While there are several beautiful locations and places of historical interest to see in Crete, one thing that you must do while here is visit the best wineries on the island. Winemaking in Crete is an ancient tradition dating back more than 4,000 years. The island is dotted with these wineries. But let’s tell you about three of them that you can easily visit if you hire a car in Crete.

• The Manoukis winery

The Manoukis winery was founded by Theodore (Ted) Manousakis in 1993 and produced the first wines under the Nostos label in 1997. The winery produces more than 150,000 bottles a year and emphasises organic wines. Their signature white wine uses the local Romeiko grapes, a unique local variety that grows only in the Chania region.

• Dourakis Winery

This one is a boutique winery in Alikampos Village and is only about 40 minutes from Chania. They produce 200,000 to 250,000 bottles of organic wine per year using Romeiko grapes from their own vineyards and sourcing some from local producers. You must try the white Malvasia Aromatica Cretan wine with aromatic and citrus notes from their vast collection.

• Karavitakis Winery

This winery began about 90 years ago, making it one of the oldest wineries in Crete. The Karavitakis winery produces about 80% local indigenous Cretan wines and around 20% international ones. While Vidiano is the flagship wine at this winery, they try to capture the essence of Crete in each bottle of wine.

One of the best ways to sample the delectable wine at these wineries and several more spread across the island is to hire a car in Crete. You can book one from car rental services like Cretarent and make your wine tasting even more delightful.