Liatiko favours clay calcareous soils of moderate fertility.
In Dafnes area the soil has medium texture and it is characterized as clay loam. It is rich in calcium carbonate in a percentage that exceeds 40%. The presence of calcium carbonate that neutralizes the acidity of the soil, in connection with the pH that ranges from 7 to 8.5, is ideal for the absorption of most trace elements by the plant. Calcium carbonate also improves soil structure, ensuring good drainage and good soil temperature. These soil characteristics contribute to the good phenolic and technological ripening of the grapes and therefore to the production of wines with rich structure and volume, intensity in colour and balanced acidity.

Liatiko is resistant to drought and hot weather conditions.
The vineyards in Dafnes area are located northeast of Psiloritis Mountain, which is the highest of the island, with an altitude 2456m.
The relief of the wider area is formed by rolling hills, almost parallel to each other, extending from the northern part of the prefecture to the south at an altitude of 300-500m. The vineyards are planted on the slopes of these hills, east or west oriented.
The elongated valleys that are formed between the hills serve as natural canals, transferring the conducive chilled breeze from Cretan Sea to the center of the prefecture, maintaining the temperature at the slopes at very good levels, all around summer. Rainfall is rare during the summer, so plants and grapes avoid virus infections.
The cultivation of Liatiko vineyards in the area for so many centuries -from the time of Venetian rule (13^th to the 17^th century) up to now- is due to this unique microclimate described above.

When – rarely – it rains in the summer in Crete, the variety becomes moderately resistant to moisture from the summer rains. It is also moderately resistant to downy mildew, susceptible to mildew and edema and very susceptible to infectious degeneration, botrytis and erythema. Anthorroia and unequal shaped grapes occur only if low temperatures prevail during fruit set.

Shape-Size: medium size, 5-sinus, pentagonal to wedge-shaped.
Leaf blade: medium thick, slightly bullate and crimped, cobwebby upper side and felty lower side.
Petiolar sinus: deep, closed with slightly overlapping lobes and V-shaped base.
Veins: sleek, locally cobwebby upper side, green and downey lower side.
Serrations: small, unequal, pointed, both sides straight.
Petiole: medium, thick, cobwebby, almost equal to the length of the middle vein.

It has conical or cylindrical shape, medium size, medium to long length, with a medium density and many berries. The peduncle of the grape has a medium height and is moderately woody.

The berries of the Liatiko variety are of small to medium size, with a globose shape. The skin of the berry is thin, uniform and has a red to red-violet color. The flesh of the berry is very sweet. The length of the pedicel of the berry is short, while it is easy to detach from the berry.

There are two to three seeds per berry, medium, with a short and thin beak.

The canes are slightly ribbed in circular cross section and they have yellow-brown to brown-red colour with freckles.
The vine description was based on “The Cretan Grapes”, a book by Manolis and Maritina Stavrakaki.