Cretan Tasting Tour
Crete is a huge island with a diverse agricultural industry. The geography creates multiple microclimates which yield a wide range of produce and products from olives and honey to kiwi and avocados. They even grow bananas and pineapples in the southeast! Our tasting tour in the Chania region focused on: Olive Oil, Cheese, Bread, Honey, and Wine.
First stop: Vouves Village- Home of the oldest olive tree in the world
Scientifically proven to be at least 2,000 years old, this tree is tucked into a tiny village in the middle of a small farm. Once the age of the tree was confirmed, it became a nationally protected site. There are multiple varieties of olive trees- this one happens to be a Koroneiki tree, as are the majority of olives in Crete. Over time, the trunk has lost its inner core, resulting in mesmerizing swirls of bark that wind their way up into the branches.
The vast trunk is 15 feet across. By way of comparison, the trunk of an average Koroneiki olive tree is about 2-4 Inches wide. So you can imagine how impressive this tree looks after seeing groves and groves of much smaller trees around Crete! A university in Crete is currently working on publishing a study that suggests the tree could actually be in the range of 3,000-5,000 years old! Regardless of its true age, this tree still bears fruit every year. We were told that the Olympic wreaths for the Athens Olympic games were made from branches of this very tree. If you want, you can purchase oil made directly from this tree in the little shop/cafe next to it.
As it was early in the morning, we didn't taste anything at this stop. Instead, we climbed back into the tour van and wound our way up and down the idyllic country roads with beautiful views of expansive olive groves to reach the village of Pervolakia.
This little village hosts a cheese monger located next door to a baker, across the street and about 50 meters from the olive oil processing site. The bakery is very small and is actually tucked behind a house. Neither the bakery nor cheese monger had signs, so if you tried to find them on your own, you might struggle a bit. That's why I enjoyed having a guide who knew exactly where to go.
Upper left: Bakery Upper right: Cheese monger
Lower left: Baker's oven Lower right: Fresh bread
CHEESE: The cheesemaker greeted us himself with samples of goat and sheep cheeses including Graviera and Mizithra. Graviera is a medium-firmness and tastes rather sharp. Mizithra resembles what we think of in the USA as typical "goat's cheese". It is fluffy and tastes a bit sour but is delicious in a sandwich, pastry or salad. They only make the Graviera cheese in winter, but can produce Mizithra year-round. We bought one of each cheese he had on offer, except the spicy red chili pepper one because I don't do spice!
A Surprise Bonus Tasting
While we were in the cheese shop, the cheesemaker's brother popped in and invited us all to the garage around back to taste his homemade Raki (grape liquor). They were actively distilling the Raki this week and wanted our whole group to come enjoy a few tastes for free.
Raki is made from the leftovers when wine is made. It is commonly offered for free in Greek restaurants at the end of your meal as a digestif. While he didn't speak a word of English, our new host was full of energy and excitement to share his product with us. He passed out tiny plastic cups and brought around a 1-liter plastic bottle full of clear liquid. We waited until everyone had one before a group cheer of "Yamas!" (to us).
Next, he brought out a bottle of honey- infused Raki, which is sweeter and easier to drink. He also passed around a bowl of dried chickpeas for everyone. If you tried to refuse any of his offerings, he simply would not accept it and stood there until you relented. I tried to indicate I would share a shot with Trevor, but he wasn't having it!
Then he showed us into an anti-room off of the garage where they gather each night for 20 nights straight while the Raki is distilled. They invite friends and family, have a feast and drink plenty of Raki together. One of the women on our tour asked if he needed a wife. Despite the language barrier, he seemed interested in the idea!
BREAD
Now it was time to walk a few feet across the driveway to the bakery. There we tried the traditional bread known as Rusk. It is a dried chunk or slice of bread you can cover with dips and vegetables or sardines. Honestly, it's not my favorite type of carb- probably because it's good for you... We much preferred the little pastry cup called Kalistsounia, filled with sweet mizithra cheese, honey and cinnamon (not pictured here because it was devoured too quickly!).
OLIVE OIL & HONEY
With our pastry in hand, we walked about 50 meters up the road to the olive oil pressing mill called Idiosmos. All of the villagers and presumably others from farther afield bring their olives here the day they are picked to transform into oil.
I learned that the best quality olive oil (at least from the local Koroneiki variety) is actually made early in the season when the olives are still green. When the olives are young like this, the oil contains more antioxidants. Each person gets their own mashing vessel (six shown above- and no, that's not the official term), then it's transferred to the press and finally comes out as oil. Okay, so our tour guide was pretty quick and vague with the details- we may need to revisit a larger facility to learn the process more in depth. But I do know that the whole process only takes about 90 minutes per batch! I was surprised to learn that this modern method is so quick and can be completed in one day.
HONEY
Also at Idiosmos, we sampled 8, yes eight! types of locally produced honey. The sweetest honeys are produced in the wintertime, and they are lightest in color. As the seasons progress through summer and fall, the color darkens and the flavor deepens. Our favorites were the Orange Blossom (winter honey), and the spring season Thyme and Pine & Wild Herb varieties. I found the darker Carob to be too strong. It was cool to pair the honeys with different foods, from yogurt to bread and even tomatoes. The darker honey pairs well with tomato!
WINE
To be honest, Grecian wine does not have the best reputation, especially when compared to the neighboring Mediterranean countries. But we have heard a few times now that the wine is steadily improving as the younger generations take over with an aim to experiment and modernize.
A few miles down the road from Pervolakia village, we visited Pnevmatikaki Winery- which is the only self-service wine tasting Trevor and I have ever experienced. Not only was it self-serve, they offered 17 different wines! They had a full range of white, rose, red, and sweet wines, as well as the traditional wine of the Chania region: Romeiko. The Romeiko wine is made from red grapes and is aged for at least 7 years before serving. It has a golden whiskey color and a nutty flavor- it is certainly unique, though not one we wanted to take home. While tasting the wines, we enjoyed gorgeous sea views from the tasting room. In the end we decided to take home a bottle of their white Moscato and a concentrated grape syrup, which we look forward to trying on pancakes and vanilla ice cream!
All in all, we loved our tasting tour experience. It was nice to show up and not have to plan anything or drive anywhere. We learned a lot of interesting facts, enjoyed the gorgeous landscapes, and came home with some tasty treasures to enjoy this season.
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