Tachtas is a very old variety, native to the Cretan vineyard. After the 1950s it was used as a table wine variety, as well as for the production of high quality raisins (elemedes). Today this variety is used for winemaking where, under certain conditions, it can produce high quality wines.

The name of this variety comes either from the Turkish word “tahta” (wood, board) due to the hardness of the vine stems, or from “tachtarisma”, the lullaby with which mothers lull their babies, or from the Turkish word “taht”, which means throne and probably characterized the high quality of the grapes.

This variety is lively, productive, sensitive to drought and hot winds, relatively resistant to the European grapevine moth and downy mildew, and very sensitive to powdery mildew and Phomopsis.

The grapes are medium to large, cylindrical or cylindrical-conical, sometimes with uneven size. The grape is big, oblong with transparent inner streaks and colorless flesh, very cohesive, sweet with a slight aroma.

It is considered by many people as one of the varieties used to produce the Cretan Malvazios wine.