Λευκάδα (Lefkada)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The regional unit of Lefkada is for the most part a mountainous island, with 72.6% of its land classed as mountainous, while the lowland areas are concentrated around Lefkada town and Vasiliki.
• Limestone rock dominates the area, giving rise to a geomorphology of rocky slopes, plateaus and rocky outcrops.
• The climate of Lefkada is characterised by heavy winter rainfall, mild winters, high annual sunshine and an almost rainless summer.
• During the dry period, which lasts 5–6 months from May to October, northwesterly winds prevail, known as the Maistros, blowing with greater intensity from mid-July to mid-September.

• Vineyards used to dominate the natural plateaus of various sizes, their cultivation being one of the main agricultural activities of the area's inhabitants.
• The Vertzami variety is a rare red variety of Italian origin introduced to Lefkada around the 14th–17th century during the period of Venetian rule.
• The variety is grown in the regional unit of Lefkada almost exclusively, and from the last thirty years of the 19th century its wine became much sought after in Europe, especially in France, for colouring other products.
• Income from viticulture was, and still is, the second source of income from crop production in Lefkada after olive oil.

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-A0866
• Official trade body site — Wines of Greece (EDOAO)