The Cretan vineyard: 5,500 years in a nine-minute read

A couple of vultures (skares in the local dialect) glide low overhead, accompanied by the eerie howl of a fierce wind, greeting me with an unsettling welcome as I arrive in Temenia in the White Mountains. The vine leaves of the ancient, pre-phylloxera vineyard shimmer in vibrant green, clinging to the first delicate shoots that sway restlessly in the breeze. Thanks to endless winter sunshine, cool water trickling down from the island's towering snow-capped peaks, and the (for now) perfect Mediterranean climate, Cretan vines are continuing to thrive. Most of the island's vineyards are located in the Iraklio region, around Archanes, Peza, and Dafnes, although every part of the island boasts vineyards; on Crete, there are over 220,000 hectares of grapes, from Sitia to the mountains of Rethymno and Hania.

Wine is deeply woven into the fabric of Cretan life, an essential and...