Jul 23, 2026
Wine Tasting and Boating on the Coast of Crete
Some of the best wine tasting in Crete doesn't happen at a table — it happens on the water. Here's how to pair a coastal boat trip with a proper Cretan wine tasting.
The Article
Crete was making natural wine before the word existed.
Four thousand years of winemaking on this island happened without a single input company or lab-cultured yeast. Grapes grew where they grew, fermented with whatever was on their skins, and were pressed with tools carved from wood and stone. "Natural wine" is a modern label for something Crete was quietly doing all along.
So what's actually changing now, and why is it worth paying attention to?
From necessity to philosophy
What was once simply how things were done — no irrigation, no synthetic sprays, indigenous yeasts, old vines dry-farmed on rocky hillsides — became, over the twentieth century, something producers had to actively choose to preserve as industrial methods spread. A new generation of Cretan winemakers is now returning to those older habits deliberately, not because they lack the alternative, but because they've decided the alternative isn't better.
Old vines, low intervention
Many of Crete's indigenous varieties — Vidiano, Liatiko, Kotsifali, Vilana — grow on vines that are decades, sometimes a century, old. Old vines naturally produce less fruit, more concentrated and more resilient, which makes them well suited to low-intervention winemaking: minimal spraying, native yeast fermentation, little to no fining or filtration.
Biodynamic certification is still rare, but growing
Full biodynamic certification — lunar-calendar farming, compost preparations, the whole system — is still uncommon in Crete. But a growing number of small producers are farming this way in practice even without the paperwork, treating the vineyard as one connected system rather than a series of separate problems to be sprayed away.
What it means for the wine in your glass
Natural and low-intervention wines don't taste "cleaner" or "purer" by default — that's marketing, not chemistry. What they often do offer is more variation between vintages and producers, less polish, and a more direct expression of a specific place and a specific year. Some bottles will surprise you. A few will challenge you. That's the trade-off, and for a lot of drinkers, it's the whole appeal.
Why now
Interest in natural wine has grown across the Mediterranean over the past few years, and Crete's combination of old vines, indigenous grapes and a farming tradition that never fully industrialised puts it in an unusually strong position to meet that demand — without having to invent a new story to tell.
The most important thing
None of this requires you to learn a new vocabulary or take a side in a debate. It just means that when you pour a glass of Cretan wine, there's a decent chance the hardest work behind it happened generations ago — in choosing not to change how things were done.
Curious to taste the difference for yourself? Join us at a Skywine tasting event — find upcoming dates at skywine.vin
Questions
Frequently Asked
Most of these varieties are primarily grown in Crete, making them unique to the island and part of its distinctive wine identity.
Yes—Cretan wines have improved dramatically in recent years, with many producers focusing on low yields, indigenous varieties, and modern techniques.
Kotsifali is one of the most widely planted red grapes, while Vidiano is quickly becoming the island’s flagship white due to its quality and versatility.
They are increasingly available in specialty wine shops, online retailers, and restaurants with curated wine lists, especially those focused on Greek or Mediterranean wines.
For reds, start with Kotsifali or Liatiko; for whites, Vidiano or Thrapsathiri are excellent entry points before exploring more niche varieties like Plyto or Dafni.
Discussion
