We are always on the hunt for fun, not completely tourist activities when we travel, especially those that involve wine and food. We booked a “Wine Dinner Under the Stars” last summer in Chania, Crete, which just sounded like a fun and different experience that would be right up our alley. It turned out to be wonderful, really delicious, and something that is off the standard tourist path in Crete. I definitely recommend it if you are staying in or around Chania.

THE LOCATION: MANOUSAKIS WINERY NEAR CHANIA CRETE

Our dinner takes place at Manousakis Winery, located about 25 minutes outside of Chania via car. One great thing about this dinner, however, is that it includes transportation to and from hotels in Chania, so you don’t have to worry about driving. Perfect! We were picked up right on time from our hotel, Domes Zeen Chania, and driven to Manousakis Winery.

The winery, and dinner, are located in a beautiful space on the winery owner’s own property. Indeed, you see the family home (from the outside) and meet the family dog, Duke, who is a bit mischievous. We were taken on a quick tour of the property and the wine making facilities and learned about the winery’s history, which was really interesting, involving both immigration to the US from Chania and a return to Chania. You can read all about it on Manousakis’ website. The original owner’s granddaughter currently runs the place.

After the property and winery tour, we were seated for dinner with a wine pairing. For the dinner, tables are scattered around the winery’s main yard, on flat ground. There are various sized tables, but you only sit with your party. So, Dan and I sat at one table, but larger parties sat at the larger tables. The tables were pretty spread out, and the dinner felt quite private.

The dinner commenced with our first tasting of a local dry white wine called FUMM, or “Fantastic, Uber Majestic Masterpiece.” FUMM was floral and fruity and made for a great aperitif in the warm Greek evening. It was refreshing and light, yet still interesting on palate. I particularly enjoyed the label, which is designed by artist Alexandra Manousakis.

Our second wine, the Nostos Pink, was poured just as the first bites of food were delivered. Nostos Pink is a dry rose made with local Romeiko grapes, as well as Grenache and Syrah. This wine is light, fresh, and a bit fruity. It was also a delight on a warm Crete evening and paired well with our first dish – a Cretan Salad (one of my favorite Crete dishes that we tried while there).

A Cretan salad is quite similar to a Greek Salad but better, in my opinion. The salad includes local, fresh tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green peppers, and Cretan Mizithra cheese. Do not miss a Cretan salad on Crete. The vegetables in this salad were fresh and went extremely well with the Mizithra cheese.

Following the Cretan salad, we were presented with a traditional Greek appetizer, Dolmades, which are somewhat familiar to many. As you may already know, Dolmades are grape leaves wrapped around a mixture of rice and herbs. They are honestly not my favorite Greek dish, but these were particularly good, especially with the white sauce on the plate. In any case, it was fun to have real Greek Dolmades in Greece.

Another glass of wine was also poured with the kaltsounia, this time moving into the pairing’s reds. Our first red was a glass of Nostos Grenache. Nostos Grenache is a smooth drinking red, which, like the white and rose, went well with the still warm Crete evening. I particularly liked the label on the wine, which, if I am not mistaken, is a real picture of a Manousakis family member.

Nostos Alexandria was our next paired wine, which is a dry red made with Syrah, Grenache, and Mourverde. I really liked this one, as well as its label. It was our first “full bodied” wine of the evening, and just what we were looking for as the sun set.

Dinner was served with the Nostos Alexandra, just as the sun was setting. Our main dish is called Giouvetsi. This means orzo pasta slow cooked with tender beef in a tomato sauce. We topped ours with local white cheese that had a similar vibe to Italian Parmesan. The main course was very, very good. I really loved the tomato base paired with the beef and cheese. And while it looks heavy in the picture, it was a light dish and not at all too heavy for a warm summer evening.

Our final pairing was the Nostos Blend. This was another big bodied red, which is definitely our speed when it comes to wine. We really enjoyed this one, which tied as our favorite with the Nostos Alexandra. I also loved that it featured the winery on its label.

Our dinner ended with dessert, which was really interesting. Greek yogurt topped with carrot marmalade. Very simple, yet delicious. It was just the right amount of sweet after a big meal. I purchased some of this marmalade to bring home, intending to make it for Easter (which I failed to do!). I still want to recreate this dessert.

Our experience ended after dessert.  I quickly stopped in the winery store to purchase a piece by Alexandra Manousakis and then we were driven back to our hotel. All in, a very easy and enjoyable experience that allowed us to experience a bit of the Chania area outside of the coast and beaches.

I would note that we were completely stuffed with food and wine once the dinner ended. That being said, if we wanted more wine, guests can certainly have it (it is “unlimited”). There are also spittoons available if you want to taste the wine but not drink all of the wines. The adorable store on property accepts credit card and stayed open until after dinner. I highly recommend checking out the local pottery by artist Alexandra Manousakis.

STEAL OUR DINNER

Manousakis Winery: Vatolakkos 73005, Chania, Crete, Greece

Chania Wine Tours: This is the Wine Under the Stars experience. Book directly on the website, which is the only place you can book this experience. This was our second experience with Chania Wine Tours, and I cannot recommend them enough.