An exclusive interview with Antonis Dourakis Production Manager, Dourakis Winery
Dourakis Winery has a long history. It is located on Crete, one of Greece’s most beautiful islands—a place with a rich history, exceptional local products, and hospitable residents. Antonis Dourakis, the Production Manager of the Dourakis Winery shared the winery’s business strategy with the CEOWORLD magazine, which includes, among other things, a commitment to the principles of sustainability and the cultivation of close ties with the local community. The wine is already being distributed in several international markets.
“Our ambition is to grow internationally while remaining deeply rooted in Crete. We do not want to lose the character that makes our wines different. Instead, we want to show that a family winery from a relatively small Mediterranean island can compete internationally through authenticity, quality, innovation, and respect for its heritage,” told Antonis Dourakis to CEOWORLD magazine.
Q: How did you get started in the wine business?
Antonis Dourakis: Growing up, I spent almost every weekend at the winery with my father, helping him with whatever needed to be done. At the time, I cannot say I particularly enjoyed it. I was a child, there was not always much for me to do, and I did not yet understand the value of what my father was building.
That changed after I completed my studies in Viticulture and Oenology Engineering at Geisenheim University in Germany and returned to Crete in 2006. I came back with a different perspective and discovered that the winery was, in many ways, a playground for experimentation. It was a place where I could combine scientific knowledge, creativity, and tradition to explore the potential of our vineyards and the unique grape varieties of Crete.
More importantly, I began to appreciate the significance of what my father had created from the ground up. He had built not only a winery but also a foundation for the next generation to develop something of its own.
I realized that we had an opportunity to share Crete’s extraordinary wine heritage with the world. Our mission became to demonstrate that indigenous grape varieties, when understood and cultivated in the right environment, can produce wines with a genuine sense of identity and a story that goes far beyond the bottle.
Looking back, I think my journey into wine was less about choosing a profession and more about discovering the value of a legacy and finding my own way to take it forward.
Q: Sustainable practices are applied in cultivation and production in your winery. Could you provide us with more details?
Antonis Dourakis: For us, sustainability was a way of life long before it became a widely used term in the wine industry. Growing up in our family, we learned that resources should never be taken for granted, that waste should be minimized, and that everything we do should have a purpose.
Today, we try to apply this philosophy throughout our business, from the vineyard to the winery and from packaging to hospitality.
Our vineyards have been cultivated organically for many years, with a strong focus on regenerative practices. We aim to preserve soil health, encourage biodiversity, and work with the natural ecosystem rather than against it. In Crete, where water availability and rising temperatures are increasingly important challenges, protecting the land is essential to the long-term future of winegrowing.
We have also invested in practical solutions to reduce our environmental footprint. Since 2022, our underground bottle-storage cellar has allowed us to maintain naturally stable temperature and humidity without mechanical cooling during the summer. We have installed a solar park that supplies approximately 60% of the energy required for our winery’s production operations, and we introduced electric vehicles into our operations in 2021.
Even our choice of packaging reflects this approach. We use lightweight wine bottles to reduce the weight transported and, consequently, the associated transportation emissions.
Sustainability also extends to our relationship with the local community. At our wine-tasting restaurant, approximately 90% of the ingredients we use are sourced from local producers or grown in our own garden. We also work with winegrowers across the region, purchasing their grapes for our wines. This allows us to support local agricultural families, create lasting partnerships, and distribute part of the economic value generated by our winery throughout the community.
Ultimately, we do not see sustainability as a single investment or certification. It is a continuous process of making better decisions at every level of the business.
Q: Do you consider that you have benefited from investing in sustainability over the long term?
Antonis Dourakis: Absolutely. Sustainability is not only an environmental responsibility; it is also a long-term business strategy.
Investing in energy efficiency, protecting our vineyards, and building stronger relationships with local producers helps us create a more resilient business. These decisions can reduce operating costs, protect the quality of our raw materials, and strengthen the identity of our wines. They also help us prepare for the challenges that climate change will bring to Mediterranean winegrowing.
However, I believe the most important benefit is the ability to keep growing without undermining the resources on which our business depends. A winery cannot have a successful future if the land around it becomes degraded, water becomes scarce, or the local community can no longer sustain its agricultural activity.
There is a thought that has stayed with me since I was a child: We do not own this world; we are only borrowing it from our children.
For me, this captures the essence of sustainability. We have inherited something valuable from the generations before us, and our responsibility is to preserve it, improve it where we can, and pass it on in better condition.
The benefits may not always be immediate or easy to quantify, but they are fundamental to the long-term survival and success of our business.
Q: What is the winery’s annual wine production, typically? How do you know when you have a particularly good vintage?
Antonis Dourakis: Our annual production is typically around 200,000–250,000 bottles, equivalent to approximately 17,000–21,000 cases. Our portfolio consists of roughly 60% white wines, 25% rosé wines, and 15% red wines.
Indigenous Cretan grape varieties form the backbone of our production. These include Romeiko, Kotsifali, Mandilari, Liatiko, Vidiano, Muscat of Spinas, and Vilana. These varieties have evolved over centuries in the island’s particular climatic conditions, and we believe they offer a distinctive expression of Crete’s winegrowing potential.
As for identifying a great vintage, the truth is that you can never be entirely certain at the beginning of the growing season. Weather conditions, rainfall, heatwaves, and the timing of harvest all influence the final result.
By June or July, we can begin to form an initial assessment based on the development of the vines, the health of the canopy, the crop load, and the weather patterns we have experienced. However, a promising season in the vineyard does not automatically guarantee exceptional wine.
The real evaluation begins during harvest and continues throughout fermentation. We examine the condition and maturity of the grapes, measure sugar levels and acidity, assess the balance of the fruit, and monitor the development of the young wines in the cellar.
For me, a great vintage is not necessarily the one that produces the ripest grapes or the highest alcohol levels. It is the one in which we achieve balance, freshness, concentration, and a clear expression of the vineyard and grape variety.
Every vintage teaches us something new. Our role as winemakers is to understand what nature has given us and make the best possible wine from it, rather than trying to force every year to taste the same.
Q: What is one of your favorite varietals to work with and why?
Antonis Dourakis: Romeiko is undoubtedly one of my favorite grape varieties. It is a traditional red grape variety closely associated with the Chania region of western Crete, and it has been part of local life for generations.
Historically, Romeiko was much more than a wine grape. People used its leaves to prepare dolmadakia, its juice to make petimezi (a traditional grape syrup) and its grapes for products such as wine vinegar and tsikoudia, the Cretan grape spirit. It was an integral part of the local agricultural and culinary culture.
From a viticultural perspective, Romeiko has several interesting characteristics. It is a vigorous, productive variety with good resilience against various vineyard challenges, although its performance depends on the site and growing conditions. Its relatively late ripening can also be an advantage in our Mediterranean climate, as the grapes may remain less advanced in maturity during the hottest part of the summer.
What makes Romeiko particularly fascinating, however, is its versatility. The grapes do not always develop uniform red coloration, and the variety can produce wines with very different characteristics depending on the vineyard’s altitude, soil, microclimate, and the timing of harvest.
We see this potential clearly in two of our wines.
Our traditional-method sparkling wine, Cassiopeia, comes from a vineyard at approximately 800 metres above sea level. The cooler conditions at this altitude help us preserve the acidity and freshness we need for sparkling wine. We harvest the grapes around mid-September, aiming for the right balance between sugar and acidity.
At the other end of the spectrum, Pavo is a Blanc de Noirs-style white wine made from Romeiko, harvested from a different vineyard and vinified to preserve its freshness, crispness, and lively character.
The same grape variety can therefore produce wines with completely different personalities. Depending on the site and winemaking approach, Romeiko also offers intriguing possibilities for rosé, red, and even skin-contact orange wines.
For me, working with Romeiko is about rediscovering the potential of a grape that has been part of our region for centuries. It reminds us that sometimes the most exciting opportunities are not found in introducing something new, but in looking more deeply at what we already have.
Q: Is your wine also distributed in foreign markets? What are your plans for the coming years?
Antonis Dourakis: Yes. Our wines are currently distributed in several international markets, including the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
International expansion is important to us, but our objective is not simply to sell more bottles. We want to establish Dourakis Winery as a distinctive voice for Cretan wine, introducing consumers to indigenous grape varieties and demonstrating how a strong sense of place can translate into wines with international appeal.
Over the coming years, we plan to develop our portfolio further with wines made from local varieties, including Liatiko, while continuing to explore the potential of our existing vineyards. We are also investing in the future of our vineyard base, having recently expanded our plantings with Assyrtiko and Plyto, two Greek grape varieties that offer exciting possibilities for our region.
At the same time, we are working to strengthen our international distribution and build lasting relationships with importers and partners who share our vision. We believe that the growing interest in authentic, distinctive wines creates an opportunity for Crete to earn greater recognition in the international wine market.
Finally, sustainability will remain central to our development. We want to continue improving the way we cultivate our vineyards, produce our wines, use energy, and work with our local community.
Our ambition is to grow internationally while remaining deeply rooted in Crete. We do not want to lose the character that makes our wines different. Instead, we want to show that a family winery from a relatively small Mediterranean island can compete internationally through authenticity, quality, innovation, and respect for its heritage.
Have you read?
Jean-Louis van der Velde Becomes Richest Dutchman, Overtaking Heineken Heiress.
Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC Backs Plan for 30,000 US Lab Monkeys.
TikTok Founder Zhang Yiming Tops China Rich List at $99.7 Billion.
Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Marks Four Years With Record Profits.
Why Agentic AI Makes CEO Accountability More Important Than Ever.
Follow CEOWORLD Magazine on: Google News, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook.
Note: The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of CEOWORLD Magazine, its Editorial Board, or management. Content is provided "as is," may contain monetized links, and is not professional advice. See our Ethics & Guidelines for details. Reproduction requires prior written permission.
Contact info@ceoworld.biz for inquiries or media requests.
