Crete is a very important wine producing area in Greece. The warm climate along with the intense sunshine, the sea breeze and the mountains create many different conditions that favor several grape varieties for the production of a wide range of red, rose and white wines. The grape varieties that give us the red wine are the kotsifali, the mantilari, the liatiko and the romaiiko.
The Kotsifali variety produces a typical Mediterranean wine and is cultivated mainly in the prefecture of Heraklion occupying 12,000 acres. The wine has a pleasant aroma and a taste of moderate alcohol content, mild tannins and acidity. Its aroma is differentiated during its aging, the freshly vinified wine has subtle and cool aromas that make it ideal for the preparation of rosé wine, while the aged one has a different aroma with a pinch of dried figs and plums. Because the kotsifali produces wine with color instability, it is traditionally vinified with the red mantilari variety, which has a deep red color, high acidity and low alcohol content. The two varieties complement and balance each other and produce a wine with an aroma of sweet flowers and dried black fruits. The best kotsifali wine comes from the area of Heraklion. (PDO Peza wine and PDO Archanes wine). Kotsifali wine is suitable for both oily and meat dishes.
The liatiko is a grape variety that produces excellent red wines but also famously sweet wines. Dry wines have a round, full and soft taste while sweet ones have a richer and denser taste. The wine is made from sun-dried grapes and has a faint red and grenache color. Its aroma is rich with ripe red fruits and its taste is full with high alcohol and low soft tannins. Long aging in large barrels is required. Dry wines need at least 5 years to become more enjoyable while they may age for 10 years or more. The best liatiko wine comes from Heraklion (PDO Dafnes wine) and Lasithi (PDO Sitia wine) with 20% addition of the mantilari variety. The Sitia GI dessert wine is ideal for those who prefer sweet red wine with low alcohol.
The romaiiko variety is cultivated in the sunny vineyards of the Kissamos hills near Chania, under excellent climatic conditions, and it is ideal for the production of sweet red wine. According to studies, it is genetically related to one of the noble varieties of Madeira. The resulting wine, Marouvas, is high in alcohol and moderate in acidity. Its color is unstable due to the idiosyncratic polychromy of the grapes and it is intended for long-term aging. It is a traditional wine that some consider special while others simply consider it as oxidized due to the presence of oxidation in the aroma and the taste. Oxidation, however, is not always a defect and can add complexity to the other organoleptic characteristics of the wine.
(More articles about Crete on www.gomega.gr)
