“Dafnios” White was released in 2005. Its label was redesigned in 2010 and the last one in 2022. “Dafnios” derives from the name of our village, Dafnes.
Serving Dafnios White wine
Should be served at a temperature of 9-10°C; it would be a fine accompaniment to fish, like sole “meuniere”, John Dory, grilled mackerel and weakfish. It would also accompany pork with celery, the traditional Cretan pork with leeks, lamb “fricassée” with lettuce. It would also make an ideal companion to chickpea soup with lemon sauce or salad of boiled chickpeas with herbs.
Wine Details – dafnios White
Dafnios White Wine Vinification
Classic white vinification with fermentation in stainless steel tanks, at a temperature of 18°C. There is no barrel usage in either fermentation or maturation.
Alcohol : 13.1% vol
Residual sugar : 2 gr/lt
Total acidity : 5.4 gr/lt
Total Sulfur : 105 mg/lt
pH : 3.46
It can be aged up to 5 years. It develops a surprisingly different character over time. Fresh fruity aromas morph into butter, dense apricot, melon, wax, but also flintstone notes.
750ml, 1.5 lt, 3 lt
Dafnios White Awards
| Year | Country | Competition/Degustation | Vintage | Distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2024 | Silver medal |
| 2024 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2023 | 90/100 |
| 2024 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2023 | Silver medal |
| 2023 | U.S.A. | Wine Enthusiast | 2021 | 91/100 |
| 2023 | Greece | Παύλος Γκέγκας, Wine Critic | 2020 | 89(+)/100 |
| 2023 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2022 | Silver medal & Spec. Dist. as the Highest scoring wine from Vidiano grapes |
| 2021 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2020 | Gold medal |
| 2021 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2019 | Bronze medal |
| 2021 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2018 | Silver medal |
| 2021 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2016 | Gold medal |
| 2021 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson – Julia Harding MW | 2019 | 16.5/20 |
| 2021 | U.K. | London, IWSC | 2020 | 88/100 |
| 2021 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2017 | 89/100 |
| 2020 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson | 2018 | 16/20 |
| 2020 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2019 | Bronze medal |
| 2020 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2018 | Silver medal |
| 2019 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2018 | 88/100 |
| 2019 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2018 | Silver medal |
| 2019 | U.S.A. | Wine & Spirits | 2018 | 90/100 |
| 2019 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson | 2016 | 17/20 |
| 2018 | France | Tasted 100% Blind – Andreas Larsson | 2017 | 90/100 |
| 2018 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2017 | Silver medal |
| 2017 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2016 | 90/100 |
| 2017 | U.K. | Decanter | 2016 | Silver medal |
| 2017 | U.S.A. | TEXSOM | 2016 | Silver medal |
| 2017 | U.S.A. | Wine & Spirits | 2016 | 87/100 |
| 2017 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson – Julia Harding MW | 2016 | 16/20 |
| 2016 | U.K. | Decanter | 2015 | Bronze medal |
| 2016 | U.S.A. | TEXSOM | 2015 | Silver medal |
| 2016 | France | Tasted 100% Blind – Andreas Larsson | 2014 | 87/100 |
| 2016 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson – Julia Harding MW | 2015 | 16/20 |
| 2015 | Australia | The Real Review – Huon Hooke | 2014 | Bronze medal |
| 2015 | U.K. | Decanter | 2014 | Silver medal |
| 2015 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2014 | 89/100 |
| 2015 | France | Tasted 100% Blind – Andreas Larsson | 2014 | 86/100 |
| 2015 | U.S.A. | Wine & Spirits | 2014 | 86/100 |
| 2014 | Canada | Wine Align – John Szabo, MS | 2013 | 89/100 |
| 2014 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2013 | 89/100 |
| 2014 | U.S.A. | Wine & Spirits | 2013 | 86/100 |
| 2013 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2012 | 89/100 |
| 2012 | U.S.A. | Wine Advocate – Mark Squires | 2011 | 88/100 |
| 2011 | Greece | Thessaloniki I.W.S.C. | 2010 | Gold medal |
| 2009 | Belgium | Concours Mondial de Bruxelles | 2008 | Silver medal |
| 2008 | Belgium | Concours Mondial de Bruxelles | 2007 | Silver medal |
| 2008 | U.K. | London, IWSC | 2007 | Silver medal |
Dafnios White Tasting Notes
| Tasted in | Country | Tasted by | Published on | Vintage | Wine tasting notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | U.S.A. | Emily Saladino, Writer, Editor & Recipe Developer | www.wineenthusiast.com | 2021 | From an esteemed Cretan winery comes this lemon-colored Vidiano, an ancient, near-extinct indigenous grape revitalized by historically minded producers like Douloufakis. It has bold lychee and cantaloupe aromas, followed by citrus and floral notes on the medium-bodied palate. Aged entirely in stainless steel, this food-friendly wine has a crisp, acidic finish. |
| 2022 | Greece | Παύλος Γκέγκας, Wine Critic | www.gegas.gr | 2020 | Deep lemon colour. A fatty, stone-fruit allure on the nose, where avocado oil and buttery citrus curds seem to compete, touched by a soft apricot veil. Overripe calendula and dandelion flowers appear alongside an inevitable suggestion of blossom honey, while a broad spicy frame shows notable pungency—cardamom, mahleb and ginger—bringing clear herbal associations. A faint hint of early petrol emerges. On the palate it is firm and savoury within its oily, rich texture, still holding energy and a slight suggestion of further evolution, hinting again at possible petrol development. Medium-full with a buttery weight, fruit at perfect ripeness carries straight through from the aromatic profile, driven by pronounced acidity that keeps everything tightly focused. The wine confirms its distinctly spicy character, together with a generally warm contribution from the alcohol, without ignoring the influence of sulphur. Perhaps a little heavy in style. The finish is very good, with a fleeting mineral touch—very gently phenolic yet highly spicy, almost hot. A citric lift underscores the acidity, while singed spices and herbs add to the burn of the alcohol and sulphur. |
| 2021 | U.K. | Julia Harding, MW | www.jancisrobinson.com | 2019 | This is pale gold, a bit darker than I expected. Fabulous and already has a complex aroma of spice and cedar (not oak derived as there is no oak here, as far as I know), a lovely woody sort of freshness. On the palate, this isn’t bone dry and in fact it tastes sweeter than I expected but it is still a relatively dry food wine. Intense, deep and flavourful. This is a fine example of the sort of quality that Crete is capable of today. It is spicy, golden, full bodied but not heavy. Flavours of apricot and orange but also the tangy freshness of quince. Concentrated and mouth-filling and still beautifully fresh. Beware of the very slight sweetness if you like your wines bone dry but I find this powerful, well balanced and delicious. |
| 2021 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2017 | The 2017 Vidiano Dafnios is unoaked, near bone dry and comes in at 13.5% alcohol. When last seen, this showed great. It still does, but it has some signs of maturity right now as well. That hint of fairly quick aging notwithstanding, this shows more complexity today, and the juicy finish is delightful, as well as invigorating. I like this more in theory than when I first saw it, but I do wonder if it will continue to age well. It’s in a great place now. That’s a hint. |
| 2020 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson | www.jancisrobinson.com | 2018 | Deep straw colour with green highlights. Lemon sherbet with leafy notes though a relatively light nose. Quite full and fruity on the mid palate but with quite enough acidity. A little bite on the end suggests this won’t fall off its perch in a hurry. A little more robust and less sleek than the Alpha Malagousia 2019 just tasted. |
| 2019 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2018 | The 2018 Vidiano Dafnios is unoaked, dry and comes in at 13% alcohol. This has beautiful purity of fruit, as always, a sense of elegance and a fresh feel. I’m not sure it has as much power and depth as in some years, but it seems like the essence of the grape. The finish is long, tasty and delicious. At the price point, you can’t go wrong. |
| 2019 | U.S.A. | W&S staff | www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com | 2018 | This is a refreshing, delicate vidiano, with an herbal, artichoke-like flavor. It’s a light white to pour with vegetable-based dishes all summer long. |
| 2019 | U.K. | Jancis Robinson | www.jancisrobinson.com | 2016 | Herbal nose – fresh green herbs rather than dried. Big and bold. Chock-full of personality. Real structure and grip. So great that varieties like these are now available internationally. This three-year-old wine has held up superbly. |
| 2018 | France | Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of The World 2007 | www.blindtasted.com | 2017 | Medium deep straw colour. Pure nose offering some yellow fruit, ripe citrus, some stony and floral hints. The palate has medium weight with good purity and generous fruit, peach and pear flavours with a bright freshness. Good density and length, nice character, purity and freshness. |
| 2017 | U.K. | International Wine Competition | www.decanter.com | 2016 | Honey and quince of the nose. Sweet fruit on the palate, juicy with mid palate concentration. A long finish showing good complexity. |
| 2017 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2016 | The 2016 Vidiano Dafnios is all Vidiano, unoaked and coming in at 13.7% alcohol. As clean and fresh as this is, it also showAuthors fine solidity in the mid-palate and a nice finish. Granting that it is a bit tight in its youth, its purity of fruit is rather glorious. This is not, to be sure, a wine (or grape) with much personality. It leans more to a dry, clean Chardonnay. It finishes with very little in the way of fruitiness–on other vintages, I’ve noted more–but it still manages to grip the palate, at least now and in its youth. It should open up a bit if you give it a few months in the cellar and it might be better in the spring of 2018. Finally, the winery and the importer advise that this can age for over 10 years, maybe as much as 15. How gracefully it will age and develop, as opposed to merely holding on, is still a question to me, though, and given variable storage conditions, let’s go slow and be conservative. Take it in stages. |
| 2017 | U.S.A. | W&S staff | www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com | 2016 | Named for the bay laurel that grows around this vineyard, this smells deeply herbal, the sappy green spice overlaying a broad, waxy base of citrus flavor. It’s soft and a little spicy with alcohol, wanting a chill before serving with rice-and-herb-stuffed vegetables this summer. |
| 2017 | U.K. | Julia Harding, MW | www.jancisrobinson.com | 2016 | Fragrant, herbal, dry and chewy. Lots of character here with subtle fruit in terms of fruit flavour, but it has depth and concentration even without very definite fruit flavours, just herbal citrus on the finish. Stony, mineral and with a touch of spice. Tight and well structured. |
| 2016 | U.K. | International Wine Competition | www.decanter.com | 2015 | The darling grape of Crete. Smells ripe and fruity with a peach and floral nose. Outstanding value at this price. A convincing answer to Viognier with racy acidity. |
| 2016 | France | Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of The World 2007 | www.blindtasted.com | 2014 | Quite good intensity here, light golden colour but still youthful, so it has a green tinge. Quite tropical nose. There is ripe fruit here, a bit more ripeness than some previous examples. More in the direction here of yellow fruit, stone fruit. There is still a good presence of fresh citrus, like lemon or lime. Really floral, with hints of apricot, yellow plum. Perhaps a bit of oak, but in that case very discreet. There is a slight hint of nuttiness or something that reminds me of something roasted. Nice palate there. Medium weight but quite broad on the palate. With lush yellow fruit, underlined by lemon and lime zest, fresh almond. The acidity is well-integrated. Quite high acidity, good sensation of freshness on the palate. Medium towards long finish. Well-rounded, really juicy with a good purity of fruit. Good drinkability today and over the few coming years. |
| 2016 | U.K. | Julia Harding, MW | www.jancisrobinson.com | 2015 | Highly aromatic, mostly herbal, bay leaf and with some similarity to Sauvignon Blanc. On the palate it has that same herbal character but also a more stony side. Lots of tension and freshness and almost peppery on the finish (white pepper, like Grüner Veltliner). |
| 2015 | U.K. | International Wine Competition | www.decanter.com | 2014 | Mineral driven vibrant and fruity nose with charm and freshness. The big fresh fruit palate is balanced by really good juicy acidity, and has herbal tea hints adding complexity, long and really well balanced, lovely wine. |
| 2015 | France | Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of The World 2007 | www.blindtasted.com | 2014 | Medium deep straw colour, some hints of sweet citrus, almonds and nuts, good structure on the palate, pure and fresh yellow fruit with fine length and balance. |
| 2015 | France | Markus Del Monego MW, Best Sommelier of The World 1998 | www.blindtasted.com | 2014 | Bright yellow colour with green hue. Discreet nose with restrained fruit, hints of citrus fruit, apple and pear. On the palate well structured with good mouthfeel, medium weight and length. |
| 2015 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2014 | The 2014 Vidiano Dafnios is unoaked and comes in at 13% alcohol. This opened a bit on the piercing side, but as it aired and warmed, the texture became more velvety and caressing, while the fruit seemed surprisingly rich and sappy. Bursting with flavor, this is a tasty treat that is fruit-forward, but not merely fruity. It is a very nice bargain, too. If it is not quite as much of an overachiever as the winery’s Femina (which has become one of my can’t-miss favorites), it is no slouch in the value-for-money category. However long it theoretically holds, drink it young and fresh for best results. The more I taste wines from Douloufakis, the happier I am with them. They all seem to be overachievers. They taste great and the prices run from nice to amazing. |
| 2014 | Canada | John Szabo, MS | www.winealign.com | 2013 | Produced from 100% vidiano, one of the top white varieties on the Island of Crete, by one of it’s leading proponents. The 2013 is somewhat subtle on the nose but the palate is explosively fruity and fullish, substantially flavoured and very ripe, with mostly yellow orchard fruit and some mango-guava-papaya tropical fruit. Very good length. A fine, fruity unoaked wine that runs in the same style spectrum as, say, viognier. |
| 2014 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2013 | The 2013 Vidiano Dafnios is a wonderfully fresh Vidiano with persistent flavor and lovely texture. Lively and clean, it is simply irresistible just now, completely charming and quite delicious. This is a relatively new winery on our shores, but every time I taste their whites in particular, I’m sold. When you see how fresh, enchanting and clean this Vidiano is, you may wonder why some are oaked (yet oak often does work). Each to his own, to be sure, but I think this is far more charming than the winery’s own oaked Vidiano, also reviewed this issue. Drink now-2017. |
| 2014 | U.S.A. | W&S staff | www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com | 2013 | Plump and peachy, this is a soft, easy white for chicken souvlaki. |
| 2013 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2012 | The 2012 Vidiano Dafnios is quite charming, pure, solid and powerful, with a lingering, crisp finish. This is a grape most don’t know, but it does pop up on Crete in various versions. It looks like it has some potential for the future. I loved the earthy, minerally undertone and its focused persistence on the finish. Tightly wound and relatively full bodied, it shows beautifully, another winner from this newly arrived (on our shores) winery and a nice deal. Drink now-2016. |
| 2012 | U.S.A. | Mark Squires, Wine Journalist | www.robertparker.com | 2011 | The 2011 Vidiano “Dafnios” is all Vidiano, indigenous to Crete. I’ve seen it elsewhere on Crete, although this is the first time seen from this winery. It is clean and crisp with a slight lemony tinge early on. With sufficient body for its price range and nice persistence on the flavorful and juicy finish, this is a wine with good purity of fruit that is refreshing, but reasonably solid and round in the mid-palate. It should function well as a summer weight white, but it can also match up to some foods. It won’t reward cellaring. Drink it young and fresh. It should be great in the summer of 2013. Drink now-2015. |
