Another "Best Day Ever" on Incredible Crete

Another "Best Day Ever" on Incredible Crete
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When our friend Rebecca Shevaki called us this past weekend we were delighted for two reasons. First, Rebecca is a delightful friend, and as the owner-director of Crete Urban Adventures she’s always got a new Cretan experience up her sleeve. This time the discovery she had in store was test run for a new Heraklion region day-tour coming in spring.

Mihaela Butler gets a history of Crete wine-making from Michael of Crete Urban Adventures at Gavalas Wines - Author image

Writing this, once again I am at a loss for words for describing how Crete is. Since moving here in August, we’ve done our fair share of exploration. We’ve visited the places tourists usually explore like; the wonderful beach at Matala, and the grandeur of the Palaces at Knossos, Phaestos and Malia. We’ve followed friends to the more remote beaches of the south, magical Ano Asites, down to Tsoutsouros and the ancient city of Inatos, to Arkadi Monastery and the magic surrounds, and eastward to touristic Agios Nikolaos and Elounda. At each of these places, and at every village stop along the way, there’s something humbling about the island. There’s a kind of “fate” at play here on Crete. It’s important for this story, and best related by a quote from Crete’s greatest writer, Nikos Kazantzakis:

“There is a kind of flame in Crete - let us call it "soul" - something more powerful than either life or death. There is pride, obstinacy, valor, and together with these something else inexpressible and imponderable, something which makes you rejoice that you are human being, and at the same time tremble. (Report to Greco)”
At the center of the monastery of St. George

With this “providence” aspect in mind Rebecca and her husband Michael Kallergis meeting up with us at Knossos put me in the position of retracing my own tracks, since I been there quite a few times since arriving in August. And when the couple informed us the new day tour would start with an early morning special access to the site, some cosmic tumblers fell into place for me. For anyone who visited Knossos this summer the wisdom of an early tour means not getting trampled in the crowd. But our destination for this excursion was not Knossos, but a monastery and winery further along the winding path into the heart of Heraklion province.

Accompanying Rebecca and her husband Michael we arrived at the Monastery of St. George Apanosifis near Metaxohori village, which is about a 15-minute drive from Knossos. Rebecca insisted we go inside for a brief tour even though our wine tasting further along was close at hand. On first seeing the gates to the monastery, the place seems a bit understated compared to a few other such places we’d visited. But on entering the gates the beauty and uniqueness of this famous Venetian Era spiritual and social domicile. Besides the incomparable scenic wonders and panoramas this place reveals, the monastery also precious heirlooms, gospels, carved crosses, a silver chalice of 1842, the icon of Saint George monastery of Xera Xyla and relics of 21 Saints, and is home to a Higher Ecclesiastical School. It’s also worth mentioning the contributions and sacrifices of the monks of the monastery, who fought against the Turks of the Ottoman Empire and against the Germans in World War II alongside their countrymen.

Mihaela and Rebecca at the Monastery of St. George - Author image

New visitors to Crete and this region will find an unexpected treasure in the wild landscapes all around Heraklion province. The winding and sometimes precarious roads give one the sense of traveling back in time, and of being headed to the middle of nowhere too. Anybody who’s been to Crete can tell you, most of the real gems of the island are literally in the most remote places. This is certainly the case with our next stop at the Gavalas Winery, the family winery founded by Emmanuel Gavalas planted the first vineyards in 1906. Following Rebecca and Michael down the one lane road meandering through the valley to the tiny village of Vorias, the surprise of this classy and modern facility is what struck me first. Moving inside to meet the owner, Nikos Gavalas and his daughter Anna, the old photograph of his great grandfather spoke more volumes than I can write about agrarian Crete. The spitting image staring off the wall in the winery entrance mirrored in the great grandson the pride and kindness that is all over Crete. That first winery made use of an ancient Minoan stone treading tank at the village of Agios Thomas, but today the winery takes advantage of cutting edge technologies to deliver distinctive products. Nikos’ wine making is part of an important organic cultivation system that puts focus on natural products while at the same time adhering to tradition. But scenery, processes, and even the people take a back seat when one is looking for a special wine taste.

Michael and Mihaela discuss the Gavalas wines - Author image

Owing to the fact we were short of time, Nikos had pre-selected his ORIMOS dry red to share with us. Grown on the slopes of Aigion at an altitude of 400 meters, the deep red color of this fine wine immediately betrayed the zest and full body sunken underneath. And the aroma sold me before a first taste of vanilla, spice, subtle fruits and the hint of chocolate. The blend of Mandilari, Kotsifali, and Syrah grapes provides a wonderful texture and interesting character that made me head to the butcher shop the instant we go home. Like I said, our time at Gavalas was short, so after some more history from Nikos and Michael we headed back to Heraklion to pick up our son from school. We parted sharing gifts. Nikos rewarding us with two bottles of ORIMOS from 2014, and me passing over a straw Stetson I had just ordered. Some readers will find it interesting that 2014 was the year of our first visit to Crete, and that Nikos is a champion horseback rider who might just have been in need of a new cowboy hat. I don’t believe in coincidence. So, there are two more tiny bit of happenstance that lead to our ongoing awe over this island.

Finally, I encourage all visitors to Crete to investigate this drastically underrated wines, the real Cretan diet, and especially the relatively unexplored regions where only the best tours take you. This truly is a place you will never want to leave.

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