Vintage Report 2023

Winemaking Year 2023 – Toplou, Sitia

(Vineyard of the Holy Monastery of Toplou)

Summary

2023 was a year under real pressure: a warm winter, spring rains, and the need for precise timing in interventions. The outcome was lower volumes, but for several early and mid-early varieties the year delivered excellent concentration, driven by smaller berries and high phenolic density.

1) Weather footprint of the year

The year showed higher heat intensity, with several days above 32°C, while summer (July–August) passed without rainfall. The turning point came with a strong rain event in early September, which especially affected late varieties (increased rot risk).

2) Impact on the vineyard

Diseases & vineyard interventions

Downy mildew: frequent interventions were required to keep damage within acceptable levels (5%–10%).

Powdery mildew: flare-ups from mid-June to late June.

Grape berry moth: low pressure compared to other years, with minimal interventions.

3) Quantitative picture

Production fell by about 50%. The main drivers were:

smaller berries / lower grape weight (-31% versus the 5-year average),

impact of downy mildew (~5% damage),

poor fruit set,

losses from birds and animals (significant given the already reduced crop).

4) Quality picture / Wine profile 2023

2023 is a textbook year where low quantity does not equal low quality. In early and mid-early varieties, small berry size delivered intensity, density, and concentration. In late varieties, the early-September rain increased rot risk and required greater attention to selection/sorting.

5) Technical Appendix (climatology data – monitoplou)

Source: Annual summary of the monitoplou meteorological station (Annual Climatological Summary 2023).

Rainfall

Annual total (2023): 335.0 mm

Key months:

March 76.6 mm (max day 40.4 mm, 16/03)

September 64.6 mm (max day 60.8 mm, 06/09)

July 0.0 mm, August 0.0 mm

Wind

Average summer wind speed (AVG): Jun 19.7, Jul 24.2, Aug 20.6 km/h

Direction during summer peaks: mainly WNW (Jun–Oct in the records)

Maximum gust (HI): 90.1 km/h (April, 03/04)

Temperatures

Annual means: Mean Max 22.6°C, Mean Min 16.5°C, Mean 19.3°C

Absolute maximum: 38.3°C (July)

Absolute minimum: 5.5°C (February)

Days with ≥32°C: 14

Note
These figures refer to our station/vineyard (monitoplou) and describe the microclimate of our site.