CANAVA CHRISSOU SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO VIEILLES VIGNES 2016

About the wine.

The new line of Tserepos Estate, mainly made from grapes harvested from the Krissou family's own vineyards in Santorini. Authentic and rich aromas that highlight the varietal characteristics. The wine is characterized by unique mineral and flint aromas with iodine nuances, a powerful, rich, firm body, and a long, persistent finish. The soil is porous sandy, rich in volcanic ash and pumice. The vines are 50 to 100 years old and yield 14,000 kg per hectare. The grapes are harvested in mid-August and kept in a cool room. The uncrushed grapes are placed in a pneumatic press and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 16-17°C for 3 months. This wine is an excellent match for raw seafood dishes such as carpaccio, shrimp pasta, and other seafood.

A perfect wine for sushi and sashimi.

[ About Assyrtiko].

Assyrtiko is a rare and elegant white grape that is considered to be one of the greatest varieties in the Mediterranean. It originates from the island of Santorini (Assyrtiko Santorini), but has now spread all over Greece and has become one of the most important indigenous varieties. It produces mainly dry white wines, some of which are aged in oak, but a number of sweet wines are also made from sun-dried grapes.

Assyrtiko is one of the few white grape varieties that can grow in hot and dry climatic conditions, while at the same time maintaining a perfect balance of high alcohol content due to its refreshing acidity. It is one of the few grapes that have not been affected by phylloxera, as it was protected by its location on the island when the disease spread. Rather than being an aromatic grape, it is a textural variety with an emphasis on extract, body and structure. It produces very concentrated white wines with mineral notes.

On the island of Santorini, where the wind and sun are strong, a special cultivation method called "kurra" is used to protect the grapes. The branches of the grapes are woven together like a basket, and the grapes are carefully protected in the basket. The Assyrtiko grapes produced in this way grow into dense, mineral-rich grapes that reflect the thousands of years of Santorini's history.

The "kurra" is woven one by one by human hands.

About Santorini

Santorini is one of the Cycladic islands in the South Aegean Sea. The viticultural area of the island is about 1,400 hectares, starting at sea level and terracing up to the caldera at 150 to 250 meters depending on the location.
The soil is a mixture of volcanic ash and pumice, and along the entire length of the island there are deposits of large and small rocks composed of magnesium and iron, as well as small and large lava deposits, all of volcanic origin. Pumice, consisting of small to very small porous stones, extends from the surface to a considerable depth.

Santorini's soil is sandy, with layers more than 40 meters thick, about 3600 years old, and unaffected by the underlying layer of semi-crystalline limestone and schist. The presence of large amounts of large and small rocks composed of magnesium and iron define the soil characteristics of Santorini. These formations enrich the soil with calcium, magnesium and iron, creating soils with different water contents.

Santorini's soils are also characterized by a very low organic matter content. The same is true for the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and most other trace elements. There is little clay and a very high percentage of sand (93-97%), creating a harsh environment for the pest called phylloxera. Phylloxera eradicated most of the world's viticultural areas in the last century, but Santorini has managed to escape its harm.

Santorini's iconic white walls and the blue roofs of its churches

Santorini's viticultural areas are ancient, with varieties dating back to antiquity. Archaeological finds from the excavation of the prehistoric city of Akrotiri provide clear evidence of the existence of vineyards in Thira (Santorini) from around the 17th century BC. However, this prehistoric viticultural area was destroyed by a major volcanic eruption around 1620 BC. Around 1200 B.C., the island was re-inhabited and the vines were restored to the new volcanic soil. It is no exaggeration to say that the viticultural area of Santorini has a history of 3,000 years. Cultivated without interruption to this day, grapes and wine are at the core of the island's economic, social and cultural life.

Viticulture in Santorini has been handed down from generation to generation for 3,000 years.

Santorini has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters, cool summers, and strong north winds that blow for up to a month in the summer. The vines are freed from the heat of the sea breeze by these north winds. The average annual rainfall is up to 350 mm and the average temperature is 16.5οC.
The humidity created by the sea, especially in the caldera due to the high daytime temperatures during the summer nights, falls like a gentle rain on the surface of the soil and grape leaves. This "rain" is called "pusi" (meaning fog rising from the sea) by the locals, and it heals the vines from the high temperatures during the day. The cool air that pours down on the island during the summer nights contributes to the high quality of the wines produced in Santorini, due to the large temperature difference between day and night.

[About the winery].

The new winery in Santorini, Canava Krissou-Zelepos, is the result of a collaboration between Yannis Zelepos, owner of the winery of the same name in Arcadia, and the Krissou family in Santorini.

The driving force behind this venture was Yannis Tserepos' never-ending quest for new challenges in winemaking activities and the Krissou family's vision to revive the old Canava by utilizing 12 hectares of private vineyards in Pyrgos, Emporio and Megalohori.

Since the 2013 vintage, efforts have been made to revive the perennial vineyards using traditional methods. These efforts have focused on making the vineyards viable by restoring yields of 3 to 3.5 tons per hectare. The ultimate goal is to optimize the quality of the grapes produced, as this project aims to provide high quality, high value wines that take advantage of the unique conditions and potential of Santorini.

Winemaker, Mr. Yannis Tserepos