Macedonia and thrace

Halkidiki

From the written testimony of the ancient Greece we learn that Halkidiki, and in particular Mendi and Skioni, was known for its wines. More recently the wine of Arnea on the central body of Halkidiki has become known. Today the enological situation in Halkidiki is excellent The peninsula of Halkidiki has three fingers, Athos, Sithonia and Kassandra. Mount Athos, on which the celebrated monastic community is located, is the easternmost of them, with a long tradition in wine-making. The Tsantalis distillery grew rapidly and in 1971, moved to new premises of 5000 sq.m on Monasteri St. In that same year Evangelos Tsantalis realized one of the great dreams of his life, to revive an Athonite vineyard. In the dependent monastery of Chromitsa in the Russian monastic community of Aghios Panteleimon, a long forgotten tradition was revived through the recultivation of the vines.

The vines are grown at an attitude of 300 m. and occupy about 100 hectares. They include the following varieties: Limnio, Athiri, Roditis, Grenache Rouge, Assyrtiko,Cabernet Sauvignion, Xynomavro. This same vineyard produces the Aghioritikos (i.e Athonite) local wine.

Wines from Mount Athos, Macedonia, Rapsani and the traditional distillations of Macedonian tsipouro and Olympic Tsantali ouzo, are leaders on the Greek market and hold high positions on the demanding European market as well.

On Kassandra, the westernmost finger of Halkidiki, the cultivation of grapes has declined as urban spread has advanced.

Regarding the middle finger of Sithonia, there are some important things to stress. What is characteristic of this region is 450 hectares of vineyards, one of the largest in Europe. It is near the community of Neos Marmaras. This is the Carras domain which extends to an altitude of 140 - 350 metres, on sloping ground, which abuts on the sea. It is surrounded by a pine forest, in an environment of unparalleled natural beauty. On the Carras domain, Greek and French grapes have been planted in separate areas on te basis of the requirements of each variet. Here we can find Roditis, Limnio, Cabernet Sauvignion, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Syrah, Crenache, Athiri, Asyrtiko, and others.