An Ocean of Love for Idaia Winery Thrapsathiri
I can’t believe my visit to Crete was so long ago now. I went a few Decembers ago for a friend’s 40th birthday. According to Unraveling Wine, we had the dubious luck to experience the worst winter weather she’s had in her entire time there. Also an earthquake.
Despite that, I made many amazing wine discoveries. One of my favorites – Thrapsathiri.
photo from Wines of Greece
Thrapsathiri / Θραψαθήρι
While Vidiano holds the spot as the white grape on Crete, Thrapsathiri quickly gaining popularity. Highly drought resistant, it does well in the hottest areas of the island. High yields lead to poor fruit and wines so producers need to carefully limit fruit growth in order to get concentrated fruit.
While limited amounts of sweet wine is produced, Thrapsathiri wines are usually dry. Dry, unoaked, with nice acidity and a moderately aromatic nose of melon and peach.
Idaia Winery Ocean Thrapsathiri, 2020
Family winery Idaia Winery sits on the eastern side of Crete in Venerato on the foothills of the Psiloritis Mountain. Here, in the heart of the Dafnes PDO, the winery produces twelve wines from Cretan grapes like Liatiko, Kotsifali, Mandalari, Vidiano, Thrapsathiri, and Vilana.
The winery produces its Thrapsathiri under the PGI Crete. Grapes grow around Dafnes between 400-500 meters above sea level in lime-clay soils.
Warm straw-gold in the glass (perfectly matching my mini daffodils), with enticing fruity-floral aromas of drippingly ripe golden pineapple, peach, and peach blossom.
A burst of citrus flavor hit the palate first before the wine rounded out, slipping down the throat with flavors of apricot and tropical fruit salad and an acacia flower backbreath. Medium-bodied with 13% ABV and a vivacious acidity.
I’ve heard rumors that a very old, largely neglected vineyard has been found in the Turkish Aegean full of possible Thrapsathiri vines. Fingers crossed!!!!
Please Help Turkey and Syria!
Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:
Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.
Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds.
World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas.
To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmet and SAMS.
Field Ready Türkiye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”