9 WINERIES
5 PDO PEZA WINES
84 YEARS of VINIFICATION

The area's wineries produce 5 standardised PDO Peza wines and are among the most advanced in Crete's viticulture, impressively highlighting the history of the Peza region. 

The PDO Peza zone is the easternmost of the three successive PDO wine zones of the regional unit of Heraklion and it is far more developed than the other two (PDO Archanes and PDO Dafnes). 

The production of a PDO wine, every year depends on each individual wine producer. This is because there is a specific process in order for a wine to be characterized as PDO. First, the wine producer has to make a statement for the production of a PDO wine for the specific year. After the harvest, the Directorate of Agriculture and the General Chemical State Laboratory examine the oenological characteristics of the produced wine. The product’s compliance with the requirements of the legislation, will give the green light for its bottling and labeling. 

Aside from their full array of equipment and modern wine-making methods, the Peza wineries have played a leading role in showcasing the PDO wines of the region, and the wines of Crete in general. It was here that the first organised cooperatives were established, and where early export activity and the first organic cultivation began, along with many other firsts. The international awards are countless and testify to this ongoing effort.

All of the villages bear evident signs of the loving care and tradition employed in the cultivation of the vineyards. The eleven secondand third-generation wineries scattered through the area testify to a devotion to the grape-growing tradition in Peza.

But what is it that makes this region and its distinctive wines so special, aside from tradition and a rich history? In many ways, the Peza wine-growing zone is blessed. It extends over an area with an altitude ranging from 400 to 700 metres, rising around the panoramic perimeter of the Peza Valley. The deep soil is gravelly and lime-rich and the area is cooled continuously by the northerly wind blowing off the Cretan Sea. 

Most importantly, it is protected from the hot south-western African winds. This is because the ridge of the mountain ranges that run along the length of Crete acts as a natural barrier. At the same time, the thousands of olive groves planted among the vineyards provide an additional protective wall.