Few wine regions are as dramatic, or as unlikely, as Santorini. This crescent of volcanic rock in the Aegean, the rim of a collapsed caldera, grows vines in conditions that would defeat most grapes. Yet from the black, sandy soils comes Assyrtiko, one of the world’s great white wines, bone-dry and mineral with a salinity that tastes of the sea around it.
A Vineyard Like Nowhere Else
There is almost no rain here through the growing season, and the wind is brutal. To cope, generations of growers have trained their vines into low, woven baskets called kouloura, coiling the canes into a nest with the grapes tucked safely inside. The vines draw much of their moisture from the humid sea mist that settles overnight. Because the volcanic sand never harboured phylloxera, many vines are ungrafted and remarkably old, some well over a century, with roots reaching deep for water.
The Wines of Santorini
The island’s calling card is dry Santorini Assyrtiko: pale, taut and citrussy, with a smoky, flinty minerality. A richer, riper style labelled Nykteri sees some barrel ageing and more body. The historic sweet wine, Vinsanto, is made from Assyrtiko and other local grapes left to dry in the sun, producing an amber dessert wine of great intensity that can age for decades.
Volcanic Terroir
Layers of volcanic ash, pumice and lava define the soils. They are poor and free-draining, stressing the vines and concentrating the fruit, and they give the wines their characteristic mineral, almost ashy edge. The result is the rare combination of full ripeness and razor acidity, even in a hot Mediterranean climate.
What to Drink and Eat
Reach for a dry Santorini Assyrtiko and serve it cold. It is a sublime match for the island’s seafood: grilled octopus, oysters, fried calamari and every kind of seafood. As a crisp white wine destination, Santorini punches far above its tiny size, and a glass of its wine is the fastest way to taste a place that should not, by rights, grow grapes at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What wine is Santorini known for?
Santorini is famous for bone-dry, mineral white wine made from the Assyrtiko grape, prized for its searing acidity and sea-salt salinity. The island also makes Vinsanto, a historic sweet wine from sun-dried grapes that can age for decades.
Why are Santorini vines grown in baskets?
To survive the island’s relentless wind, growers train vines into low, woven baskets called kouloura, with the grapes sheltered inside. The vines draw moisture from overnight sea mist, since there is almost no rain during the growing season.
Is Santorini wine expensive?
Santorini wine costs more than many everyday whites because the vineyards are tiny, low-yielding and farmed largely by hand in extreme conditions. The quality and singular character of a dry Santorini Assyrtiko justify the price for many drinkers.
Key grapes.
Notable wines.
- Domaine Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko
- Estate Argyros Assyrtiko
- Gaia Wines Thalassitis
- Santo Wines Vinsanto
Highlights.
- Bone-dry, mineral Assyrtiko is the island's calling card
- Ancient ungrafted vines trained into woven 'kouloura' baskets
- Volcanic ash and pumice soils give a smoky minerality
- Vinsanto: a historic sweet wine from sun-dried grapes
