Scalarea is Boutari's Cretan estate, in the hills above Skalani about four kilometres from the palace of Knossos. Boutari is one of Greece's oldest wine houses, and it planted here in 1990, inside the Archanes zone, which makes this the easiest place on the island to pair a morning at the ruins with an afternoon of Cretan wine.
The estate keeps its old name, Fantaxometocho, the "haunted domain," from a story a former owner spread to scare off pirates. Tastings run through indigenous grapes like Vidiano, Kotsifali and Moschato Spinas, and there is a full visitor centre with a room on the island's history.
Cellar and production tour with a seated tasting of estate wines; visitor centre with a Cretan history room. Reported hours Mon to Fri 10:00 to 16:00.
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