The estate
Location
A serene vineyard, just outside the city of Heraklion. The Scalarea Estate is located in Skalani, a few kilometers from the city center of Heraklion and only 4 kilometers from the archaeological site of Knossos.
Vineyards
Scalarea Estate, with its unique vineyard, has the foundations for the further promotion of Cretan wine worldwide through the production of high-quality wines. In a region renowned for its ecosystem and viticultural tradition, Scalarea Estate has successfully enhanced the potential of local grape varieties and made Cretan vineyards known to a broader audience through significant distinctions.
The estate covers an area of 6.6 hectares and stretches across the north side of a low hill, a location that protects the vines from the warm southern winds of the Libyan Sea, while allowing the cool, beneficial sea breezes “meltemia” of the Cretan Sea.
Varieties
The R&D department has carried out organized research with successful results into the potential of Greek grape varieties, as well as into the capacity of foreign varieties to adapt to the Greek climate and eventually to be blended with native ones. The grapes cultivated in the vineyard are used to produce two white wines, Scalarea & Nous, the multi-award-winning red Scalarea, the new aromatic Scalarea rosé, and two dessert/sweet wines, Iouliatiko and Moschato Spinas.
In 2015, an ambitious replanting project was completed, aiming to create a vineyard with very high-quality potential, that would highlight the dynamics of the Cretan soil. The estate is a gifted vineyard, with great natural balance and all the aspects that compose the right terroir.
The vineyard includes both international and local varieties, such as Chardonnay and Syrah, Vidiano, Malvasia Aromatica, Assyrtiko, Kotsifali, and Moschato Spinas, among others.
In the past, the vineyard was also used as an “experimental vineyard,” with many varieties, such as Mavrotragano, Assyrtiko, and Aidani, first grown in a small part of it to observe their acclimatization to the area and test the end product.
