Manousakis Winery, Olive Tree Museum & Botanical Park

The Manousakis Winery is the culmination of one man, its founder Theodore Manousakis. The winery is committed to the sustainable development of the vineyards through the use of rigorous earth-friendly practices. The vineyard team works vine by vine, mostly by hand in weed removal, leaf thinning, stem thinning and harvesting Each vine is treated with individual attention and care. Due to the wide variation of soil conditions, customized farming is practiced for the many small plots of the vineyard. This “mosaic” style of cultivation is time consuming, tedious and costly, but, it is quite necessary for uniform fruit ripeness and ultimately, quality wines. Over the years the winery has been holding tours and tastings for travelers coming from all over the world and it has become in one of the most reputable wineries in Greece! This tour includes:
• A tour of both our new and old wineries as well as the winery grounds
• A presentation and explanation of the wine making process
• A tasting of 5 different wines (type of wine is dependent on availability and is subject to change) paired with local Cretan rusks, olive oil and sea salt
(Additional cheese platter or lunch under request)

Next stop will be the Olive Tree Museum of Vouves which is ideally located next to the Monumental Olive Tree of Vouves, the oldest olive tree in the world that has been declared as “natural heritage monument”. The museum is housed in a traditional building, which maintains all the characteristics of an austere and, at the same time, authentic, intelligent and functional folk architecture of this area, the preservation of which constitutes one of the cultural objectives set by municipal authorities.

Last but not least is the Botanical Park. The idea for the Botanical Park came from four brothers who after witnessing a fire burning down almost 200 acres of green, decided to revive the terrace. Literally rising from the ashes the botanical garden became not only a beautiful attraction but also a place that feels like heaven in earth. In the center of the vivid scenery still stands an old olive tree, damaged by the fire, as a reminder of the history and the origin of the park. The adventure in the nature lasts one to two hours and follows pathways that let the visitors capture to all its extend the beauty of the local flora and fauna. The delightful landscape is completed by a lake at the lowest part of the park which has become shelter for many ducks, geese and rare species of birds.