For most Dutch travelers Crete is a beach. Sun, sand, a carafe of house wine. Lodewijk and his partner Boas saw something else. An island with eleven indigenous grape varieties, a new generation of winemakers in their thirties and forties trained in Italy, and a list of small wineries that barely leave the island. In 2020 they founded Daily Creta to bring those wines to the Netherlands.
For Sparks episode 22, Lodewijk brought three bottles from Garakis Winery, a family operation in the village of Kounavoi. A Muscat of Spinas, a Vidiano with subtle oak ageing, and a single-varietal Syrah at just 12.5 percent.
This episode was recorded in Dutch. Watch on YouTube with auto-translated subtitles via the link above.
Who is Lodewijk
Daily Creta starts as a friendship. Boas has been visiting Crete for over thirty years, his parents own a house near Rethymno, he is almost a local in his own zone. In 2019 Lodewijk goes along for the first time. New Year’s Eve outside on the corner, freezing weather, they decide on the spot: let’s build something around Crete.
Olive oil first. Two weeks later Boas spots Kretanthos on Instagram, another Cretan brand without Dutch distribution. They fly out mid-pandemic week and lock the deal as Schiphol turns into a ghost town and they are on one of the last planes home. Five years later Daily Creta runs on olive oil, honey, and from 2022 also wine.
A part-time business with focus
Lodewijk and Boas run it next to their day jobs. That forces hard choices. They do not import everything they like, every potential cuvée gets shipped to the Netherlands first for blind reassessment. The “delicious on holiday, dull at home” trap is a known one. Only when the wine still convinces in Amsterdam does the deal move forward.
They visit Crete one or two times a year for supplier rounds. Sometimes retail partners and customers join. The week of recording, a six-day trip is on the calendar, including the first physical visit to Garakis.
A short history of Greek viticulture
Lodewijk gives a mini-lesson. Viticulture starts in the Caucasus, somewhere between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Through Turkey it reaches Greece, thousands of years before Christ. The Greeks bring the vine to Italy. The Romans push it through the rest of Europe.
Then it stalls for the Greeks. Centuries of Ottoman rule (15th to 17th century) push viticulture into a long sleep. Quality wine only restarts late in the 20th century, first with bulk for the taverna trade. Today a new generation runs the show. Winemakers in their thirties and forties with international degrees and stints at Italian houses behind them. They bring back techniques and bottle what they make instead of pouring it from tanks into carafes.
Some vines are young, others a hundred and fifty years old. Garakis bottles its first wine in 2022, the family distillery is twenty-five years old. The island is in build, not in stasis.
Eleven indigenous grapes
One of Daily Creta’s missions is to get at least one representative wine from all eleven indigenous Cretan varieties into the Netherlands. They are nearly there. Lodewijk’s headlines:
- Vidiano — Crete’s “white diva”. Almost extinct fifteen to twenty years ago, rescued by winemakers who saw potential. Available across styles, from pure stainless to long oak ageing
- Muscat of Spinas — local Muscat from the area around the village of Spinas, thin-skinned, sun-sensitive
- Mandilari — a black grape, also seen on Paros and occasionally Santorini, but the standard red on Crete
- Assyrtico — not native to Crete (it comes from Santorini), but increasingly planted there
They also work with international varieties like Syrah. On purpose. Going head-to-head with France on Sauvignon Blanc is a losing fight. Pushing Vidiano or Muscat of Spinas gives the island its own corner.
Climate and geography
Mountains up to nearly 2,500 meters. Most vineyards between 300 and 600 meters. Cold winters. A constant sea breeze, since the island is surrounded by water on every side. Recent years longer, hotter, with extreme drought. Winemakers respond by planting higher up, and indigenous grapes turn out better adapted to the climate than imported varieties.
Tasting three Garakis wines
Lagada Muscat of Spinas, 13.9 percent
Light bottle, modern label, a piece of the Cretan map and Greek letters next to Western ones. Deep lemon on the nose, with white blossom underneath, a hint of vanilla and acacia honey. No oak, only tank. A few months of bâtonnage adds creaminess but the wine stays fresh.
In the mouth saltiness, sharp acidity, citrus. Not the typical Greek house carafe at all. Goes with sushi, grilled fish, a creamy carbonara. Only 2,000 bottles produced, so genuinely scarce. €15.95.
Lagada Vidiano, 13.8 percent
Different bottle, different label. Lodewijk suspects this cuvée comes from outside the Lagada parcel. A warmer color than the Muscat. 30 percent of the cuvée spent three months in French oak. Subtle, not dominant.
Roundness, layered tropical fruit without bombast. Passion fruit, white peach, a thread of red cherry in the back. Apple notes on the palate, the saltiness holds, the acid cuts. Lodewijk places Vidiano somewhere between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. For drinkers who only know those two, a useful discovery. €15.95.
Lagada Syrah, 12.5 percent
Single-varietal, monocépage, 2023. A Cretan Syrah you do not expect to be light and fresh, but here it is. The vineyard is one of the oldest Syrah parcels on the island, on chalky soil. Hard to farm, worth it.
On the nose raspberry, blackberry, warm cherry, plus Mediterranean herbs. On the palate Greek thyme. The tannin is calm, no aggressive grip. High acidity, juicy red fruit, herbal finish. €16.50.
A fourth wine for the curious
Not poured during the show but mentioned: a Lagada blend of 70 percent Vidiano and 30 percent Muscat of Spinas, €14.95. Two indigenous varieties together, a popular Cretan style.
Frequently asked questions
What are Crete’s best-known wines? Vidiano (the “white diva”), Muscat of Spinas, Mandilari (red), Assyrtico (originally Santorini, now also on Crete). Garakis, Klados, Charalambakis and Durakis are some of the wineries imported by Daily Creta.
Why does Greek wine still have a mediocre reputation in the Netherlands? Centuries of Ottoman occupation halted viticulture. The decades after that focused mostly on bulk for the taverna trade, especially as carafe wine in Greek restaurants. Bottled, quality-driven Greek wine is a recent project led by a new internationally trained generation.
How many indigenous grape varieties does Crete have? Eleven. Daily Creta is on a mission to import at least one representative wine of each.
Where can I buy Daily Creta wines? Direct via dailycreta.nl and through retail partners and restaurants. Olimazie and Roy Nel in Utrecht both pour Daily Creta on their lists.
The bottles in this episode
Garakis Lagada Muscat of Spinas (2023). 100 percent Muscat, tank vinification with bâtonnage. Citrus, salty, fresh. €15.95. 13.9 percent.
Garakis Lagada Vidiano (2023). 30 percent French oak, three months. Sits between Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. €15.95. 13.8 percent.
Garakis Lagada Syrah (2023). Single-varietal, chalk soil, 12.5 percent. Juicy red fruit, Mediterranean herbs. €16.50.
More about Daily Creta
Visit dailycreta.nl for the webshop. Beyond wine the catalog covers olive oil and honey from Crete. Retail and restaurant partners are listed on the site. Questions go through Instagram or the website chat.
A direct conversation with winemaker Drakos Garakis is in Sparks episode 23, where we taste four bottles together including these three.
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