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About Us
“Lyrarakis” is the family name of brothers Manolis and Sotiris, who established the winery on the island of Crete, Greece in 1966. Today, Lyrarakis Wines is run by the second-generation winemakers, supported by an extended family of skilled professionals.

Revival of local varieties
From the very beginning, we have devoted ourselves to the revival of rare grape varieties of Crete; our portfolio features more than 11 indigenous varieties, with three saved from extinction.
 
Dafni and Plyto, now well-known Cretan varieties, were first planted in 1992 in “Psarades” family vineyard. Our latest rescue, Melissaki, found its home in the "Gero Deti" vineyard in 2010.
 
We continue to explore Crete for forgotten varieties and unique terroirs, aiming to produce wines with distinctive character.
 
Sustainable agriculture
As sustainability advocates, we transitioned to organic viticulture in 2020 and a significant percentage of our cooperating farmers managed to do the same.
 
As part of our regenerative approach, we have stopped ploughing the ground and only use our own fertilizer made of organic waste from our kitchen, the winemaking process, and the nearby oil mills. Adapting to climate change, we have been moving to higher altitudes and replacing our trellising to the lyre system, among other measures.
 
Each year, we evaluate yearly both ourselves and participating farmers for water, soil, pest and ecosystem management, air quality and community impact. Our yearly performance is publicly available through our Message-In-A-Bottle project.


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