Malvasia Σητείας (Malvasia Sitia)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Microclimate of mountainous coastal massifs: prolonged droughts combined with sea breeze and low temperatures at altitude.
• Geological singularity combined with high sunshine hours yields high-alcohol wines that simultaneously retain pronounced acidity.
• Terraced relief across the Σητεία landscape bears witness to a centuries-old tradition of viticulture.

• The old vines of Σητεία are cultivated in gobelet (cup-pruned) formation, are own-rooted and pre-phylloxera, grown without irrigation and with short pruning applied to Λιάτικο.
• During the Middle Ages, viticulture was the primary agricultural activity of Σητεία, with commercial records documenting wine sales to Venice.

• The ΠΟΠ wines of Σητεία are high in alcohol owing to abundant sunshine, while simultaneously preserving acidity thanks to the cool mountainous-coastal climate.
• Malvasia Σητείας, a sweet wine of oxidative ageing, was traditionally produced from red varieties through non-classical winemaking, yielding a rosé-type wine that lost its colour progressively with ageing.

• High sunshine hours combined with geological singularity produce high-alcohol wines, while the mild/cool mountainous coastal climate ensures well-preserved acidity.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — ypaat
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-GR-A1608