Μετέωρα (Meteora)

Greece · PGI · Θεσσαλία

Styles

Natural factors

The relief of the zone is markedly varied, encompassing semi-mountainous and mountainous terrain at elevations ranging from 150 to 800 metres.
Soil composition is variable, presenting mainly as sandy-clay, clay-calcareous, schistose, and in places stony.
In the area surrounding the Meteora rocks and the Theopetra cave, the soil composition shows similarities to the rock composition of Meteora, with depositional material and marine fossils, a factor responsible for the very good drainage.
The climate of the region is continental, with considerable rainfall and snowfall in winter, dry summers, and intense sunshine.
Based on data from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service for the Kalambaka weather station, the mean absolute maximum temperature is 26.01°C and the absolute minimum temperature is 5.45°C, with a mean relative humidity of 68.47%.

Human factors

Grape seeds dating from the Palaeolithic era were discovered in the prehistoric Theopetra cave, attesting to the region's long-standing relationship with viticulture.
In the village of Kastraki, beneath the rocks of Meteora, monks cultivated their vineyards from the 11th century onwards, as recorded under the name Qastiro in the Ottoman tax register of 1454/55.
Tax exemptions and other economic privileges for viticulture appear to have been granted to the monks of Meteora as early as Bayezid I, during the years of Ottoman rule, in 1393/94.

Terroir / wine link

The cool northerly winds from the slopes of the Pindus range, combined with the Pineios and Lithaios rivers, create mild conditions during the periods of vegetative growth and grape ripening, and reduce as far as possible the occurrence of vine diseases.

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

About this boundary · approximate area

Approximate area — the union of the administrative units named in the document (Eurostat GISCO or national cadastre boundaries).