Tachtas

The Tachtas variety is an old native where it has been cultivated in Crete since the 16th century, perhaps even earlier. A possible origin of the name Tachtas is that it comes from the Turkish word tacht which means throne and that it was given this name for the quality of the grape, considering that it was the best and deserved the throne. Another is that it comes from the word tachta, meaning wood (plank) and was given because of the hard wood of the vine, characteristic of the variety, combined with the very hard skin of the grape and the must’s high content of tannins.

It is considered to be one of the varieties that participated in the preparation of the Cretan Malvazia wine. Of the approximately 5,000 acres that were cultivated in the prefecture of Heraklion in the 50s to 70s, today only 20 acres are cultivated.

It goes perfectly with white meats, pasta au gratin, but also many exotic recipes that contain curry or turmeric.