One learns about grape varieties by walking Knowing where and how they are farmed partly helps decipher the subregional puzzle Occasionally there is a reward that magic word terroir Memorable moments Discovering high Roditis amongst the pineforest terraces in Egialia Untangling the complicated links of Amyndeo Xinomavro and todays Naoussa Most recent discovery Standing on a patch of centenary Vidiano in the shadow of Cretes Mount Psiloritis 2456 m There is more ground to cover Santorini was top of my shortlist Finally the right people were in place Truth is little did I know what I was getting myself into
The central character of Lea Binzers film Pelicans Watch wwwpelicanswatchgr Nikos Pelekanos is one of the islands awesome grape growers Modest and factual Nikos is also a thinker His formidable selftaught knowledge is as refreshing as the Meltemi wind that blows through the Aegean in the summer While shooting a forthcoming video on the two main Santoriniote pruning methods I sensed Pelekanoss zenlike rapport with this extraordinary vineyard Ages when I last met with such a steward of the land One of my early questions to him was how many grape varieties he can identify 30 to 34 Yet as our longplanned walk unfolded it turned out it was not that simple of an answer At my invitation leading grape specialist Kostas Bakassietas joined us Donning a hat water bottle in hand I followed this meeting of minds Initial contact between the two reminded me of the morning fog that engulfs these extreme vineyards Eventually contact was made and several points of mutual interest emerged Some highlights Mavrotragano has such vigour Bakassietas feels that it is best suited to the poorer soils of Akrotiri rather than premium sites such as the slopes of Pyrgos and Megalochori By the second day my companions had identified 27 varieties and three mystery grapes Name places Kontarades and Tourlos were logged amongst others Bakassietas took pictures of leaves and green grape clusters My duties Secretarial Noting on a clipboard points dictated by Bakassietas locations plant differences picture indexing Apparently I passed the audition Eventually I felt comfortable to join their world I fired off to Pelekanos In winter with no leaves helping to identify a vine how does he recognize what he is about to prune
The colour of the wood Long silence as mutual appreciation between farmer and technician illuminated both faces We walked from sunrise to sunset Breaking for lunch debriefing planning Gulls flew over our heads Ferries came in and out of focus in the haze Even jet streaks kept us company Yet neither of us would ever see this historic vineyard in the same manner again I am still taking it all in