IGP Pella “Roditis” (White) 2021

This wine is 100% Roditis, an intense and expressive local grape which is a favourite of the Ligas family, who have led its renaissance in the region. It is a rare Roditis that has skin contact, fermentation in barrel and lees ageing in oak– all leading to delightful complexity. Lovely nutty, orange, mango and exotic fruit flavours with subtle resinous notes and an underlying earthiness. Deep gold colour, cloudy, a little funky and a lot of fun.

The Story: Ktima Ligas was founded in 1985 in Thessaloniki, Greece by Thomas Ligas, with a quest to revive both the traditional varieties and traditional agriculture of the Pella region through respect and cooperation with nature. Today the Domaine is run by his daughter Meli, who continues the focus on permaculture and local grapes, and adapts her cuvées to each vintage, parcel and variety. Roditis, an indigenous grape of Pella which was highly valued in ancient Greece for its ability to ripen late whilst maintaining acidity. It was unfortunately decimated by Phylloxera in the 19th century, but thanks to artisanal winemakers like Ligas, Roditis is once again being recognised for it’s refreshing, expressive wines.

This is one of the Domaine’s Barrique trio. Thomas and Meli were doing experiments of fermenting a few different wines in barrels, and when Thomas tasted the three whites, he began comparing the characters of the wines to famous women in Greek culture. And the concept was born…. On this label is Melina Mercouri, a Greek actress, minister of culture and popular social activist. Roditis started as a grape for more simple, popular wine, but also has been elevated to a higher cultural status.

Vinification: Grapes from 20-25 year-old Roditis vines growing on clay and limestone soils are hand-harvested, gently pressed to avoid extraction of colour, and macerated on the skins for one week, the juice is then fed to cellar by gravity. The wine is fermented in barrel for 6 months on the lees, with no battonage, then