Εύβοια (Evia)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Geologically, Euboea is a continuation of Attica, and its soils consist mainly of schists, with numerous geological formations.
• There appears to have been intense volcanic activity during the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era, when the island separated from the mainland.
• The soils of the region range from sandy, sandy loam, loam, and sandy clay to clay, while the vineyard soils are of medium mechanical composition with a neutral pH and low calcium carbonate content.
• Cultivated vineyards begin at 10 metres above sea level, with the highest-altitude sites reaching 600 metres on the mountain massif of Dirfys, which rises to 1,745 metres.
• Traditionally, most vineyards were planted on the more fertile plains, but they are now cultivated on steeply sloping hillsides to favour drainage and improved sun exposure.

• The poet Theognis of Megara refers to the viticultural tradition of Euboea, writing that he arrived in a region full of vineyards with abundant wine production in the Lelantine plain.
• During the final period of Ottoman rule, Kymi developed economically mainly through the production and trade of wine, and from the 1830s onwards wine exports, principally to France, favoured the accumulation of wealth in Kymi.
• Merchants from Karystos brought the must of Karystia to the markets of Volos and Thessaloniki, with thousands of wooden barrels of must loaded onto large sailing vessels from the port of Karystos.

• The white PGI Euboea wines have a pale colour, mainly with green-tinged hues and occasionally a slightly yellowish tint, with aromas of citrus fruit, flowers, and ripe fruit.
• The red PGI Euboea wines have an intense, deep red colour with deep violet glints in their youth and brick-red hues with age, with aromas of blackcurrant, cherry, dark fruit, and hints of pepper.
• The palate of the red PGI Euboea wines is full-bodied with soft tannins and a persistent, intense fruit finish.
• The rosé PGI Euboea wines display a wide colour palette ranging from pale to intense hues, with expressive aromas in which flowers and red fruit predominate.

• In sites with sandy-silt soils, Syrah yields wines of aromatic finesse, while in soils with high clay content and lower calcium carbonate levels the wines produced are characterised mainly by a robust phenolic character.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Greece

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-GR-A1559
• Official trade body site — Wines of Greece (EDOAO)