Peza Union

Winemaker Manolis Titakis Nutshell... Company Name:   Pezá Agrarian Cooperatives Association (Pezá Union)     Location:   Pezá, Crete     Chief Oenologist:   Manolis Titakis     Products: Fleur du Vin white       Logado white       Ekavi       Liktos       Viglinos white       Vin de Crete white       Vilana       Peza white       Kritikos white       Logado Rosé       Fleur du Vin Rosé       Vin de Crete Rosé       Vin de Crete Red       Viglinos Red       Mantiko       Peza Red     Kotsifali-Mantilari     To contact this company click here       Pezá Valley The Peza Agricultural Union is nestled on either side of the main road passing through the upland valley in the heart of the Peza appellation district. On one side, a bustling visitor center entertains and informs busloads of tourists on excursions from Iraklio, Crete's capitol city 16 kilometers to the northwest. About midway between Iraklio and Peza are the famous ruins of Knossos, Crete's preeminent tourist attraction. On the other side stands an imposing facility in which not only wine but also olive oil and soap are produced. Its broad, concrete facade is redeemed by the rows of vines extending up the hill behind it. Winery and Vines The Cooperative was originally established in 1933 in order to process and promote Peza's prodigious output of olive oil. To this day, the organization remains very much market-driven. Therefore, the move to wine and olive oil-based soaps is not at all surprising. Today membership in the cooperative numbers 3,000 and processes close to 80% of the region's agricultural output. A modern approach to exports explains both the high profile of the union's products in foreign markets and the range of languages present on its company brochures. The cooperative's gift shop: the beginning of an exodus The area around Peza has been wine country for at least three-and-a-half millennia In modern times, three grape varieties came to dominate the region. The red cultivars Kotsifali and Mandilaria are for Peza, as they are for neighboring Arhanes, the traditional ingredients for the district's sturdy appellation red wines. The delicate, but flexible, Vilana is the sole white variety qualifying for an appellation. The cooperative produces several categories of wine, including vins de pays. The Union's red wines sometimes include the intense Liatiko, a variety more commonly associated with the neighboring region of Sitia, but which, in fact, is Crete's most widely planted cultivar and possibly the most widely planted red grape in Greece. Though its orange hues and transparent color do not typically suggest good quality, it is capable of producing everything from intensely rich, rustic reds to a peculiar and addictive Cretan version of hima, or home-style wine, that is common in the island's tavernas. Our guide, the Union's knowledgable and efficient technical supervisor, Yiannis Koukakis In addition to the Vilana, the Union's whites also can include some local varieties such as Soultani (Sultanina), Rozaki and Thrapsathiri. Interestingly, these and Liatiko are considered likely to have been component varieties in Crete's renowned Malvasia. Being Greek, the cooperative also grows and vinifies a little Moschato (Muscat). The Peza Union may be the most introspective of the Greek wine cooperatives. The organization seems subject to intense periodic self-scrutiny. With quality its mantra, constant training of its members and staff, an improved distribution network and improved customer satisfaction are clearly stated goals. Under chief oenologist Manolis Titakis, the Union sees investing in people as a means of insuring long-term success. The winery was ISO certified in 1995 and utilizes the HACCP (Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points) System. Quality control in the winery and vineyards is a must in an area which experienced a devastating attack of Phylloxera just fifteen years ago. The cooperative's growers can rely on a happy marriage of American rootstock and indigenous vines. The cooperative has been pleased by the level of recovery and increasing maturity of its vines. The winery's pristine fermenting room The scientific staff maintains close contact with member growers throughout the season. Analysis of soil and vines are routine, raw material that arrives at the presses is carefully analyzed and growers are paid on a sliding scale that rewards achievers. Matching its production arm is a marketing team headed by Evilini Bakinda. Product development, a constant focus, keeps the Union competitive at home and abroad. If the buying frenzy we witnessed at the cooperative's gift shop on the day of our visit is any indication, the Peza Union will remain competitive for years to come. Peza Wines: Vilana 2001 This Peza appellation white from 100% Vilana has greenish tints and medium earthy aromas with cedar scents. Its has an even, crisp apple palate, light body and slight bitter herb finish. Peza white 2001 Another appellation white of Vilana, its soft, very soft fruit is balanced by medium acidity and accompanied by a pleasing honeysuckle aroma. It is ideal summer wine, well-balanced in its lightness with a maturity of flavor typical of, and unique to, the Vilana variety. Barrels Kritikos White 2001 This wine is a blend of Vilana with what the cooperative refers to as Logado, "a cocktail of varieties." The result is the Union's most interesting white wine. It has a deep, gold color and restrained pear nose. Nothing else about this wine is restrained, however. Its fruit is quite concentrated, especially during an attack that reveals some residual sugar. Acidity is not pronounced, but is rather in keeping with the wine's pear and melon flavors. The wine has some body to it and complexity that suggests some of its fresh fruit flavors are driven by Soultani. Though its structure is perhaps less linear, its combination of unbridled fruit and overall elegance reminded us of Alsace. Kotsifali-Mantilari 2000 This appellation red features 80%n Kotsifali and 20% Mandilaria. The predominance of the odd-colored Kotsifali is readily apparent in the wine's orange highlights. A dried fruit nose no doubt owes some of its sweetness to oak, but its flavor is typical of the combination of varieties. This is a clean red of good body, but light in color and similar in appearance and profile to dry rosé. Much of its charm resides in a lingering aftertaste of persimmons and dried cherry.

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