Knossos Palace - Wine Storerooms of the Minoans

How to Complete

4 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 🍷 1

   Hunt the Five-Foot Wine Jars That Held 21,000 Gallons

   wine $$

   Find the West Magazines storerooms where 150 massive pithoi reveal Europe's first wine export empire

   150 pithoi (giant storage jars) line the West Magazines at Knossos — each one stands ~5 feet tall and held 50 gallons of wine. Together, these jars stored 80,000 liters total, enough for 27,000 modern wine bottles. Enter via the northern gate on the west side of the palace, follow the raised wooden walkways to 19 oblong storerooms. Count the pithoi as you walk — front row for liquids (wine, oil), back row for dry goods. Notice the alabaster-lined floor vats between the jars. The sheer scale reveals this wasn't a royal cellar, it was industrial export infrastructure.

   🔄 BACKUP: If the walkway route is confusing, ask any staff member "Where are the West Magazines with the pithoi?" They'll point you to the storeroom complex. It's a major site feature — impossible to miss once you're in the right section.

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2. 📜 2

   Find Where Minoans Invented Oak Aging 3,900 Years Before France

   history Free

   Stand in the wine storerooms and connect the dots to toasted oak found in 2200 BC Myrtos pithoi

   In 2200 BC, just 40km from here at Myrtos, scientists analyzed wine residue from pithoi and found TOASTED OAK used for flavoring. The French "invented" oak-aged wine in the 1700s AD. That's a 3,900-year head start. At the West Magazines storerooms, stand among these same type of pithoi that held oak-flavored wine. Touch one if allowed — many have protective barriers, but some are accessible. Imagine the Minoan winemaker adding toasted oak chips to the 50-gallon jar you're touching, then imagine telling a Bordeaux winemaker their technique is 4,000 years late.

   🔄 BACKUP: If touching isn't allowed, take a photo of the pithos with your hand for scale. The "holy shit" moment is realizing these jars held oak-flavored wine when most of Europe was still hunter-gatherers.

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3. 📜 3

   Locate the Throne Room Evans Found Inches Below the Surface

   history Free

   Visit the room Arthur Evans discovered in March 1900, untouched for 3,000 years with frescoes so fresh the paint looked wet

   On March 23, 1900, Arthur Evans began excavating and within weeks hit this room — mere inches below the surface. The painted frescoes were so vivid it looked like the Minoans had just walked out. Find the Throne Room in the central palace area, accessed from the central court (clearly marked on the standard tour route). The throne itself is alabaster — the original, still there — likely used for ritual wine libations. Read the placard explaining the discovery, then imagine Evans breaking through topsoil expecting to dig for months, only to hit fresh-looking paint at shovel depth 2.

   🔄 BACKUP: If the room is crowded, wait 5-10 minutes. Tour groups cycle through quickly. The Throne Room is small — you'll have it to yourself between waves.

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4. 🍷 4

   Taste Retsina - The 4,200-Year-Old Wine That Survived

   Optional

   wine $

   Drink the same resinated wine technique Minoans used in 2200 BC at a nearby wine bar

   Retsina — white wine flavored with pine resin — is a 4,200-year-old tradition. Gas chromatography analysis of 2200 BC pithoi from Myrtos (40km from here) showed Minoan wine was resinated with terebinth (pine sap) for preservation. Before glass bottles, resin sealed out oxygen. At Kassaki (Cold Cuts Shop & Bar) on the road between Knossos and Heraklion, book a private tasting (4-10 people, by appointment, includes Cretan wines + charcuterie). Or visit Think Tank espresso & wine bar in Heraklion's neoclassic district — ask the sommelier for retsina and mention you just came from Knossos. Watch their face light up when you drop the Myrtos oak bombshell. Budget: €5-8 per glass.

   🔄 BACKUP: If both are closed, any Greek taverna in Heraklion serves retsina. Ask for "retsina krasi" (ρετσίνα κρασί). The point is drinking the same preservation technique as the Minoans, not the specific venue.

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Insider Tips

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  Visit early morning (8am) to avoid cruise ship crowds

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  Focus on the West Magazines - the wine storage area with giant pithoi

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  The throne room's ritual basin may have been used for wine libations

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  Combine with Heraklion Archaeological Museum for the full picture