According to the ampelographers, the cultivated native vine varieties of Crete resulted either from wild vine populations, where Crete constitutes an early secondary center for the creation of vine varieties, or from the Caucasian vine, not excluding crossbreeding of course. There are no written sources about varieties before the 11th century A.D. but in an excavation of a Protopalatial Minoan settlement, a presently living variety was detected in archaeobotanical remnants. Undoubtedly, the vine and the wine defined the life of the island’s inhabitants, culturally or economically, during periods of export-oriented production.

Today (according to YAAT real estate management, 2015) about 80,000,000 sq. m of wine making vineyards are cultivated in Crete, with Liatiko variety reaching 30,000,000 sq. m and Kotsifali following with more than 12,000,000 sq. m. in the prefecture of Heraklion. In the past, sultanas covered 330,000,000 sq. m in the Prefecture of Heraklion but, after 1978, when phylloxera attacked the vineyards of Messara, a gradual reduction of cultivated areas began. During the recent replanting due to the phylloxera, the areas of the varieties Kotsifali, Thrapsathiri, Vidiano, Moschato Mazas or Spinas, etc., increased.

The climatic conditions which prevail in an area have a decisive effect on both the growth of the vine as well as its quality. Cold, heat, the sun, and the rain play a decisive role, positive or negative, both in the growth of the vine as well as in the pollution of the grapes therefore they determine the quality of the wine which will be produced.

The volume of rainfall and the absorptivity of the soil are very important. If the quantities are very small, the nutrients will not be able to circulate inside the plant. On the other hand, if the quantities of water are too large, the quality of the wine is altered due to the big production. Rains are necessary during the winter months so that the vines will gather reserves for the dry summer months. Rains before the harvest most of the time are fatal because the humid and hot ambient air favors the development of diseases and leads to the destruction of the crop. Naturally, the vine needs the sun, to be able to grow through photosynthesis and bear fruit with ingredients suitable for a good wine. The sunshine hours needed from March to October are 1,300 – 1,600.

Finally, the role of the wind is very important. The wind has a regulating role, because it determines the temperature and the humidity. In the cold regions the south winds protect the plants from low temperatures. On the contrary, cold northern winds protect the grapes from an excessive temperature rise. Strong winds can break the tender sprouts and reduce the crop.