Dourakis Winery, Dourakis Andreas

Andreas Dourakis had a vision – a vision inspired by his childhood memories that one day he could own a winery that would produce multiple varieties of wine, mainly inspired and cultivated by the Cretan land. He was hopeful that after studying wine in Germany and working on several wineries across Greece, the knowledge that he had learned could someday translate this vision into a reality.

In the early 1980s, he started on this winemaking journey – in a small space in the center of Alikampos village. Once production started, he very quickly learned that he would need a much larger space to fully produce his vision. As such, he purchased a piece of land just outside of the village center to begin construction of the winery. He very carefully chose this piece of land for two reasons. First, he felt that it captured the natural beauty of the village Alikampos, with its rocky terrain, and picture-perfect mountain view in the background. Second, it offered the perfect micro-climate and material to build natural cellars into the earth to age and store the wine. Once construction was underway, and he watched as his vision unfolded, he very quickly learned that he had found his new home.

In the spring of 1988, he proudly opened the doors of the new winery, with 3 varietals for his first visitors to taste. Since then, the winery has not only grown in size and production but has also become a cultural experience for visitors far and wide. The Dourakis family now produces 17 varietals, mainly from grapes that are indigenous to Crete, but also from international varieties.

Andreas Dourakis’ vision did indeed become a reality – from the one-room shop where he produced a few cases of wine to the winery that now welcomes thousands of guests, offers culinary lessons, hosts art exhibitions and book presentations, organizes concerts, and invites everyone to enjoy the magic of the winery for all of their personal celebrations, from weddings, christenings, and birthdays.

Please join us and indulge in a cultural experience at our family run winery, to taste the richness of the Cretan earth in our wines, snack on local traditional foods, and listen to the peaceful sound of the village Alikampos on our terrace or inside our tasting room and museum.