Winemaker Stelios Galanos of Akritos Oinos winery, speaks about Chidiriotiko, a rare grape variety, which we find in the island of Lesvos.
One of the rarest varieties of the Greek vineyard can be found on the island of Lesvos. Its official name is Chidiriotiko (Kalloniatiko) and comes from the mountain village of Western Lesvos, Khidira (Hydira) which means “water in abundance” (Hydin ydor).
It is known that a variety planted in different soils will give the grape and by extension the wine different aromas. In this article we will describe the variety “Chidiriotiko”, which is planted around the village of Chidira in Western Lesbos, in the privately owned vineyards of the winery “Akritos Oinos” with a traditional vinification from native and only yeasts that come from the skin of the grape .
The soils here are volcanic where sulfur and copper sulphide occur all the way to the surface. The village of Chidira is located inside the caldera of the now inactive Western Lesvos.
A special microclimate can be found here which, although an island, tends towards the semi-continental, with a wide temperature range even in the summer months. The surrounding pine and oak forests in turn contribute to the special aromas of the variety.
In the old days, the variety that the locals called “wine grape” was cultivated here. Toponyms of the area such as “Pano Abelia” and “Kato Abelia” testify that the vine was one of the main sources of their income, until the beginning of the 20th century, when it was almost completely destroyed by phylloxera. During the 1980s, the variety was revived again in now-vaccinated American stock.
It is a red variety, with a relatively small bunch, with a medium-sized berry and a slaty leaf. Fine-skinned, which is why the color of the wines that come exclusively from this variety is ruby. The volcanic soils and acidic waters of the area give the wine a minerality and a metallicity.
The Chidiriotiko variety gives aromas of red fruits, strawberries, blackberries, plums. We distinguish various herbs such as sage, and spices such as cinnamon and rosemary. Of course the aroma of oak wood prevails.
A variety that, as it turned out, can offer a superior quality wine.
Winemaker Stelios Galanos
The peculiarity of the variety is that a long period of time is required in order to bring out the maximum of its taste and aromatic characteristics. Aging in this variety is essential as well as the time to be given after opening the bottle.
A variety that, as it turned out, can offer a superior quality wine.
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