Σητεία (Sitia)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Sitia PDO zone is mainly a semi-mountainous and mountainous area, with vineyards extending predominantly at elevations between 300 and 750 metres above sea level.
• The soils of the area display enormous diversity owing to various geological periods and their mixing under pressures arising from the collision of the European and Asian tectonic plates.
• The phyllites of the mountain massifs produce a wine distinctly different from that of their washed-down deposits mixed with clay and sand found on the area's plateaus.
• The climate of the area is characterised as Mediterranean, with a fairly mild and wet winter, while snowfall is confined almost exclusively to the mountainous zones.
• The mean temperature during the summer months is 25.5 degrees Celsius, with the maximum recorded in July and the minimum in January, while mean rainfall is approximately 600 mm from October through April.

• In the old vineyards of Sitia, cultivation follows the gobelet (cup-trained) system on own-rooted, pre-phylloxera vines of considerable age, without irrigation except during prolonged drought, and with particularly short pruning for Liatiko.
• The yields of the old vineyards fall well below 8,000 kg per hectare for white varieties and 6,000 kg per hectare for red varieties, while the newer vineyards are grafted, trained in rows, and more productive, with longer pruning.

• The white wines of Sitia PDO are distinguished mainly by their fresh acidity, while the reds are characterised by high alcohol and low colour intensity with a ruby hue.
• The red liqueur wines and dried-grape wines of Sitia PDO display high alcohol, low colour intensity of ruby hue, and a fruity character.

• The hot, dry climate of the area, with no rainfall from April to October, yields grapes free from fungal disease owing to the drought, while the sea breeze combined with the high elevation ensures that the grapes retain their acidity.

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 PDO-GR-A1613
• Official trade body site — ΕΔΟΑΟ — Εθνική Διεπαγγελματική Οργάνωση Αμπέλου & Οίνου