Χάνδακας - Candia (Handakas - Candia)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• In the winegrowing zone within which the Handakas-Candia PDO wines may be produced, the altitude reaches approximately 700 metres.
• The mountain massifs located in the centre of the zone protect the area's vineyards from the warm southerly winds, which can cause problems in vine development.
• The cool northerly winds, owing to the absence of mountain massifs on the northern side, help to keep temperatures at satisfactory levels during the summer, limiting heat stress in the vineyards and leading to a later ripening of the wine grapes.
• The climate of the area is the typical Mediterranean climate, with a mean annual temperature of 18 °C and mean annual rainfall of 440 mm.
• The terrain of the area has a strongly varied relief, with extensive slopes.

• The wine trade flourished in the area of Handakas during the Venetian period, with fourteenth-century notarial documents recording sales of Malvasia must from vineyards in the villages of Peneradi and Kato Kalesia.
• Venetian merchants found a profitable trade in Cretan wines and spread them throughout the known world of the time, while Malvasia became the most celebrated wine of the Middle Ages.

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

All appellations in Greece

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — ypaat
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-GR-A1615
• Official trade body site — ΕΔΟΑΟ — Εθνική Διεπαγγελματική Οργάνωση Αμπέλου & Οίνου