Cretan wine on the up
Good wine is just one more reason to visit the largest Greek island
ONE OF the most dynamic sectors of the Cretan economy is tourism. The excellent climate of the island, its beautiful landscape and different categories of accommodation – from cheap pensions to luxurious tourist resorts – attract as many as two million visitors every year. I recently visited Chania on Crete’s west side for a short break only to discover another attracting aspect of Crete. The island is also known for the quality of its agricultural products. These include extra virgin olive oil, many kinds of olives, cheese (graviera, anthotiros, feta), vegetables and fruit, fish, and, also good quality wines.
Crete is the largest Greek island and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. It accounts for 20 per cent of all wine produced in Greece. It is characterised by its diversity of landscape and marked contrasts. The island is dominated by a major mountain range extending from west to east, the highest peak being Psiloritis (3,000 meters). There are fertile valleys between the mountains, extensive plains and gorges (Samaria). Variety is the key of the Cretan landscape. The four major producing areas are Archanes, Dafnes, Peza and Sitia. These areas are protected from the warm southern winds by the mountains which also provide water during the summer from the melting snow. Like Cyprus, the phylloxera pest has never arrived on Crete.
Crete has some interesting indigenous grape varieties. Under the white grape category there is Daphni, grown only in the Cretan areas of Iraklio and Lasithio – excellent resistance to drought makes it ideally suited to the island’s hot climate. Vigorous plants produce average yields, while the grapes have a tough skin and Daphni’s berries – large and almost oval – hang loosely – attached in long bunches. A distinctive laurel (daphne) aroma gives the variety its name, and acidity and sugars are low. Athiri, the Aegean basin cultivar, is vigorous and productive. Wines made from Athiri can be high in alcohol and relatively low in acid. They have a delicate melon aroma and a delicious creamy texture. Vilana is the often over-cropped high-yield workhorse of Crete. It sources the refreshing Kritikos Topikos (vin de pays of Crete) as well as numerous thin, watery wines. The variety’s character is most apparent in grapes harvested from hillside vineyards and the floral, green apple nose follows through to the palate.
Among red grape varieties, Kotsifali is a vigorous and productive vine. The vines reach high alcohol levels, but their acidity is low and their colour unstable. The ratio of 80% Kotsifali and 20%Mandelaria makes for ever-improving original wines on Archanes and Peza. A bit like our Mavro and Maratheftiko blends. Mandelaria then or Amorghiano has the same amount of anthocyannins as Aghiorghitiko (the famous Nemea grape in Peloponnese), but the degree of ionisation is greater. Mandelaria has a high concentration of total phenols. The vines are sensitive to micro-climate conditions and the grapes ripen with difficulty. Mandelaria is used mainly to increase the colour of the light Kotsifali. Imported varieties, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon are now planted widely in Crete.
Over the five days I spent in Chania, the following wines persuaded me that Cretan wines are on the ascendancy and readers should be made aware of them.
I was impressed by the Lyrakakis winery in Iraklion. A blend of Kotsyfali 30% and Syrah 70%, the 2000 vintage is a combination of a local and an imported grape variety, as is common now in Cyprus. It has a deep red colour with attractive hues, complex aromas, which remind of raspberry and cherry, full-bodied, round tannins and balanced acidity with an aromatic and velvety long-lasting taste. Best consumed at 17?C, with red meat like the popular Cretan lamb baked in the oven with feta cheese or with the piquant graviera cheese. Another outstanding wine was the white 2003 Roussanne, Nostos Winery. Gold colour with notable green rim, aromas of white flower and sweet oak, and its fruit is quite round, rich and fat with refreshing acidity. Green fruit lasts to the finish as an aftertaste. The wine is matured in French barrels. An excellent job on this Rhone Valley grape variety. Served at 9?C, it will match fish and seafood dishes perfectly. I have tried this wine with an urchin salad by the Venetian port of Chania. From the same winery the 2001 Syrah has an opaque inky, blue, purple colour, complex aromas of well-ripened fruit and sweet spices with the presence of oak. Rich and full bodied still, a bit heavy in the mouth, still some wild tannins and a long lasting finish. Served at 18?C it was perfectly matched with a delicious mixed grill.
l If you want to try Cretan wines for yourself, the Cyprus Vines club is organizing a four-day trip in September. For details see to www.cyprusvines.com Trip includes visits to the Boutari Wineries in Crete and Santorini.
