From the traditional Cretan grape varieties Kotsifali and Mantilari. Limited production using the standard red wine making procedure where fermentation takes place in temperature controlled vats.  Wine is tainless steel fermented, with 24 months in new and old French oak, and 24 more months in stainless steel, and 12 months in the bottle.   Dark red, with spices and ripe dark fruits on the nose,

The winery

This Stilianou red wine is part of the 6 labels of the winery Stilianou. It  is  is a small organic grower  winery located in Kounavi . They are  focusing on indigenous Cretan grape varieties. Giannis Stilianou and his son run 7 hectares of organic vineyards . Mostly  local Vidiano , Thrapsathiri,  Vilana, Kotsifali,  Mandilari grape varieties. The hot summer of  Crete stress the vines, and the winemaker decided to avoid any irrigation.  In other words,  the winery don’t use  dripping  irrigation or spraying any water.  As a result, wines complete concentration of intense flavors and aromas. The winery is a family business since 1922 and  produce about 20.000 bottles per year and each of them is numbered. In total, the winery produce 6 labels:  Theon Dora white, Theon Dora rosé, Mother red, Great Mother amber  (natural white wine) , Theon Gi (organic red wine),  Kotsifali sweet red

The vineyards:

Most of the vineyards lay on limestone and rocks soils at an average of 350 to 400 meters high .  The owner planted the oldest vineyards still in activity in 1982.  In addition, they planted some new vineyards in 2011.  The vineyards location and altitude ensure the vineyards to benefit from the hot summer sun from the island of Crete. However, there is some natural cooling system. Altitude, first, that helps cooling down during night. And so do the  “Meltemi” north cold wind  from Central Greece and cycladic island. Mostly in july and august, when grapes end their growth.

Digenakis kotsifali  is 100% kotsifali. The most classic local variety is ideally expressed at a single vineyard called Livades. Strong and tasty tannins, sour cherry and cherry flavours with traces of caramel, plum and paprika. Vivid mouth with a long lasting aftertaste.

Region: Kalloni, Heraklion

About Digenakis winery

The Digenakis winery is located in the middle of P.D.O. Peza, Crete’s. It is the largest wine-producing region, 20 km far away from the center of Heraklion and only 10 km from the Knossos Palace.
The Digenakis family has created a modern and attractive place that is not only limited to producing excellent quality wines but perceives winemaking as a vital part of a more collective culture, aspiring to interconnect it with other forms of cultural expression such as music, painting, poetry and literature, dance and theater.

The operation of the excellent in terms of infrastructure winery is marked and given meaning by the presence of artists in a cultural space warmed by their work. At the same time, it aims to accommodate younger artists thus helping to highlight their work, in an effort to become an aesthetic reference to the cultural activities of the region.

The paths of wine tasting quietly sprout from an organic artistic substrate, which shapes and colors a new process that is now becoming more complex and possibly necessary, since it is no longer confined to a narrow object.
Alternating troupes or independent artists find refuge for their work in an area that brings the untouched urban element to the nearby rural region.

It also gets high praise for white blends such as Marisini (Chardonnay, Spinas muscat, Vidiano) and Aeriko (Sauvignon Blanc, Dafni).

An art gallery is planned.