On the east of the settlement of Pissouri , among the high cliffs with the trapezium and cone figures, there is a valley full of vines.
The hills, in which there are carob trees, lentisk, and the thyme, have steep almost vertical sides that overcome the hundred meters in height .The most imposing hills on the east and west of the valley there are known as ‘Mavrorotsos'( black rock)and ‘pikrokremos'(bitter bluff ), names that describe the rough, anomalous and precipitous scenery of the area.
When you go across this vine valley , in a snakelike way a little bit narrow and asphalt you can feel the irresistible impulse. You get impressed by the emerald color of the vineyard especially in the spring months , by the deep yellow color of the cute anathrikas, which decorates the scenery and by the deep green colour of the carobs the cypress and of the other citrus fruit trees, which are scattered in the vines, create pleasant shades of the green colour .
Not only do you come across with the vine cultivation in this valley but with the specialization of the ‘ soultanina ' variety ( a kind of grapes ). The common varieties of the grapes occupy a very small expansion of land in comparison with the profitable ‘soultanina' on the table. However , the vines , especially those which are between the village and the bay, planted with soultanini keep describing and giving a beautiful emerald color in the scenery of Pissouri. But sometimes you can see some vineyards that were let to be grown into vine arbors. You walk under their shade you feel their height and watch the grapes hanging above you head .This is usually the variety of ‘rozaki'. In other occasions you can see high and low green houses which are especially used for the immature variety of the ‘kardinalios'.
The viticulture men of this small and impressive valley have been growing their vines in a commercial basis for years. Vines are intensively cultivated. People there water them and take them good care . They were planted in rows and people mechanized their cultivation . Wooden huts in draft and sheds with concrete and zinc in draft were created, for the tools and other needs. The huge storing places of the packing factory are also impressive.
The grape – harvest season , in the beginning and middle of July and rarely in the beginning of August, is the time of celebration and a period of joy. Even before the grapes get mature in other parts of the island, the grape workers of the valley in Pissouri finish the grape-harvest. You are happy during this season to watch the workers cut the grapes and place them in plastic boxes load them in small and big vehicles and transfer them in the packing factories .
They have the purchases ready even before the grape-harvest begins .They have differentiate the varieties by themselves and predicted that the back grapes and the xinisteri could not be as profitable as the soultanina and kardinalios could.
The boundaries of the fields are sometimes distinguished by limestone walls and sometimes by wooden pickets and sometimes by thin straight cypresses .And if some shade is needed then they will let the vines to grow and become vine arbors.they will be spread on wired pallets with iron or wooden supports .
The visitor is impressed by the great number of the big storing sheds which are open on their three sides .Here; there is the big pair of scales where the boxes with the soultanina will be weight and be placed under the shade of the shed until the big van comes and transfer them to the export places.
These working vine men make you feel happy for constantly manufacturing stone benches high on the hills to make more infertile land to vine yards. And the expansions of land which remain uncultivated with vines or remain dry for the carob trees and olive trees that grow on them, when they are on salience with sea view especially on the trapezium hills or slopes are transformed into cottages or tourist villages. But it is the work on these vines an unspeakable joy and pleasure. |