The Cretan route of the minoan vine presses
The Cretan route of the minoan and modern vine presses and vineyards
‘Crete……
The land in the middle of the sea
That has the color of the wine’
Homer
Minoan vine presses stand in many different regions of Crete, witnessing that vineyards and their products have been an integral nutrient in the Cretan diet for millenniums. There are many representations of them in vessels exhibited in the archeological museums, whereas in the Knossos Palace there are vessels that stored wine in the ruins of the warehouses.
Our program aims at creating a learning environment within which students will get insights of the importance of one of the core Cretan agricultural plants that gives an abundance of products for the development of a healthy nutritional culture.
Applying Artful Thinking routines, in a holistic multisensory learning approach, we will energize all our senses to develop critical thinking on the value of a beautiful, humble plant, which, apart from its beauty per se, is also a great teacher of how people can be nourished in a most nutritious way and survive in periods of famine, an example of which is the 2nd world war.
We will visit Minoan wine presses and modern wineries, spread all over Crete, to see the production of the different local varieties of wines. We will visit villagers to teach us how raisins are made from fresh grapes and cooperate with them to make sweets and delicious dishes to taste. We will visit local housewives to make with them the famous stuffed vine leaves dishes for dinner, along with other delicacies.
Programs last 10-12 days. They will be tailored to your group profile in cooperation with our pedagogue.