Wine region
Santorini
Santorini: wine from volcanic ash, ungrafted vines woven into baskets, salty, fresh Assyrtiko, plus Nykteri and the sweet Vinsanto.
- Vineyard area
- about 1,200 hectares on Santorini and Thirasia
- Main grapes
- Assyrtiko (about 70 per cent), then Athiri and Aidani
- Soils and climate
- ash, pumice and lava; little more than 400 mm of rain, the meltemi wind, sea mist
- Signature wines
- dry Santorini, Nykteri, Vinsanto
- Landmark
- the kouloura: ungrafted vines woven into baskets on the rim of the caldera
Santorini is what is left of a volcano: the huge eruption of around 1600 BC tore the island open and left the caldera, on whose rim the vines grow. The soils, called “aspa” in Greek, are made of ash, pumice and lava rock; they contain almost no clay and hold hardly any water. The climate is harsh: little more than 400 millimetres of rain a year and, in summer, the meltemi, a steady northerly wind. One consequence is rare and precious: phylloxera finds no hold in the loose volcanic sand, so many vines grow on their own roots and some are well over 70 years old. In all, the island has about 1,200 hectares of vines.
Against wind and sun the growers developed a training system of their own, the kouloura: the shoots are wound into a flat basket, the bunches grow sheltered inside, and the night sea mist settles on the leaves, often the only source of water in the drought. Yields are tiny, a fraction of what vines give on fertile soils.
The main variety is Assyrtiko, at home on the island and far ahead with about 70 per cent of the area. It keeps high acidity even at full ripeness and tastes of lemon, stone and salt: a bone-dry white with a taut structure and restrained aroma. It is completed by Athiri and Aidani. The Santorini appellation requires a majority of Assyrtiko, and many wines are made from it alone. Two specialities come on top. Nykteri, whose name means “night work” and recalls the cool night hours in which people once worked, is a more powerful white, aged at least three months in wood, with at least 13.5 per cent alcohol. Vinsanto is made from sun-dried grapes with at least 51 per cent Assyrtiko and ages at least two years in barrel; it tastes sweet yet fresh, of raisin, caramel and orange peel. It should not be confused with Tuscan Vin Santo, which is made from other grapes.
In the glass, Santorini is a white of medium body and lively acidity, with citrus, herbs and a salty, stony note on the palate. Anyone who likes the salty, grapefruity Petite Arvine from Valais will recognise a kinship of style. What to drink: Santorini with grilled fish, octopus, seafood and feta, also with sushi; Nykteri with fish in olive oil or with veal; Vinsanto with cheese, nuts or on its own. Tourism, however, puts the island’s small vineyard area under pressure.