Σάμος (Samos)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Vineyards on terraced slopes with dry-stone retaining walls, ranging from sea level to 900 m elevation.
• Soil composition is σχιστόλιθος and χαλικώδες, of moderate fertility and well-drained.
• Acidic soils (calcium-deficient) rich in mineral elements Fe, Mg, Mn, Cu, and Zn.
• Mean annual temperature 20.3 °C; annual rainfall 750 mm, falling from late September to mid-May.
• Summer winds are a key factor in the uniqueness of the ΠΟΠ Σάμος wines.

• Viticulture on Σάμος predates the 1st millennium BC; Hesychius describes the Samian grape as uniquely sweet and aromatic.
• The ΕΟΣΣ (1934) oversees production and exports; in 1955 France recognized SAMOS as the first Greek wine admitted outside quota restrictions.

• The Samian grape is described as 'very sweet and aromatic,' qualities found on no other island or in neighbouring Asia.
• Sweet Samian wine is the official wine of the Holy Eucharist of the Roman Catholic Church.

• The uniqueness of ΠΟΠ Σάμος wines is explicitly linked to soil, climate, and the influence of summer winds.

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-A1564
• Official trade body site — United Winemaking Cooperative of Samos (EOSS)