonight, we did that on Wednesday with one bottle of Rioja (not weird) chased by a Cretan Kotsifali from Lyrarakis (that's the winery name). The Rioja ('04 Faustino Gran Reserva, Decanter's 2013 wine of the year) was a tannic monster, although it mellowed after a few hours. The Kotsifali was softer and rounder. My fat... Read More

Forum post in the topic Whatcha drinking tonight?
July 2013

The world of wine can generally be split into two halves, the familiar and the new, two pieces of a whole that keeps us excited and satisfied. Interestingly there is some similarity between the two. With the familiar we discover new vintages and producers with some regularity, while the new is all based on those moments of discovery. Of course a... Read More

From the article Latest Greek White Wines
June 2013

Lyrarakis Dafni 2011

Snoothrank:

A bit soapy, and stony, and slighty chemical smelling in a cherry, melon, banana peel and sweet gum sort of way. this smells faintly of balsam with a bit of bone meal thrown in for good measure. After having said all that, this does smell good. Low and broad on the palate with integrated acidity supporting unusual grapefruit, strawberry and chal... Read More

Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz
June 2013

Lyrarakis Dafni 2011

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by mark
September 2011

Lyrarakis Dafni 2008

Snoothrank:

Serius Wine from an Ancient Type of Grape not so intense to Nose, but explosive in Mouth, Salty, Fruity Spicy Flowery.. Read More

Wine review by luca chevalier
November 2010

Lyrarakis Last Supper Red 2007

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by phalkias
July 2009

Lyrarakis Thrapsathiri Armi Vineyard 2013

Snoothrank:

Dark, thick and sweet. Much like a port, at least to my untrained palate. Read More

Wine review by danmac