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Domaine Zacharioudakis

Domaine Zacharioudakis

Welcome to Domaine Zacharioudakis!

Technology and knowledge in oenology easily create good wine. However, when your goal is the best quality, then the winning factor is for the wine to originate from the best vineyard.

That is why the Zacharioudakis family happily invested in a Cretan organically cultivated vineyard that was planted on the hill Orthi Petra in South Crete, a location that can guarantee exceptional harvests.

Within the 2000 m² organically cultivated vineyard, the state-of-the-art winery with its unique architecture was built.

Our goal is not the mass production. It is to produce Cretan wines of the finest quality from grapes organically grown in our vineyard and we create wine with respect in accordance with the international high quality standards.

Domaine Zacharioudakis is on a great location in southern Crete with panoramic views of Psiloritis and the Asterousia mountains, the Minoan Labyrinth and the Libyan Sea. At the same time it is close to several beaches, hotels and restaurants, where visitors can taste traditional products and Cretan hospitality.

About Domaine Zacharioudakis

The Domaine

“Domaine Zacharioudakis” was created at the top of the hill “Orthi Petra” located in the south part of Crete, at an altitude of 500 metres, north of ancient Gortina, next to the village of Plouti. In the year 2000, journalist Stelios Zacharioudakis and his spouse, Victoria, began the implementation of their vision to create an area as a tribute to the vineyard and wine, an area to mark the modern and very promising wine history of Crete.

Since ancient times, this area has had a long-standing tradition in vineyards and wines, a statement which has been proven true by recent findings of ancient pressing tanks carved into a rock, next to the Cretan village of Plouti.

The property is close to all the major archaeological sites and several beautiful beaches of southern Crete, with plenty of restaurants and hotels.

The area

The domaine is located amid an area of southern Crete which is rich in history and natural beauty.

At a distance of 1 km south of the land is where the archaeological sight of Gortyna stands, the area where Zeus came together with Europe, the princess who gave her name to the continent. In addition, this is where the most ancient written legal text of Europe was discovered, the famous “Gortyna Code”.

West of the Land, at a distance less than 2 km, is where the mythical cave “Lavirinthos” is located; a cave of more than 3 km of winding paths, a part of which is open to the public.

Near this sight is where the ancient pressing tanks, carved into the rock, are located, proof of the time-old connection of the area to vine and wine.

At a distance of 12 km is where the archaeological sight of Phaestos is located, while 7 km away from the village is where you can find the village of Zaros. Even further up in the Psiloritis mountain range is where the forest of Rouvas lies.

The beautiful beaches of Southern Crete, those of Matala, Agia Galini, Kalamaki and Lentas are close by. At these beaches, visitors can choose among a wide range of hotels and taste the traditional cuisine of the region in many restaurants.

Domaine Zacharioudakis is located 129 km from Chania, 74 km from Rethymno, 48 km from Heraklion and 114 km from Agios Nikolaos.

VISITS

Both the vineyard and the winery are open to visitors all year round.

During the tour of the vineyard, each guest has the opportunity to live a unique and unforgettable experience, which offers the knowledge of how the vineyard was planted around the hill as well as the magnificent view from an altitude of 500 metres overlooking the Valley of Messaras, the Libyan Sea and the Asterousia mountains, all of which compose a majestic Cretan landscape.

The tour continues in the production areas of the winery, where the guest then has the opportunity to taste the land’s wines and various traditional, Cretan food in the savoury room, all the while enjoying the magnificent view.

All the organic cultivated wines of the domaine, along with other products can be purchased in the wine shop.

We have built traditional, stone pressing tanks next to the winery, where our guests have the chance to take part in a programmed, traditional grape pressing session.

The small church of Panagia, situated in front of the winery, adds to the (area) location’s beauty.

Come join us on a tour of “Domaine Zacharioudakis”, in an area that both vine and wine are praised in the modern wine history of Crete!

THE VINEYARD

The 2000 m², privately owned, joint organic vineyard has been planted in a unique way, on small and large low stone walls on the steep slopes completely circling the hill, “Orthi Petra”. Because of the scenery the vineyard is ranked as the most beautiful in Crete and one of the most beautiful in Europe.

The rocky, calciferous and sloping grounds combined with the altitude, the moderate weather conditions of Crete as well as the organic cultivation are the factors that create the conditions which result in our high quality organically cultivated grapes.

The varieties which are organically cultivated are the red Kotsifali, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, besides the white varieties are Vilana, Vidiano, Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Winery

West of the vineyard is where the winery is located. Designed with state-of-the-art technology, this 2000 m² winery is “a work of art in the modern wine industry”. The winery consists of 3 levels which begin at the top, following the sequence of wine production, namely the grape gathering level, the wine production level and the cellar where the maturing is achieved in oak barrels.

The gathering of white varieties is done at the highest level of the winery. With the help of gravity, the grape-pulp is driven down to the pressing tank, which is located directly beneath the gathering area. Once again, gravity drives the now must to the level beneath the pressing tank where stainless steel tanks are situated in which yeast extraction is completed. This way, the hassle of pumping the must is avoided.

The red grapes are also passed down to the wine makers from the highest level of the winery without the aid of pumps.

The tanks and wine makers have an automatic freezing system.

Specific quantities of wine, which possess certain quality features, are placed in oak barrels in an underground maturing and aging area. That is located in the area where selected wines from organically cultivated harvests are stored in bottles for many years.

The wines are bottled in a state-of-the-art bottling machine in the Domaine, in accordance with the regulations of the international systems “ISO 22000” of the international Lloyd’s company (London) and DIO, which guarantee the high quality of the final product.

THE WINES

The exceptional basic ingredients that the vineyard offers are taken to the winery. The combination of wine making under controlled conditions of local and foreign varieties organically cultivated, results in unique Cretan wines with special characteristics.

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    P: +30 210 9793500

    E: info@greekspiti.com

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