logo

Mount Athos vineyard

The wines from the Athonite region carry the appellation of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Mount Athos. The delimited area of the zone is located within the administrative boundaries of Athos peninsula, as well as the area of Ouranoupolis in the Stagira Akanthou municipality.  It comprises vineyards extending either near the seacoast or on the slopes of the mountain at an altitude up to 400 meters.

One of the most outstanding trademarks of the Athonite vineyard is the fact that the land is completely isolated cloaked by beautifull chestnut, conifers and other mediterranean forest, as well as the sea. At the same time the monastic life dictates a profound respect for the environment; the harmonious interaction of traditional farming practices and forestry is linked to the stringent observance of monastic rules over the course of centuries. Therefore, Mount Athos can be defined as the textbook of 100% organic farming.

The main characteristics of the Tsantali vineyard in Mount Athos:

  • Location: Metoxi (me-toh-hee) Chromitsa at Saint Panteleimon Monastery
  • Total area: 70 hectares aprox. of 100% certified organic farming since 2003
  • Exposure: Southeastern
  • Altitude: 200-400 meters / the main volume of the vineyard is between 250 – 300 meters above sea level

 

  • Climate: Typical Mediterranean

Mt Athos statisticsNEW

 

  • Planting method: Linear
  • Soil: a continuous rotation of sandy loam and sandy clay
  • pH: slightly acidic to acidic
  • Organic matter: 0.5% → we add organic matter in order to enhance the soil
  • Subsoil: granite starting from 30 cm from the surface → the roots of the vines penetrate the soil down to 1.5-2 meters in order to find the rare nutritious elements they need to survive. Our agriculture team helps them towards that goal with irrigation of large volumes of water strictly once or twice during the establishment of the vineyard 

 

Varietal mapping

VARIETIES AREA (HA) PLANTING YEAR TONS/HA (GRAPES)
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 40 1977 (50%)2000 (50%) 4-5
LIMNIO 3 1975 (0.15 HA)The rest of the area is planted with vines from the original ones, after sending the buds to a nursery in France. The grafted plants were sent back in Mount Athos and the replanting started in 2002. 6-7
XINOMAVRO 2.5 1980 Replanting is taking place. 10
GRENACHE ROUGE 10 1982 – 1985 9
ASSYRTIKO 8 1975 8-9
ATHIRI 6.55 1980 8-9
RODITIS 2.3 1975-1977Replanting is taking place. 8-10
CHARDONNAY 3 2001 6

Mount Athos crest line new

 


Mount Athos Home

The Athonite discovery

Mount Athos wines

Our vineyards


WP-Backgrounds Lite by InoPlugs Web Design and Juwelier Schönmann 1010 Wien