Oenology and Minoan culture

Once again the partners of the Erasmus+ project “ENOCULTURE. THE BEGINNINGS OF ENOCULTURE IN EUROPE. PRE-PHYLLOXERIC GRAPES» met in Chania, Crete. Our transnational meeting took place from 13 to 19 October 2019.

The meeting was organized by the teachers Angeliki Galanaki and Mouki Tsourounaki (5o Gymnasio Chanion) and was attended by the following schools: Collegio Aurelio Gomez Escolar (Burgos, Spain - thirteen students and two teachers), the Livadia Regional High School (Cyprus - fourteen students and three teachers), IES Teguise School (Canary Islands - two teachers) and the 5th High School of Chania.

The first day we were welcomed to the 5th High School of Chania. After the morning prayer, students and teachers gathered in the school's ceremonial hall where we talked about our schools and our cultural heritage. Next, all students took part in a Kahoot game about wines. Then we took a short break during which we tasted Cretan delicacies prepared by the children and their parents.

The break was followed by Cretan dances and then the students took part in a treasure hunt game, in the old town of Chania. The game resulted in the deeper acquaintance of the children with the beautiful city. The team that finished first was awarded with a prize.

Later, teachers and students tasted “suvlaki” in the old town. The afternoon was free.

The second day included a visit to the Vamos Environmental Education Center.

After ice breaking games, the students took part in two workshops, one for clay and one for the preparation of beeswax cream. Late at noon we ate in a very nice place and then returned to the hotel.

Wednesday was a very interesting day. There was a day excursion to Heraklion. We arrived at the archaeological site of Knossos where the guide toured us to the site. We got to know the Minoan history and the Minoan palace.

Our knowledge of Minoan culture was later supplemented by the Heraklion Museum, one of the best museums in Greece.

The visit to Heraklion ended with a walk to the old town and the castle.

On Thursday we visited Pontikiana, an area where Mr Karavitakis' winery is located. We learned the history of the winery, the types of wines produced and we gained basic knowledge on setting up such a business. Mrs. Karavitakis and her son were very kind and informative.

After the winery, we visited the municipality of Kolymvari in Pano Vouves to see a monument of nature, a 3000 year old olive tree.

Continuing our journey, we visited the archaeological site of Aptera in the Gulf of Souda where we were guided to the theatre, the Roman aqueduct, a Roman farmhouse and the monastery of St. John.

The last day started with workshops at school. The students were divided into groups in order to set up a virtual winery. Everyone took on a role and started their online business. Later we visited the Technical University of Chania, where we attended workshops about entrepreneurship and innovation.

Later we visited the Technical University of Chania, where we attended workshops about entrepreneurship and innovation.

In the evening we all attended a moving farewell party. Students and teachers enjoyed dancing and singing, while Cretan food and pastries were tasted.

Saying goodbye was very difficult because we all had a great time. It was five very interesting days, full of knowledge, activities and experiences.