Sip with me in Santorini ☀️

Youssou fíloi tou krasioú!

Hi Wine Friends,

I’m writing to you from the mystical isle of Santorini - in the heart of the Aegean sea - perched on a cliffside overlooking the caldera of what used to be one of Europe’s largest volcanoes.

This place is fascinating from many perspectives - the ancient history, the sun-baked beauty, the cave-like architecture, the warm people, the delicious cuisine and, of course, the wine.

Aside from tourism, wine is the primary commodity of Santorini and, while tourism really only started in the last 50 years, wine has been produced for over 3500 years!

The terroir of Santorini is one of the harshest and most unique in the world. Yet they manage to produce wine that is not mediocre - it’s magnificent. 

Santorini’s Story

(a Santorini-sized pour)

Santorini, contrary to popular belief, isn’t one island;  it’s a cluster of five that resulted from a massive volcanic eruption in 1600 BC. Considered one of the most devastating in human history, Mt. Thera’s eruption re-shaped the face of the Aegean sea and spewed ash as far as Greenland. Aside from marking the decline of the Minoan civilization and the Bronze Age (as well as being rumored to have destroyed the ancient city of Atlantis), the eruption split Thera from one large mountain into five small islands.

Because of Santorini’s strategic location between Europe, Asia and Africa (nearly equidistant to all three), it has been a prized holding for world powers. Since the Minoan eruption, this newly-formed island cluster has been home to the Phoenecians, the Lacedaemonians, the Hellenic Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the Ottomans and, finally, the modern Greeks.

A Harsh Landscape

(can you spot the kitty?)

Being a volcanic island, Santorini’s soils are, well, volcanic to the extreme. There is no fresh water source so all water here is either bottled water brought in by boat, or desalinated ocean water used for plumbing purposes.

The top meters of soil are decomposed volcanic ash - fine pumice rock that is porous and light as air. And below this is iron-rich igneous lava rock, packed full of minerals.

The climate is inhospitable and severe. Santorini lies on the 36th parallel, generally considered too hot for ideal viticulture. And, because of the lack of water, there is no vegetation to provide shade cover. Harsh winds whip off the Sahara and over the Aegean, battering Santorini’s islands with intense wind. The last few days I experienced winds so strong they blew the hat off my head and covered cars in a fine layer of dust.

So how do the vines survive?

Vines, like humans, are resilient. And these tenacious plants (along with the people who tend them) have found creative ways to prevail in spite of Mother Nature’s challenges.

True, there is no water source. But being surrounded by the sea, the air is filled with moisture. And this humidity provides water to the vines. See, because the top layer of volcanic pumice is so light, the water in the air is more dense than the soil. So the moisture in the air sinks into the pumice and gets trapped in the porous stone, providing the thirsty vines with sustenance.

Because the topsoil is barren, the vines are forced to burrow deep - sometimes over 75 feet down! - in search of nutrients. This results in vines that are hearty, deep-rooted, and fed on ancient volcanic minerals.

How the Humans Help

Santorini winegrowers have developed unique viticultural techniques not seen anywhere else in the world.

Rather than training the vines up stakes, like elsewhere in the world, Santorini producers weave the vines into wreath-like baskets on the ground called kouloura. This protects the vines from the winds that would otherwise buffet the vines and strip them of grapes and leaves. And because the grape clusters grow below the canopy of leaves at the top of the kouloura, they are protected from potential sunburn.

So while the wind can’t damage the vines in kouloura, it can still cool them off, balancing the intense heat and helping the grapes retain acidity.

Even with all this taken into consideration, Santorini has one of the earliest harvests in the world, with the grapes ripening by early August and usually being upwards of 14% alcohol. But the acidity balances this and keeps the wines tasting fresh.

So what is the wine?

Santorini grows five native grapes here (three whites and two reds) but over 95% of the production is devoted to just one: the singular Assyrtiko.

Assyrtiko is one of the most striking white grapes in the world and is finally starting to get the respect it deserves. With aromas of meyer lemon, orange blossom and salty sea brine, Assyrtiko is high in alcohol and body but has so much acidity that it manages to feel light on it’s feet and oh-so-refreshing.

Most renditions of Assyrtiko are light, crisp and quenching - enjoyed young to preserve those citrusy primary flavors. Though I’ve now learned that Assyrtiko can age like Chenin Blanc or Riesling (which makes sense given its high acidity) and, in age, develops minerally, flinty aromas of petrol and wet rock.

Assyrtiko is the perfect compliment to anything from the sea and I’ve enjoyed it here with marinated anchovies, sea bream carpaccio, Greek salad with tangy brined feta and especially grilled octopus. It has enough weight to stand up to the sturdy sea meat, and the grape’s intrinsic saltiness pairs perfectly with flavors of the ocean.

At Domaine Sigalas, one of Santorini’s most respected producers, I tried both fresh and ageable renditions of Assyrtiko, the floral Aidani (a white grape often blended with Assyrtiko to soften its edges and add a note of stone fruit), and the rare red grape Mavrotragano - a yummy purple-fruited varietal akin to Gamay to Cabernet Franc which tasted of fresh raspberries, violets and black pepper.

Check out Instagram for the full video of my visit to Sigalas here.

I was also lucky enough to visit the most forward-thinking producer on the island: Domaine Hatzidakis. Haradimous Hatzidakis and his wife Konstantina purchased a neglected, high-altitude vineyard in the mid 1990’s, built a small winery in an ancient cave, and immediately became the first and only organic winery in Santorini.

Since Haradimous’ death in 2017, the Hatzidakis family has upheld his vision: to explore the multifaceted expressions of Assyrtiko without manipulation and to push the limits of what the grape can do.

Haradimous’ daughter Stella tasted us through nine different renditions of Assytriko - each more unique than the next. We tasted styles that were: young and crisp, aged on the lees, in oak, fermented on the skins, aged in bottle for a decade, and everything in between.

My takeaway is that Assyrtiko is one of the great white grapes of the world, up there with Riesling and Chenin Blanc, and capable of many different styles: dry to sweet, young to aged, aromatic to mineral.

My favorite was a 2016 Assyrtiko, fermented on the skins, then tucked away in the cellar for the better part of a decade. It was a beautiful amber color, but hadn’t succumbed to oxidation. Rather, it was packed with intense aromas of golden peach, gardenia and petrol and was full of lip-smacking acidity and a saline, wet rock texture.

(Stay tuned on social media for Hatzidakis video out soon)

I’m leaving Santorini tomorrow, but have another week in Greece on the islands of Naxos and Paros. I’m excited to explore their village wine production and seeing what wines the locals drink. Stay tuned!

Taste Santorini For Yourself

In case you missed it, I’m starting a wine club! Each month, I'll ship you 2 wines that we'll taste together on the third Sunday of each month via Zoom. (with the option of adding 2 or 4 more bottles from that month's theme to drink in your own time.)

⁠

Our tastings will be part educational, part fun, as we talk through regions, grapes, winemaking styles and pairing ideas.⁠ And there’s no long-term commitment - just sign up by the first of each month.

For our inaugural lineup, I’ve chosen themes to keep you in the summer mood:

For June’s club, we’ll discuss the dreamy terroir of the Mediterranean, then taste wines from Santorini and Sardinia.  (Option to add bottles from Sicily, Corsica, Crete and Calabria)

I hope you’ll join me on what is sure to be a fun journey.  I’ll sea you on June 23rd 😉

JOIN WINE CLUB

Until next week… Yiamas (Cheers!)

Kelsey