Santorini Assyrtiko

Drink a Santorini Assyrtiko before you die! Why?

This is a magical wine from a magical island and there's nothing else quite like it

Assyrtiko has the uncanny ability to grow in a hot sunny arid and windy climate while retaining its crisp acidity...making is a perfect refreshment on a hot sunny day. Along with high acidity the wine also has a delicious nervy minerality and relatively high alcohol (usually 13% and above), so you do need to take it steady!

Ring trained (kladeftiko) Assyrtiko vines Santorini with iconic white church in background. Making beautiful bone dry, mineral, white wines not to be missed. Bucket list wines - wines to try before you die
Ring trained (kladeftiko) Assyrtiko vines Santorini | © Panos / stock.adobe.com

Not affect by phylloxera many of these vines are over 100 years and some claim to be over 400 years old. Grape growing was brought to the island in the Middle Ages by the Venetians. The Venetians controlled the island for over a century and price the robust Santorini wine for its relatively high alcohol content. When the teetotalling Turks took control of the island in the 1500s they didn’t discourage wine production as it was the only cash crop the island’s volcanic soils and harsh conditions could sustain.

Basket trained (kouloura) Assyertiko vines Santorini. Making a bone dry, steely, mineral, delicious white wine. Bucket list wines - wines to try before you die
Basket trained (kouloura) Assyertiko vines Santorini | © Ana Tramont / stock.adobe.com
It’s a brutal. labor intensive, task to cultivate grapes on Santorini. Vines are trained low to the ground in either basket (kouloura) or ring (kladeftiko) shapes to protect them from the hot sun and drying winds (see photos). This may be a good outcome for the grape vines but it does little for the comfort of a vineyard workers aching back. As tourism continues to grow on this beautiful picturesque island there’s a strong temptation for vignerons to replace their vines with villas and cash in on the lucrative tourist trade. Cross Santorini Assyrtiko off your wine bucket list while you’ve got the chance!