Twenty-five wine experts were invited by the Network of Winemakers of Crete, “Wines of Crete” and the Region of Crete to experience the bounty of Greece’s big island.
Acclaimed winemakers of restaurants with Michelin stars from Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, and Lithuania accepted the invitation of the Hellenic Wine Association. They visited Crete in order to get to know Cretan wine. The visit was supported by the Winemakers’ Network of Crete, “Wines of Crete”, and the Region of Crete.
The expert took the opportunity to get to know the authentic Crete and its unique experiences and hospitality. According to the press release from the region, more than 200 Cretan labels were tested from the 28 wineries that participated.
The group also visited wineries, vineyards, and wine-growing regions in order to get to know Cretan wine in depth. They also had the opportunity to taste traditional Cretan dishes and received a recipe book from the Agri-Food Partnership of the Region of Crete as a gift. They also visited the archaeological site of Knossos, the archaeological museum of Heraklion, and had the opportunity to enjoy Cretan music and dance by local artists.
The Region of Crete was represented by the Deputy Regional Governor of the Primary Sector of Crete Irini Houdetsanaki-Giakoumaki, and the head of the Tourism Department of the Region of Crete, Nikos Alexakis. Ms. Houdetsanaki-Giakoumaki offered this via the press release:
“The Region of Crete is always next to the Network of Winemakers of Crete, supporting every action for the promotion of the Cretan Vineyard. Wine is, after all, an integral part of Cretan cuisine and our culinary culture. Our purpose is to make it known that Crete is one of the best wine and food destinations in the world. In such collaborations that promote the destination “Crete” they will always find us helpful.”
Yannis Vogiatzis, President of the Hellenic Wine Association (HWO) added that the efforts of HWO was crucial for helping the experts know and understand Cretan wine and hospitality. He also thanked the Region of Crete for supporting the effort, which he said left a lasting impression on the visitors. Nikos Miliarakis, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said in this regard:
“We are very grateful to the Region of Crete and its partners who are by our side in every action to promote the Cretan Vineyard, as well as in this trip where their help was decisive. We also thank SEO for the very good cooperation. We hope that this trip to get to know Cretan wine will open more “doors” to the restaurants where the winemakers who visited us work. We continue the actions of extroversion and getting to know Cretan wine, taking advantage of the advantages of the island.”