Santorini : When the volcano makes wine…
NO, Santorini is not just an island overrun by tourists in summer.
It’s not just about influencers in butterfly dresses seeking the perfect Instagram shot.
It’s not just about sunsets that would beatify any contemplative soul.
It’s not just about white and blue terraces where one sips a frappé!
There are no words to describe this island sculpted by ancient lava flows in the southern
Aegean Sea, which literally takes your breath away.
Beyond this tourist eAervescence lies another treasure that captivates the hearts of
wine lovers: Assyrtiko, this extraordinary white grape variety whose renown has crossed
lands and seas across the globe.
Picture yourself before these astonishing vines, whose shoots have been woven into
crown shapes close to the ground, protecting their clusters like precious jewel cases.
These kouloura – these characteristic woven baskets – are far more than a curiosity: they
reveal the ancestral genius of Santorini’s winemakers in protecting the grapes from
merciless winds and the implacable burning sun of the Aegean.
For here, everything is extreme. The soil, composed of lava, ash, and pumice deposited
by Minoan eruptions, tells a story 3,000 years old. This deep layer of porous stone is a
miracle of nature: it retains moisture that it releases through evaporation during the
hottest hours, allowing the vines to survive in this place where sunshine is at its
maximum and rainfall at its minimum!
Assyrtiko: A Revelation Among Great Whites
While continental Greece and its islands always surprise me with their magnificent
white wines, it’s Assyrtiko that has now become “the flagship of all Greek wines” thanks
to its “magnificent combination of ripeness and razor-sharp acidity.” – Yiannis Karakasis
Santorini’s signature: an acidity that cuts right through you, carrying with it all the
volcanic minerality of the island, an electric tension that makes every sip vibrate.
In recent comparative tastings, Assyrtiko clearly outperformed a German Riesling
Premier Cru and was mistaken for a Chablis Grand Cru, revealing a unique personality
that now rivals the greatest European whites.
A Unique Terroir in the World
Indeed, unlike the majority of European vineyards completely devastated by phylloxera
at the end of the 19th century (Greek word meaning “dry leaf”) and which had to be
replanted with rootstock to survive, Santorini’s vines were spared thanks to this
fascinating soil; they still sink their roots directly into the island’s soil today, without
rootstock. These are called ungrafted vines.
This phenomenon allows winemakers today to renew their vineyards as in Antiquity,
through the kataboladi method: this ancestral layering technique where a living vine
cane is buried to generate a new plant.
This uninterrupted viticulture, since the catastrophic volcanic eruption of 1630 BC, is
truly miraculous! Perhaps Dionysus himself wanted his nectar to be reborn from the
ashes, more powerful than ever.
Other Grape Varieties
While the Santorini PDO requires at least 75% Assyrtiko, other grape varieties contribute
to Santorini’s viticultural richness:
Aidani and Athiri, other white grape varieties, are vinified alone or blended with the
island’s king; they bring more floral or fruity notes and generally soften Assyrtiko’s fiery
vivacity.
Mavrotragano, a red grape variety, produces wines that are increasingly appreciated,
with aromas of red and black fruits not lacking in elegance and benefiting from a
beautiful tannic structure, ideal for aging.
As for Mandilari, a red grape variety also found in Crete, it is often used in blending given
the robustness of its tannins. As a single variety, you just need to arm yourself with a
little patience and let youth pass…
Regarding the island’s other PDOs: Nykteri or Vinsanto, they are variations of the
Santorini PDO to express additional expertise in fermentation or aging, and allow
Assyrtiko to reveal itself in other wine styles.
For my part, I cannot resist Gavalas Vinsanto, a dessert wine: the grapes are harvested
at the end of August when they have reached full maturity, they are then dried, that is to
say, put to dry in the sun for 10 to 15 days. The sugars concentrate and the natural
acidity of the grape is preserved. The juice obtained then ferments in old oak barrels
before aging for 6 years in these same barrels.
The nectar obtained, brown in color, breathes fig and raisins, caramel, prunes,
chocolate; the palate is seductive, concentrated, powerful mixed with surprising
freshness… and to think that these bottles can be kept for more than 30 years!
The Complete Sensory Experience
If you haven’t already, I can only advise you to taste Santorini wines; the ideal, of course,
is to do as I did, go there, crisscross the roads by scooter, feast your eyes on these
vineyard plots that punctuate the landscape, these little treasures scattered in this lunar
landscape!
You can stop at will to taste these exceptional wines from the winemakers who inspire
you – and there are many! I don’t know exactly how many but more than twenty for sure:
Argyros, Santo Wines, Gavalas, Vassaltis, Karamolegos, Sigalas, Venetsanos,
Hadzidakis… etc., will all be very happy to welcome you.
Between two cellars, you can:
Enjoy breathtaking views
Climb to the Red Beach, adorned with dark red volcanic rock cliAs and sand that
pulls toward the same color
Walk along the black beach of Perissa where the contrast between the volcanic
sand and the intense blue of the Aegean Sea stimulates all the senses
Cross villages and stop for the atmosphere, terraces, and well-deserved rest
But it’s perhaps while admiring the caldera that one best understands the soul of these
wines. This geological marvel oAers a spectacle in perpetual motion: colors change
constantly according to the hour and shadow, passing from yellow to ochre red, from
garnet to violet, from golden to blues of an unimaginable gradient. This constantly
evolving chromatic palette is found in the complexity of Santorini wines, whose tasting
will leave a trace, a bubbling emotion in your brain, your heart, or your body.
A Greek Renaissance
Starting from Santorini, Assyrtiko now conquers other regions of Greece and even
ventures to California and Australia. On the neighboring island of Tinos, at 460 meters
altitude, the T-Oinos vineyard produces an exceptional Clos Stegasta Assyrtiko.
In France, it has been selected by some estates in Bordeaux and Languedoc for its great
vivacity and heat resistance. What other grape variety, in climatic conditions that
continue to push their extremes, could maintain such freshness, such balance? Could
Greece once again be the cradle of future viticultural culture?
Of course, the terroir won’t be the same and the depth of Santorini wines will never be
equaled, but as someone passionate about Greek wines, I can only rejoice in this
potential perspective…
In this lunar landscape shaped by volcanoes, Assyrtiko oAers us a lesson in humility and
grandeur: even in apparent hostility, nature can create wonders.
So when you taste an Assyrtiko, think of these courageous vines that defy the winds and
taunt the sun. Let yourself be carried away by its magic, listen to the murmur through the
kouloura, try to pierce the mystery of these vines transforming lava into light.
My Favorites (but I haven’t tasted everything!)
HADZIDAKIS – Familia Cuvée – Organic
If its color is clear, lemon yellow, and the nose discreet on citrus, it’s to better explode in
the mouth! What fine, elegant, even airy touch! Flavors of lemon, white fruits, pears,
peaches, sweet spices develop as the wine warms up. A little marvel.
SIGALAS Winery – Kavalieros Cuvée – Organic
A beautiful bright lemon color. In addition to aromas of well-ripened lemons, toasted
notes come to tickle the nose. The mouth is unctuous, voluptuous as desired, enriched
by an almost saline impression, and the finish, endless… No wood for a tasting in pure
form.
ARGYROS – Monsignori Cuvée – Organic
Vines at least 200 years old oAer us here a concentrated, refined, elegant wine with
aromas of citrus, peaches, and herbaceous notes that invite us to travel. The mouth is
rich but salivating, the alcohol opulent but magnificently maintained by overflowing
freshness. If perfect balance had a name…
GAVALAS – Vinsanto
Sweet wine in barrel colors. Yes, there’s caramel, walnut, fig, honey, plum, but what
acidity, what freshness… Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Diabolical.
Sommelier: Myriam Perret
Photos: Laurent SAGE
0 Comments