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Great Mother Red

Great Mother Red - Stilianou Organic Winery - Kounavoi, Heraklion, Crete - Mandilari - Red Natural wine - Eklektikon

The most stubborn and tannic indigenous Cretan variety, Mandilari, in a flash-maceration vinification, named after Great Mother, the mother goddess of the ancient Minoans.

  • Grower: Stilianou
  • Vintage: 2020
  • Type: Light Red Dry Wine
  • Grapes: Mandilari 100%
  • Appellation: PGI Crete
  • Alcohol: 13.40%
  • Bottle: 750ml
  • Viticulture: Dry, Certified organic
  • Vinification: Straight forward natural vinification, with no maceration (direct press), with a soft press and aging in stainless steel tank, and bottling without filtration, fining, but a few sulfites at bottling.
  • Tasting Notes: Light red with nutty and forest fruit notes, and an unexpected sharp and salty palate.
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Key Info

Viticulture

  • Dry, Certified organic
  • Climate: Mediterranean
  • Soil: Limestone
  • Vine age: Planted between 1995 and 2005
  • Altitude: 350-400m
  • Slope: 10 – 15%
  • Planting density: 3,500 plants / ha
  • Yield: 3 kg / plant
  • Irrigation: None
  • Spraying: None
  • Harvesting: Manually

Vinification

  • Maceration: None (direct press)
  • Press: Soft press
  • Temperature Control: None
  • Yeast: Natural (20 days in stainless steel tank)
  • Malolactic: Naturally completed
  • Maturation: 18 months in stainless steel tank
  • Clarification: Natural sediment
  • Filtration: None
  • Production: 2,400 lt
  • Alcohol: 13.40%
  • Acidity: 7.30 gr/l
  • RS: 0 gr/l
  • Total sulfites: 31 mg/l
  • Certification: Organic grapes
  • Bottle: 750ml

Winery

Giannis Stilianou and his teenage son, personally tend to their 3 hectares of organic vineyards, planted only with indigenous Cretan varieties. There is no irrigation or any kind of spraying. The vines are stressed under the hot, Cretan Sun, and then cooled off by the mountain breeze. This shows in the impressive concentration and intense aromatics of the artisanal Stilianou wines.

Region

Crete is the biggest island of Greece, and home to one of the most impressive ancient civilizations, the Minoan.

Heraklion, the fourth largest Greek city and largest city of Crete, is located in the center of the island. It is very picturesque and full of ancient ruins in and around it, spanning thousands of years and many different civilizations, including the Minoan, Byzantine, Venetian, and Arab.

South of Heraklion lies Knossos, the most famous ancient city of Minoan times, with the well preserved and famous homonymous palace, with its bright red pillars and wall art of the time.