P.D.O. Rodos (O.P.A.P.) / Ρόδος

The island in the Aegean Sea covers around 1,400 square kilometres. It is the largest island in the Dodecanese group and the fourth largest in Greece. It is also known as the "Pearl of the Mediterranean". The capital with three harbours is also called Rhodes, the second most important town is Lindos. The island lies between the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa and was therefore of great importance for trade in ancient times. The Phoenicians probably brought viticulture to the island before the Greeks. According to Homer (8th century BC), Rhodes took part in the Trojan War with nine ships. In 408 BC, the three largest cities of Rhodes joined forces and founded a new city on the site of today's Rhodes. The schools of philosophers, philologists and orators were famous and the city was a centre of shipping, trade and (also wine) culture. In the 7th century BC, the island developed into an important wine exporter to the ancient world.

Colossus of Rhodes

The unsuccessful siege of Rhodes by the Diadochi ruler Demetrios from 305 to 304 BC is one of the most famous wars in ancient history. The Rhodians sold the siege engines they had left behind for the colossal sum of 300 talents and used them to erect the statue of the sun god Helios, one of the seven wonders of the world. The sculptor Charis from Lindos spent 12 years creating the bronze figure of the "Colossus of Rhodes", which is 31 metres high, around 280 BC. It is said to have stood in the entrance to Mandraki harbour; ships passed through its legs (today it is considered certain that the Colossus must have stood on the mainland). The figure was completely destroyed after only 66 years by a major earthquake in 226 BC.

Climate & soils

Due to the mild climate (there is only spring and summer) and 300 days of sunshine a year, Rhodes is ideal for viticulture and the cultivation of vines. There is plenty of rain during the winter months and the summer also offers cooling winds from the north. The vineyards cover around 1,200 hectares of vines. Although phylloxera also reached the island, the special composition of the soil prevented it from spreading. There are still numerous ungrafted and very old vines, especially on the slopes of Mount Atavyros. The picture shows a vineyard in the traditional form of soil cultivation, which is very similar to Kouloura on the island of Santorini.

Wine-growing areas

There are three appellations classified as POP (formerly OPAP and OPE). Predominantly in the south, the red wine Rodos Red is made from the Amorgiano (Mandilaria) variety and predominantly in the north, the white wine Rodos White is also made from the Athiri Aspro variety . Both are available in dry, semi-dry and medium sweet flavours. The sweet dessert wine Muscat of Rodos is made from a single variety of Moschato Aspro (Muscat Blanc). It is produced as vin doux naturel (fortified) and vin naturellement doux.

If the grapes come from particularly old vineyards with low yields, the designation "Vin Doux Grand Cru" may be used on the bottle label. A large proportion of the grapes are purchased and vinified by the CAÏR winegrowers' co-operative. This also produces a bottle-fermented sparkling wine from Athiri Aspro (PGE = country wine). Other major producers are Emery Wines and Tsantali.

Map: By Pitichinaccio, CC BY 3.0, Link - edited by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer 2/2018
Kouloura: From user Hombre on wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link