Potolo: Local-Led Wine Tasting Close to Chania

Coming up: local people, three long-time friends, passionate wine-makers, Greek flavors you never knew existed, ethics and environment, and world-class wine tasting near Chania.

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You’re looking for wine tasting close to Chania.

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Today, we’re gonna bring you it.

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… but we’re also gonna bring you so much more:

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Our three wine-making friends at Potolo have named their local company after a small star (a small star located beside the brightest star in our night sky, although we suppose that’s not relevant for now). 

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The name of this star translates into English as “the tiny seed.”

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… and the three young Greeks behind Potolo have built a reputation for taking tiny seeds, and turning them into something special. You’ll soon see why.

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Alex, Myrsini, and Stratos: The Potolo Winemakers

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Alex, Myrsini and Stratos are three young Greek locals.

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Long-time friends, they each have different stories:

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• Alex is from Athens: he moved to Chania two years ago, to get closer to nature and age-old Greek traditions, and enjoy a more rural way of life
• Myrsini was born on Crete, and raised in Chania—and has been working with grapes and wine for many years
• Stratos is also from Athens: and he moved to Crete around three years ago (for similar reasons to Alex!)

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Together, the three friends own vineyards and olive plantations—and make some of the nation’s best wine and extra virgin olive oil.

(and, soon, you’ll learn how to taste it)

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But what Potolo are really about is something much more important:

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Cultivation, community, connections

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Alex, Myrsini, and Stratos place a BIG focus on ethics and environment: 

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• They don’t use any chemicals, they create their own compost, and they use as many eco-friendly products as possible. Their wine labels, for example, are attached to their bottles by string, all their corks are fully-natural, and the cork is fixed to the bottle by beeswax (which they get from their beekeeper friend!).
• They promote and use biodynamic cultivation, a holistic and ecological approach to farming (which prioritizes the planet and its people). Their work is dictated by natural factors and processes: like the seasons, the local wildlife, and even the gravitational pull of our moon. 
• They collaborate with Cretan locals, and work with many of the island’s community initiatives. When you taste wines and food with Potolo, they’ve all come from small local businesses and real local people. You’ll never eat or drink any mass-produced flavors.
• They’re conscious about what they consume, trying to eat as local as possible, and  reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible.

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In short, they’re all about adding more to the planet than they take from it…

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… and their focus is always on local flavors and local people.

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And that's why they’re working with Upiria: we’re real Greek people, just like they are. And together, us real Greeks are helping you find real Greek flavors and real Greek culture.

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What can I expect from Potolo’s wine tastings?

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You sip on 5 locally-made premium wines (all made either by Potolo themselves, or by small local suppliers with the same ethics and approaches)—and munch on well-matched snacks.

All eats and treats are homemade, and sourced from the little villages surrounding the winery. For example, the kaltsouni you’ll eat (that’s a small native-to-Crete pie) is bought from a cooperative of women in a rural village, who collect their herbs from a nearby field. 

You’ll eat and drink at furniture the Potolo team built themselves (from wood they sourced from family, friends, and the local area).

The tasting sessions last between 90 minutes and 2 hours, and they’re informal and laid-back. You’ll drink, you’ll eat, you’ll laugh, you’ll find interesting flavors (different to those you see on most Greek menus!), you’ll meet guests from around the planet, and you’ll feel like you’re sipping and slurping with friends. 

And to help you understand how their food and wine combinations work, the Potolo team also give you intentionally-bad pairings (so you can see how wine and food can actually enhance each other’s flavors).

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Expect jokes, silly games, lots of laughter, and a load of local hospitality. You’re here for your vacation—so let’s treat it like one. 

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And because all tastings are hosted by one of the team, you’ll get all your questions answered. 

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Book here.

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Do these wine tastings happen *in* Chania?

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Chania is the winery’s closest city…

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… but, no, the wine tastings take place 45km (28 miles) southwest of the city, in the small hill-backed village of Tsourouniana. West of Chania, it’s very local and little, and sits at an altitude of 420 meters (1,400 feet).

Yes, you might be looking for things to do in Chania and activities in Chania… but making your way to Tsourouniana from Chania is totally worth the trip. This is a real local pocket of Crete, and not many tourists come here.

All that said, you can combine wine-tasting with Chania sightseeing: en-route to the winery, you’ll find two of the city’s best beaches: Elafonissi Beach (famous for its pink sands) and Balos Beach (a hyper-blue photography spot with a well-known lagoon). If you have time, we recommend stopping by them both!

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In which languages can I book these wine tastings near Chania?

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You can book the Potolo experience in both English and Greek. 

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But whichever language you choose, you’ll soon see why Potolo have a unanimous 5-star rating on Google. And it’s not just for their wines: 

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It’s for their hospitality, their big smiles, and their dedication to making you feel like friends. 

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So, as we say in Greece: páme!

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