Miliarakis Winery

MINOS is in its eighth decade and produces wine from local varieties, such as Kotsifali and Mandilari for reds and Vilana, Vidiano and Thrapsiri for whites; they are turned into wine and bottled using the state of the art methods and cutting edge machinery regarding technology and methodology. Part of the red wine production ages in French oak barrels holding 225 and 300 litres each, kept in a specially designed underground area with ideal temperature and humidity conditions. The company is also trying to promote the Cretan vineyard through its varieties, innovating and adopting methods never before utilized in Crete; Examples include the production of its White wine using the red Kotsifali variety (White from Kotsifali), the first ever presentation in Crete of White wine from Vilana stored in barrels (Vilana Fume) and the successfully comeback, in 2004, of the white Malvasia variety, a wine historically associated with the island in making a dry wine. Lastly, the firm has included in its range foreign red varieties, the main examples of which are Syrah and Mourvedre. MINOS is developing a vineyard comprising of privately owned and contract areas covering 40 hectares and continues to work with local farmers, aiming at securing high quality grapes. The company is still run by members of the founding family, headed by 3rd generation member, Takis Miliarakis; since 1998 Nikos Miliarakis (4th generation) has joined its ranks and, recently, Maria Miliaraki, daughter of Takis, also joined the company. MINOS employs 10 people throughout the year, who, with their experience and pride for their work, warrant the high total quality of the final product.