Lyrarakis Winery

What a lovely winery! My wife and I visited during our honeymoon in late September and chose to book the wine tasting and picnic lunch ahead of time. We arrived and were given a private tour of the cellar with a welcome glass of wine and a lesson on the winery's history. We were a little worried about lunch since there were many other tourists visiting that day. But, we were shown to a private table under an olive tree set away from the other tasting areas. We had a totally private lunch with three glasses of different local wines that were introduced by one of the staff. Each glass of wine had multiple food options paired with it and we were able to hear a breif descirption of how each variety would pair with different flavors. After the introduction, my wife and I were left to enjoy a private lunch at our own pace and experiment with different wine/flavor combinations. The lunch finished with a dessert paired with a semi-sweet sparkling wine that was truly delicious. Our host gifted us the rest of the bottle as a honeymoon gift which really warmed our hearts. We took the bottle with us to Santorini and enjoyed the perfect flavors there. This winery is definitely worth making time for when in Crete!

Beautifull winery trully. Lots of spaces to enjoy a tasting. It is a commercial winery though with a lot of tourist. Food was good. The wines of the tastings were oke. But the experience is tailored to tourists. Tasting costs 18 euro for 5 smaller tastings or 25 euro for 7 tastings. Google maps will send you through small roads dont go there its sandy with holes. Stick to the highway from Heraklion.

Great atmosphere and very good service. The tour was entertaining and informative. The tasting that followed was also well organized and took place in a great atmosphere. The prices for the tasting and all optional dishes were absolutely fair. And most importantly...the wine was of course delicious!

My family and I had a wonderful experience at Lyrarakis winery. Angel was an excellent tour guide who was very knowledgeable and kind. The picnic food and wines we received were not only delicious but also served so generously. A must do if you are visiting Heraklion, Crete!

Wonderful wines. Great guided tour with more information about the winery the way they grow their grapes. The food was fantastic as well

The vineyard is way off the main road. Just keep swimming and you'll eventually get there. 😁 We arrived about 10 minutes after it opened and were greeted immediately. They gave us all the options (which is also on their website so there shouldn't be any surprises). We sat down at their beautiful scenic outdoor tasting area that is shaded. We chose the 5 wine per person option. Afterwards, we had a friendly tour which went into the history of the vineyard and how they grow and harvest the grapes. Everything went well except for one thing, I wish we could have picked the wines we wanted to taste since we only had five out of their full list. This may have tailored our experience a little better for the particular wines we were looking for. One last thing to note, on our way out there were two tour buses that were on their way in. So if you get to them at the wrong time they may be very busy with the tours coming in.

Great experience. The wines were good and all the options we chose to eat were good. Totally recommended.

Beautiful and spacious. Very friendly and helpful staff. Went there for a wine tasting. Very good and interesting wines were presented. There is also Greek raki in different varieties, sparkling wine and olive oil. Everything can be bought on site and delivery is also possible.

The tastings are limited but the products are noteworthy

Very nice discovery, very pleasant staff, we recommend the picnic, the wines are excellent and the visit of the estate very interesting. Very nice cellar. We will return!

We did the tasting of 5 wines, and had delicious accompaniments. A treat! The estate is very beautiful, a beautiful view of the vineyards, charming staff and a very nice cellar!

The area is really beautiful. We went there to buy wine. We were offered a wine tasting. Unfortunately we didn't try any wines because they didn't offer any sweet wines. Nevertheless, we ate something there with a glass of wine. The service was great and we really enjoyed the food.

Interesting tour of the estate and very pleasant lunch with glasses of typical Cretan plyto and dafny single-varietal wine. Nice discovery.

Great experience with good wine, great snack and fantastic guide. In a beautiful setting a nice experience recommend.

Great wine and great food, what more do you want? A very sweet staff and a wonderful view.. Marina we love you ❤️

We toured the grounds and tasted the seven wines. It was a wonderful discovery. The estate is magnificent and very peaceful. However, we didn't find the wines exceptional, but that's a matter of taste. At the end of the tasting, the staff was a bit rushed.

Beautiful scenery and wide open spaces. Tasted 5 wines with lunch of Greek pita and spinach balls. Delicious wines and equally good food. Kind and passionate in explaining the wines. I would have bought bottles but being at the beginning of the trip it would have been difficult to bring them with us. Recommended!

Excellent experience, young staff very helpful and prepared, the tasting wines very interesting and the accompanying dishes of great quality. Absolutely recommended, then being able to book everything online before departure is an added value. Well done.

Super nice winery, a little difficult to find but definitely worth it to learn all about the production and special features of the wines on Crete and especially the special features of this winery. Of course there are some wines to taste at the end, together with a small snack or you can treat yourself to a long lunch. The people there are all super friendly and nice, the wines are delicious and the tour is interesting.

Quality wines, smiling staff, very friendly and who know their product inside out! A very human experience, choice of delicious little aperitifs and more than reasonable prices! What more could you ask for? I highly recommend!

Wonderful. We took part in a winetasting tour and this is where the visit ended with a tasting of fantastic wines! I recommend Daphni. The food that accompanied it, with traditional Cretan dishes, was perfectly prepared!

Visit the vineyards and taste the wine, which is very good.

Excellent wine experience! The winery is located in a lovely setting, about 500 meters above sea level, surrounded by the Lassithi mountains. It can be reached in about half an hour from Heraklion, and with the help of Google Maps it is very easy to find. The visit consisted of a brief explanation of the Lyrarakis appellation of origin, its vineyard varieties, and some curiosities about its care, harvesting and processing. They also showed us a room where they kept some barrels and bottles, although not the entire winery. In the main hall you can see the numerous awards that it has won in different competitions. Next, we went on to taste some of their delicious wines, along with the tasting of local cheeses, bread and olives. We were lucky enough to visit them during a special week, and to try more wines than those offered on the tour. We tried a total of 2 white wines, a rosé, 2 reds, a kind of champagne, a sweet wine and a grape juice. The tasting was accompanied by a detailed tasting note and pairing recommendations. Our guide answered all the questions we asked during the tasting, resulting in an interactive tasting. At the end of the visit, several of their wines can be purchased. Prices can be found on their website. I must make special mention of the treatment received from the moment we arrived, with exquisite attention and kindness, on a par with their wines. A very pleasant surprise that allowed us to discover the quality of Cretan wine and spend a wonderful time in their cozy wine cellar. Highly recommended.