Vinalia x Minos, Vidiano

The Miliarakis family has been a cornerstone of Cretan winemaking for over a century. Antonis Miliarakis originally operated Antonakis’ Inn, which transitioned into a winery as the island's winemaking culture flourished after the Ottoman Empire's decline. In 1932, Iosiph Antoniou Miliarakis and his brothers founded Peza’s first modern winery, Minos, achieving milestones like the first bottled wines in Crete. Today, third and fourth generations continue to innovate and promote Cretan wines globally, focusing on indigenous varieties like Vidiano.

Crete, the southernmost and most populous Greek island, stretches 160 miles between the Aegean and Libyan Seas. Renowned for its ancient winemaking traditions, Crete boasts some of the earliest archaeological evidence of viticulture from the Minoan Civilization (3500–1500 BCE). Significant sites like the Knossos Palace and Vathypetro reveal wine storage vessels and ancient presses. Today, as Cretan producers revive indigenous grape varieties, the island plays a vital role in Greece's flourishing wine renaissance.

Today viewed as the signature indigenous grape variety of Crete, Vidiano nearly went extinct until a group of local producers championed its resurrection over the course of the last two decades. Called the “Chardonnay of Crete," Vidiano can taste of ripe pineapple, yellow apple, and pear flavors, while also is quite expressive of the specific terroir in which it is grown. Further, Vidiano is well adapted to oak, with several producers bottling rich, barrel-aged expressions of the variety.