Patras (Patra) is a wine-producing region on the northern coast of Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula. The area occupies a strip of land between the shores of the Gulf of Corinth and the high peaks of the Panaxaikos and Erymanthos mountains in the south. Four different PDO appellations can be found in Patras, encompassing rich, citrus-flavored dry white wines made from Roditis, sweet white wines made from Muscat, and the region's specialty, the fortified red wines known as Mavrodaphne of Patras.
The Patras region extends 60 miles (95km) along the coast from the town of Aigeria in the east to Kato Achaia in the west, before reaching inland to curve partway around the Panaxaikos mountain. There are wide variations in terroir here, ranging from the coastal plains surrounding the city of Patras to the higher-altitude mountain terrain in the southern part of the region.
The climate in Patras can be broadly described as Mediterranean, with long, dry summers and short, rainy winters. Vineyards at higher elevations (up to 3000ft/900m above sea level) enjoy a cooler growing season due to a slightly higher diurnal temperature variation. White wine grapes tend to be planted in these cooler vineyards, where an extended ripening period helps with the retention of acidity, while the red Mavrodaphne and white Muscat grape varieties prefer the warmer climes closer to the coast.
Given the large area covered by the Patras appellations, it is impossible to generalize about soil types, which range from white, chalky soils at higher elevations to fertile sand and loam nearer the coast. Rainfall is plentiful over the winter, but irrigation is still needed in the dry summers, allowing growers some control over the vigor and yield of their vineyards.
Of the region's four delimited wine zones, the appellation of Patras itself is associated with dry whites made from the Roditis grape, although given the variability of the land, the quality and style of the wine changes significantly. The two Muscat-based appellations (Muscat of Patras and Muscat of Rion) are found to the north-east of the city of Patras, where the vineyards face some threat from urban encroachment.
Patras's most important appellation by far is Mavrodaphne of Patras – arguably one of Greece's most famous wines. This fortified red wine has been made in the area since the mid-19th Century, when a prominent Patras producer applied winemaking techniques he had learned in the Douro region of Portugal to the local variety of Mavrodaphne.
The appellation laws allow Mavrodaphne to be blended up to 50% with the lesser Cornithiaki variety (most often used as a currant), and as a result, Mavrodaphne of Patras has long been associated with low-priced bulk wines. Now, producers in Patras are making more of a push toward quality, and an increasing number of Mavrodaphne of Patras wines are produced with no Cornithiaki grapes at all.
