1st Meeting of the Network for the Sustainable Development of Naxos

Saturday 31/5 – Sunday 1/6/2025
Bazeos Tower, Naxos

The Naxian Vineyard – Tradition, Nature and Quality.

A vineyard with a history spanning centuries

There are places that you do not simply love. You feel them as a part of yourself. And there are people who, each from their own field, choose to serve every day what they love: nature, tradition, culture and, ultimately, people themselves.
With this thought in mind, I participated in the 1st Meeting for the Sustainable Development of Naxos, which took place at the historic Bazeos Tower, having the honor of giving the opening presentation on the topic “Local Products and Nutrition.”
For me, the starting point was the vineyard. Viticulture and winemaking, which I have been involved in in recent years through Terra Grazia, gave me the opportunity to rediscover a historic treasure of Naxos: the Naxian vineyard.
Naxos’s relationship with the vine is lost in the mists of time. It is no coincidence that the island is connected with two of the most important myths of Dionysus: his birth from Zeus’s thigh and his upbringing on the mountain peaks of Naxos, as well as his union with Ariadne, when Theseus abandoned her on Naxos.
Tradition says that Dionysus, in order to honor the place where he grew up and fell in love, gifted the island with rich vineyards.
And indeed, for centuries the inhabitants of mountainous Naxos cultivated their vines with dedication and passion. The rocky slopes were organized into terraces, and each family had its own way of transforming the fruit of the land into wine.
The “linou,” where the grapes were pressed, the “methyres,” where the wine fermented, and the “sifounia,” which were filled with this precious nectar, were an integral part of everyday life and the tradition of the place.
Over the years, however, the difficulty of cultivation and changes in consumer habits led many vineyards to be abandoned or replaced by other crops.
And yet, the Naxian vineyard endured.
A treasure worth rediscovering
Today, Naxos continues to possess a significant and historic vineyard, with noteworthy production both in quantity and quality.
Among the varieties found on the island are Fokiano, as well as Potamisi, Charampraim, Bastardiko, Aidani, Mandilaria and many other Cycladic varieties.
Of particular value are the own-rooted and centuries-old vineyards found in areas such as Koronos, Komiaki, Apollonas and Abraam, as well as in Moni, Apeiranthos and Filoti.
These vineyards are not simply productive areas. They are living cultural heritage.
The search for forgotten varieties
Our own involvement in viticulture at Terra Grazia led us to something even more fascinating: the search for varieties that appear to exist only in Naxos and that have survived through time.
With the help of local people, passionate vine growers from Filoti, we identified plants that did not resemble the known varieties in viticultural literature.
These varieties were sent, on the initiative of Terra Grazia, for genetic testing to two different laboratories, in France and Thessaloniki. The results of the analyses revealed five unknown varieties and provided strong indications of one more.
The most moving aspect of this effort is that we literally found two of these varieties surviving in only a handful of roots. And today, year after year, we are trying to propagate and preserve them.
Behind these varieties lies a part of the history of the place as well. Names and oral accounts point to movements of Naxians toward the coasts of Asia Minor and their return, together with plants from the vineyards of the places where they had lived.
Perhaps, therefore, some of these varieties today constitute a unique living imprint of this historical journey.
From research to protection
The next step is the official scientific identification and protection of this heritage.
A request has already been submitted, through our mediation, by the Department of Viticulture of the Agricultural University of Athens to the South Aegean Region, with the aim of creating a research program and following the prescribed protocol for the official identification of the varieties.
At the same time, another goal that we believe is worth exploring is the promotion of Fokiano and the investigation of the possibility of recognizing it as a Protected Designation of Origin product, as a variety that has been historically associated with the viticultural heritage of Naxos.
The new era of Naxian wine
Today, Naxos already has wineries producing and distributing wine to the local market and beyond, while new initiatives are also developing by people who wish to transform the fruit of their land into a quality product.
This creates an important opportunity.
The new era of Naxian viticulture and winemaking cannot, in my opinion, be based on quantity. It must be based on quality.
Because, as we often say in the world of wine, “good wine is made in the vineyard.”
Quality begins with the soil, with the choice of the plant, with the method of cultivation, with care, prevention and respect for the natural cycle of the vine.
A living ecosystem within the vineyard
I deeply believe that viticulture in Naxos can and should remain connected to tradition, while at the same time making use of modern knowledge.
The island’s particular conditions, the meltemi and the well-draining soils create an environment that can support a strictly organic, even biodynamic approach.
And Naxos already possesses significant natural resources that can be returned to the land: organic matter from livestock production, natural materials and elements from the sea and, above all, the knowledge accumulated through generations.
The goal should not simply be a “clean” vineyard.
It should be a living vineyard.
An ecosystem where the plant, microorganisms, soil and fauna coexist and interact harmoniously.
A vineyard that could become a beacon for a new era, not only for Naxos but also for the Cyclades.
From quantity to quality
The vine requires hard work, passion, consistency and faith.
The vine grower must be by its side throughout its entire cycle, not only to ensure fruit, but to ensure quality.
And the winemaker has the responsibility of conveying the character of this fruit into the bottle, with respect for nature and people. To allow the wine to express the year, the soil, the microclimate and the effort that preceded it.
Because every harvest is a different landscape.
And every bottle can become a way of telling the story of our place.
Naxos deserves quality development
Sustainable development cannot be the responsibility of just one person or one sector.
It requires cooperation, communication, the exchange of knowledge and a shared vision.
What is good for each of us is ultimately good for all of us.
And perhaps this is the most important message I take away from this meeting:
Naxos can move forward without losing what makes it unique.
To develop its products without exhausting its land.
To make use of its wealth without altering its identity.
To look to the future without forgetting its past.
With respect for tradition and culture, protecting the environment and rediscovering our relationship with nature.
Because the new era that Naxos deserves is not an era of greater production. It is an era of greater quality, greater respect and greater substance.

Angeliki Gratsia
Terra Grazia – Naxos