The Cretan vineyard basically uses Villana for white wines, Kotsifali, Mandilari and Liatiko for reds and rosés. In recent years, other indigenous varieties are being revived and used, as well as the main international varieties, as a result of which we now have Cretan wines with a cosmopolitan character.
Red variety with high alcohol content, color instability and rich analytical elements for quality wine. Its wine is sweet and has a plum aroma. It is a typical representative of OPAP wines of the Prefecture of Heraklion and is characterized as the "Merlot of Crete". We find it in single variety bottling but also in blends together with Mandilari or Syrah.
Very old and early red variety. Gives dry and wonderful sweet wines. It is high grade, with soft tannins, moderate acidity and relatively light color. The dry and sweet wines of Designation of Origin Daphnes are produced from Liatiko. In recent years, the production of sun-dried wine from Liatiko has been revived through the efforts of winemakers on the island.
Dark red color with high content of anthocyanins. He is considered the "king of the indigenous varieties of the island", mainly due to its good acidity and husky tannins. It participates in the OPAP wine Archanes and Peza in combination with the Kotsifali variety, while many times it is mixed with Syrah.
A lively, productive, fertile plant, resistant to downy mildew, it gives wine of high quality, medium acidity, with a special aroma reminiscent of "apricot". At the moment it is difficult to find wine only from this variety but from what it seems Vidiano has a long future in the Cretan vineyard. Vilana It is the most planted white variety in Crete, purely vinifiable with good details and participates in OPAP Peza wine. This variety has a delicate aroma and lemonade, refreshing taste and is improved by combining the Daphni and Plyto varieties.
White variety cultivated in Crete, in the prefectures of Lassithi and Heraklion. It was extinct but was saved thanks to the efforts of specific local producers. It is lively, moderately productive, drought resistant. Vegetation begins in mid-March and matures in late September. The wine is relatively low to moderate alcohol content, of moderate acidity with an aroma reminiscent of laurel.
White variety of the Cyclades, Crete, Dodecanese and generally southern Greece. It was considered a clone of the variety Athiri but it differs viticulturally and it is a separate variety. It is lively, fertile, very productive, sensitive to downy mildew and drought resistant. Vegetation begins in early April and matures in the first fortnight of September. In suitable soils it gives high quality wines, full of richness of taste, of medium acidity and with a strong herbal aroma.
White variety that produces wine, with a pleasant taste and intense characteristic floral aroma with notes of musk. It is historically associated with the famous Cretan wine of the period from the middle Byzantine period until the beginning of the 18th century. The variety has returned to the forefront in recent years and has entered the field of aromatic dry and sweet wines.
This is a variety that is cultivated in eastern Crete and Kythira. It was almost forgotten but recently returned to the forefront. It is a lively plant, productive but susceptible to diseases. Its grapes are medium, with a golden yellow rind, with a rare refreshing acidity and a lemony taste. It is harvested in September. Many producers use it for single variety wines, while others mix it with other richer varieties such as Vidiano.
It is a variety cultivated extensively in several countries around the world. It ripens in early September, is oxidized and requires care during winemaking. Muscat can give dry wines with rich typical aroma, high, with moderate acidity, but mainly extremely sweet wines, either sun-dried or liqueur wines, with exuberant aromas and flavors.