Alexandra Manousakis: From Washington to Crete – Where wine, art, and flavors meet

For Alexandra Manousakis, nothing is ever just one thing. Between the vineyards of her family’s winery in Vatolakkos, her ceramics that tell whimsical yet deeply personal stories, and culinary projects that blend tradition with creativity, she has built a vibrant, multi-layered world of her own.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Alexandra spent her childhood summers in Chania, captivated by the light, rhythm, and soul of Crete. After studying Greek Studies, Fine Arts, and Business Administration, she pursued a thriving marketing career in New York City. But in 2007, she left it all behind to take over her family’s winery in her ancestral village – transforming it into one of Greece’s most renowned labels.

A World Built on Wine, Art, and Flavors

Today, Alexandra runs the Manousakis Winery alongside her husband, sommelier Afshin Molavi. Together, they’ve expanded the family business, weaving creativity into every venture. Their first joint project beyond the winery was Salis, a restaurant in Chania’s old harbor that embraces a farm-to-table philosophy, serving dishes crafted from their own gardens and trusted local producers.

At the winery, Alexandra created her own artistic world. The spaces are filled with painted barrels, ceramics, and colors that carry her personal touch, transforming the winery into a living canvas. One of her most recognizable works is the vibrant label of the Pink rosé wine, while those dining at Salis in Chania’s old harbor can admire the mural she created there – a seamless blend of art, wine, and gastronomy woven into a single, distinctive narrative.

Then came Miami – a 1950s carpentry workshop turned brasserie, artist’s studio, and showroom. It’s a hybrid space where flavors, colors, and personal stories converge. “I wanted people to feel as if they were walking into my living room,” Alexandra says. The menu features recipes layered with memories: from the comforting dish her best friend’s mother still cooks for her to the pizza dough she spent two years perfecting. “Miami is food that embraces you,” she says with a smile. “It’s simple, soulful, and personal.”

Adding a playful twist to Chania’s culinary scene, she and her team also created Ampla, a next-generation souvlaki and craft beer concept that reimagines street food through a creative, contemporary lens.

The art of identity – Ceramics as personal storytelling

Alongside wine and gastronomy, Alexandra has cultivated another passion: ceramics. What began as a spontaneous hobby in Crete evolved into Alexandra Manousakis Ceramics, a collection of pieces that mirror her personal journey.

“I love the texture of ceramics as a canvas – how alive it feels,” she says. “I let the brush lead me, following its path along the curves of a vase.” Her works are playful yet introspective, often inscribed with bold words like “Public Office,” “Protocol Number,” or “Patent” – small personal snapshots of her experience adapting to life in Greece.

“When I first moved here, I couldn’t understand why so many people dreamed of working in the Dimosio – the public sector – or why everything required a protocol number,” she recalls, laughing. “Those words stuck with me, so I turned them into art.”

For Alexandra, ceramics are inseparable from life itself. After losing her mother in 2014, she paused painting, only to rediscover her creative flow when her daughter was born. Today, between raising two children and managing the winery, she creates around 200 ceramic pieces each summer, which consistently sell out.

Finding home in Crete

Alexandra admits the transition wasn’t always easy. Moving from Manhattan to a small Cretan village came with its challenges: “In the beginning, I felt like everything I knew was upside down. Even simple things – like being told to go to the ‘ypothikofylakeio’ (land registry office) and ending up in the wrong place – taught me humility. I had to relearn the language, the systems, the rhythm of daily life.”

Still, Crete offered something she couldn’t find elsewhere. “I look out my window and see a hundred trees. My kids don’t have tablets, they don’t stare at screens. We eat clean, organic food, and we know exactly where it comes from. That’s priceless to me.”

A life shaped by art, nature, and simplicity

Between Miami, Salis, Ampla, her ceramics, and the winery, Alexandra’s life moves between disciplines, yet everything feels interconnected. Whether she’s sketching new ceramic designs, developing a recipe, or walking through the vineyards, her creative approach stays rooted in one philosophy: authenticity.

One of her favorite ways to recharge is through simple moments in Chania. “A perfect day starts with a run by the old harbor, from Miami to Agioi Apostoloi along the sea. Other days, I take the kids to Gouverno Gorge, near the Akrotiri peninsula, and we hike up to the monastery – it feels like we’ve escaped the world for a while. And on winter afternoons, I lay my papers on the floor and paint while the kids play football around me. It’s freedom – a kind I could never have had in the U.S.”

On Greece, Crete, and staying rooted

Recently, Alexandra began studying Byzantine iconography and met a teacher who reminded her why she chose to stay in Greece. “Her warmth, her simplicity, her way of speaking… it all grounded me again,” she says. “It reminded me of why I came here – and why I stayed.”

For Alexandra, Greece is more than sunshine and sea views. “The weather, the beaches, the food – you can find those elsewhere,” she explains. “What makes Greece unique is something deeper: a sense of connection, community, and authenticity. Crete, especially, has an energy that pulls you in. It’s no coincidence so many people come here and never leave. And maybe it’s no coincidence that I didn’t either – even though logic said I should.”

Through wine, art, ceramics, and food, Alexandra Manousakis has built something rare: a creative ecosystem where every element speaks to the others. Each bottle, each dish, each ceramic piece carries a story. Together, they form a tapestry – a life where heritage, passion, and creativity meet under the Cretan sun.