The presentation of the name and label of the Anniversary Collectors’ Wine of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, titled “ZK” (Zeta Kappa), was held with great success. The event formed part of the programme of the 2nd Wine and Culture Festival (7–8 February) and took place on Saturday, 7 February 2026, at the Old Power Station of Archanes.

The anniversary collectors’ wine “ZK” was created within the framework of the Anniversary Collectors’ Wine Competition organized by the Museum from July 2025 to February 2026. The year 2026 marks a milestone for the Museum, as it commemorates eighty years since the publication of the emblematic novel Life and Times of Alexis Zorba. On the occasion of this significant anniversary, the Museum is planning a new cycle of Festivals dedicated to the novels of Nikos Kazantzakis, beginning with the “ZORBA” Festival in the summer of 2026.

ZK WINE

As a tribute to the first publication of the novel, the Museum also organized the Anniversary Collectors’ Wine Competition: an open call of global originality addressed to Cretan wineries to create a red wine that would express the indomitable spirit of Alexis Zorba.

During the highly successful Tasting Day held at the Museum on 24 January 2026, the panel of distinguished wine experts—Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, Apostolos Plahouras DipWSET, Yro Koliakoudaki DipWSET, and Prof. Mondher Bouzayen (INP-ENSA Toulouse)—selected the wine of Idaia Winery, based in Venerato, Heraklion, as the one that most fully embodied the requested characteristics of Alexis Zorba: multidimensional, unconventional, vibrant, and authentic.

At the unveiling of the name and label of the anniversary collectors’ wine “ZK,” the goals, challenges, and future of the competition were discussed by the President of the Museum, Andreas Metaxas; the Museum Director, Marilena Milathianaki; the originator of the idea and appointed advisor for the organization of the competition, Stelios Rousohatzakis; the technical advisor of the Tasting Day, Apostolos Plahouras; and the creator of the artwork adorning the label, Loula Metaxa.

The event also included the screening of a short audiovisual presentation dedicated to the creative process behind Loula Metaxa’s artwork, which draws its inspiration from the inseparable spiritual bond between Nikos Kazantzakis and Alexis Zorba.

Andreas Metaxas; the Museum Director, & Vasilis Laderos Idaia Winery

The highlight of the event was the affixing of label number 0001 onto the first bottle of the anniversary collectors’ wine “ZK” by the President of the Museum and the owner of Idaia Winery, Vasilis Laderos. This first bottle was placed the following day in the Permanent Exhibition of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum, in the display case dedicated to the novel Life and Times of Alexis Zorba.

The anniversary collectors’ wine was made available for the first time to visitors of the 2nd Wine and Culture Festival at the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum stand and is now available at the Museum’s physical shop. Each bottle bears a unique numbered label, as the wine was bottled only once, in a limited edition of 3,000 numbered bottles.

Among those attending the event were the Mayor of Archanes–Asterousia, Manolis Kokosalis; the competition’s technical winemaking advisor, Nikos Miliarakis; journalist and author Isabella Zampetaki; the President of the Association of Tourist & Travel Agents of Crete, Michalis Vlatakis; the President of DEPANAL, Kostas Varverakis; member of the Board of the Kazantzakis Museum, Michalis Krasakis; as well as members of the Board of the Friends of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum Association.

The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum extends its warm thanks to all those who supported the organization of the Anniversary Collectors’ Wine Competition. In particular, for the label presentation event, special thanks are due to visual artist Loula Metaxa for the generous contribution of her artwork for the label; to GS Label Print for sponsoring the printing of the labels; to cinematographer Lefteris Piperakis for the gracious provision of the audiovisual presentation of the wine; and to Mosquito Design for the artistic and graphic design supervision of both the competition and the label. Finally, warm thanks are extended to the wine shop Oinophilos for its collaboration and hospitality at the Wine and Culture Festival, for the second consecutive year.

The Anniversary Collectors’ Wine Competition was held within the framework of Crete’s designation as the “European Region of Gastronomy 2026.”

More information about the wine competition can be found at kazantzaki.gr.