Manousakis Winery
Manousakis Winery is a family-owned organic winery at Vatolakkos, in the foothills of the Lefka Ori on the outskirts of Chania, founded by Ted Manousakis with its first vineyards planted in 1993. Manousakis makes its wines under the Nostos label, from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Roussanne grown on 13 hectares of hillside.
The winery offers free tours, tastings on a terrace and a taverna, and it hosts art exhibitions, summer music nights and weddings. Tours are run by booking, Monday to Saturday.
The story of Manousakis Winery
The story of Manousakis Winery begins in Vatolakkos itself. Ted Manousakis was born in the village in 1943 and left 11 years later for America, where after university he worked in industrial security, real estate development and hospitality.
He came back to the village to make wine, which had been a way of life in Vatolakkos when he was a boy. The winery dates the idea to 1984, and the first vineyards went into the ground in 1993. Nostos is a Greek word that the winery explains as the yearning to come home.
His youngest daughter, Alexandra, moved from New York in 2007 at the age of 23 to join him. The winery was producing about 35,000 bottles a year when she arrived, and it produces about 150,000 today.
The vineyards and the grapes
The vineyards lie on the hills just outside Vatolakkos, on 13 hectares planted at 350 to 650 m above sea level. The soils are mostly clay.
Ted Manousakis is not a winemaker by training, so he brought in a team of consultants to choose the grapes: Laurence Feraud, Pascal Marchand, Lucie Morton, Bruce Zoecklein and Yves Herody. They settled on four Mediterranean varieties, which the winery still grows.
- Syrah
- Grenache
- Mourvèdre
- Roussanne
The vines have been farmed organically from the start. The vineyard team works them vine by vine and mostly by hand, and because the soil changes from plot to plot, each of the many small plots is farmed on its own, an approach the winery calls a mosaic. The range now runs to 12 wines, along with tsikoudia, the local grape spirit.
Visiting the winery
Visiting the winery means booking ahead. Tours are free and run at set times through the day, Monday to Saturday, with the schedule changing by season. A single booking covers a tour, a tasting and lunch. The winery is closed on Sundays.
After the tour, guests taste the wines on a terrace set among olive trees and orange groves, with food from the winery’s own taverna, which serves local dishes chosen to go with the wines. From 16 November 2026 to April 2027, tours and tastings run by appointment only.
The winery gives +30 28210 78787 for bookings and questions, and it publishes its current hours and prices on its own website.
Things to do near Manousakis Winery
Manousakis Winery has 6 villages, gorges and gardens within 8 km, listed below from nearest to furthest.
- Visit the village of Alikianos, 2.2 km east.
- Drive to Skines, 3.0 km south-east.
- Walk the Boriana gorge, 5.7 km south.
- See the Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete, 5.9 km south-east.
- Try the Kydoni gorge, 6.0 km south-east.
- Go down to the coast at Platanias, 7.7 km north.
Getting to Manousakis Winery
Manousakis Winery stands just west of the village of Vatolakkos, on the outskirts of Chania. Chania airport serves this part of Crete, and the resort of Stalos lies 7.4 km to the north-east on the coast.
Tours to Manousakis Winery
Two organised tours of the winery are described on their own pages.
- The Manousakis Winery shuttle, tour and tasting includes a shuttle to and from the winery.
- The private Manousakis winery and vineyard tour is run for a single group.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Manousakis Winery?
Manousakis Winery is at Vatolakkos, in the foothills of the Lefka Ori on the outskirts of Chania.
Are tours at Manousakis Winery free?
Tours at Manousakis Winery are free, but they must be booked in advance. Tastings and food are charged separately.
Is Manousakis Winery open on Sundays?
Manousakis Winery is closed on Sundays, and from mid-November to April it runs tours and tastings by appointment only.
What grapes does Manousakis grow?
Manousakis grows Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Roussanne, all farmed organically.
When was Manousakis Winery founded?
The first vineyards were planted in 1993, although the winery dates the idea back to 1984.
Location
Manousakis Winery is located at Alikianos, Crete, Greece, in the Chania region of Crete. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
