Our August Wine of the Month – Idaia Winery, ‘Ocean’, Dafnes, Crete, Thrapsathiri 2021 – comes from the largest of Greece’s islands. Idaia Winery is situated in the Dafnes region of Central Crete, using the indigenous variety of Thrapshathiri (pronounced Thrap-sah-THEE-ree) which is grown in vineyards located at an altitude of 400 to 500 metres above sea level. The soils, very low yielding vines and the distinctive microclimate, combine to create a unique terroir in which the Thrapshathiri variety thrives.
In a nutshell
A rich and impressive wine with delicate floral aromas followed by a generous and spicy mouthfeel with hints of savoury liquorice and pine and a refreshing saline, mineral finish.
The producer 
Idaia Winery is a boutique family-run winery situated in the Venerato, a charming village in the heart of the vineyards of the Malevizi district. Owned by husband and wife oenologists Vasilis Laderos and Calliope Volitaki, they specialise in producing wines from indigenous varieties and use their extensive knowledge, experience and passion to create these superb wines with strong personalities. Showcasing varietals such as Vidiano and Vilana, these crisp, dry mouth-watering whites are truly expressive of the terroir of Crete.
The wine
The winemaking philosophy is to create wines which showcase the quality of the indigenous varieties. Following a thorough inspection at the winery, the grapes were preserved for 24 hours at very low temperatures. The grapes were destemmed, then cold maceration took place for approximately six hours. The free-run juice was removed without having been pressed. After a cold settling, the wine was fermented with carefully selected yeasts which highlight the aromatic characters of this variety. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 15°C, maintaining the purity of fruit in the resulting wine.