Κάρυστος (Karystos)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils of the winegrowing zone range from sandy, sandy loam, and loam to sandy clay loam and clay, with a medium mechanical composition (SL, SCL) and a predominantly neutral pH.
• Cultivated vineyards begin at 10 metres above sea level, with the highest-altitude sites reaching 600 metres on the mountain massif of Ohi.
• A number of vineyards are cultivated on sloping terrain to favour drainage and better sun exposure, whereas traditionally most were planted in the more fertile areas.
• The climate of the region is characterised as Mediterranean, with a mean annual temperature of 18.5 °C, approximately 25 °C during the summer months and approximately 11 °C during the winter months.
• Mean annual rainfall is around 80 mm, with higher precipitation from October through April, while strong north-easterly winds prevail in both winter and summer.

• The dried-grape wine has been produced traditionally in the region for many decades, when winemakers would make a quantity of dried-grape wine for family use alongside their dry wines.
• The dried-grape wine was the special wine that accompanied festive tables, celebrations, and local festivals of the area, before gradually acquiring a reputation beyond its zone of production.
• Approximately two decades ago, the systematic production and commercial distribution of dried-grape wines began at the area's wineries, which combined traditional techniques with modern technology.
• For many years the winery of the Community of Winemaking Cooperatives of Karystos-Marmari vinified the largest volume of grapes in the region, while today small-scale quality wine estates also operate.

• The region's high and prolonged temperatures and abundant sunshine allow sugars to accumulate in the grapes, which thus attain the appropriate alcohol level and the necessary aromatic compounds required for the production of quality dried-grape wines.

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 PGI-GR-A1334
• Official trade body site — Wines of Greece (EDOAO)