Manousakis Winery

Philosophy Over the millennia, the Lefka Ori of Western Crete have been abundant with the island's wild herbs; sage, marjoram, rosemary and thyme. Each year they sprout to life in the spring, flower and fill the air with their unique aromas in the summer, then die and fall back to the earth to be reabsorbed by the soil... The Nostos philosophy is simple; carefully cultivating our vines to allow them to absorb these unique aromas and flavors of the terroir, filling the grape clusters with their essence, thus capturing and preserving the incredible Lefka Ori of Crete in each bottle of Nostos wine. History - NOSTOS The Manousakis Winery is the realization of a dream 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. Following numerous studies both in Greece and abroad, the decision was made to plant the Rhone varieties of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Roussanne. We felt that the environmental conditions were ideal for the Rhone grapes. 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 Rhone varieties did exceptionally well in their new environment achieving great balance in the vineyard and finding a comfortable home in Crete. 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, hoeing, harvesting and leaf thinning. Each vine is treated with individual attention and care. Our goal is to produce healthy fruit, with a consistent balance of sugars, acidity, and natural ripeness, with minimum interference in the balance of nature and the ecology of our planet. In the summer of 1997, with the first harvest of Nostos, we completed construction of our winery on the grounds of the Manousakis family home. It was a simple structure but adequate for our needs at a time of limited production. As production increased over the years, the winery was expanded to accommodate the growth. In the years following the first planting, we continued to add to the vineyard. In 1999, 1 hectare of Syrah was planted while, beginning in 2003, 5.2 hectares of Syrah, 3 hectares of Grenache, and 3 hectares of Roussanne were also added. In 2007, an additional one hectare of Mourvedre was planted. An important part of our history is our brand name and logo. Nostos means "the yearning to return to one's homeland" and the Manousakis Winery name embraces that sentiment. The three small flowers on our logo are called “Manousakia”, from which our family name is derived. These delicate and very fragrant flowers grow on hilly fields, mountain slopes and on the sides of creeks. At the end of autumn, they are picked by the village folk and are used to adorn the icons in the small country churches. It is this simple blend of beauty and exquisite fragrance of nature that served as inspiration for the creation of our logo for the Manousakis Winery. The three “Manousakia” are symbolic of Ted Manousakis' three daughters. – Description from afshin1985    (hide)