For more than three decades, Manousakis Winery has approached winemaking as something that begins in the landscape. Founded in Crete in 1993, the winery has built its philosophy around the soil, the changing seasons and a close relationship with the natural environment. Its new wine labels bring this thinking to the bottle.
Hand-drawn by artist and wine producer Alexandra Manousakis, the new designs turn each label into a small piece of art. Rather than focusing simply on the finished wine, the illustrations look at the rituals and processes behind it: tending the vineyard, waiting in the cellar, the transformation of grapes and, finally, the moment a bottle is opened and shared.
The collection unfolds in three chapters – Tamata, Transmutation and Enlightenment – tracing different stages in the relationship between nature, wine and people. Running through all three is the idea of “nature as saint”, something to be respected and cared for, rather than simply cultivated.
This philosophy is also reflected in the way Manousakis works its vineyards. Organically and regeneratively farmed, they are managed with an emphasis on healthy soil, biodiversity, natural cycles and minimal intervention. Cover crops and the protection of life beneath the soil form part of an approach developed over more than 30 years, with the winery now among the first to receive Regenerative Organic certification.
For the artwork, Alexandra draws on Greek religious iconography, ancient symbols, botanical forms and the rhythms of agricultural life. The hand-drawn quality is deliberately kept visible, giving the bottles an individual character while connecting them back to the landscape in which the wines are made.
The project also brings together two sides of Alexandra’s practice: painting and winemaking. Both are concerned with transformation, ritual and our relationship with nature. Here, those ideas are distilled into a series of labels that feel personal and contemporary, while remaining firmly rooted in Crete.
The new designs will gradually appear across the Manousakis Winery range as new vintages are released.
