Choice of place for planting vines

• Cool place (300-800 meters altitude).
• Vineyard at high altitudes. Due to climate change, the weather is less than at low altitudes.
• Vineyard near lakes. The lakes offer an ideal soil-climatic environment where there are no extreme weather phenomena, for example during the winter there is heat while in the summer there is coolness.
• The ground should be sloping (type “hangman”).
• Installation of underground irrigation system (ICT Tips: Deficit Irrigation Regulation – Alpha Estate is already implementing it). The application is able to identify which vine needs water and irrigate it. The vineyard should be “stressed” but not deprived of water.
• Installation of irrigation irrigation throughout the vineyard (uniform irrigation throughout the vineyard is the 2 atmospheres).
• Use of satellite media to detect grape ripeness in the vineyard. The satellite captures in different colors the photos of the different maturity intensity of a vineyard.
• Varieties: The spearhead in the area and generally in Northern Greece is Xinomavro. White varieties that give their own character to wine regions are Assyrtiko, Malagouzia, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
• Exports are a constant struggle and a constant effort to promote the competitive advantages of the Amyntaio zone.
• Countries that recognize the Greek Vineyard: Germany, USA, Cyprus, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Belgium.
• Wine creates a strong brand of a place and helps other agricultural products produced in the same place to become recognizable.
• Creative viticulture requires growers with knowledge and an appetite for work.
• The soil works more simply in the vineyard. The soil does not give identity. The climate works in such a way that it differentiates the final raw material.
• In a fertile land we make a mass-produced wine.
• The quality of wine grapes is complex and success depends on the simultaneous achievement of optimal levels of all parameters of grape composition according to the specifications of scientists for specific types of wines.

Photo: Sloping vineyard

Source: George Palisidis Archive

 

Fruit ripening

Fruit ripening, first stage

The first period begins with the formation of the fruit as the roga is green, hard and cohesive. During the period when the fruit is small, it functions as a kind of leaf and produces acids, starch, sugars and phenolic components. Note that pollen is carried by the wind to the flowers and not by the bees.

Fruit ripening, second stage

During the second period the fruit changes color, becomes elastic and swells. It also acquires the color of the variety as well as aromas.

Grape ripening

The grapes ripen in June and we harvest them in October.

Synchronized ripening in the vineyard is very important. Because it affects the end result. Phenolic and aromatic maturation is important to follow sugars.

 

There are 3 stages of maturation in winemaking, which must be synchronized:

• Maturation of musts
• Maturation of tannins
• Maturation of aromas

Source: DIPAE Human-Machine-Interaction Laboratory (AMA)