The Santorini wine route and its all-terrain vineyards - Wine Tourism World

Is it difficult to make wine on a volcanic island? Not at all! The Greeks are resourceful, and they've been doing it for 3,500 years. The result: resilient vines and naturally organic wines . With all that, it's becoming increasingly easy to be convinced to fly to Santorini…

Santorini, a little gem of the Cyclades

From the famous Caldera, the landscapes are simply breathtaking. Whitewashed houses and alleyways, blue-domed chapels overlooking the cliffs and the sparkling Aegean Sea below, picturesque villages, large black sand beaches.

Less than a four-hour flight from Paris , Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades archipelago. It's the site of the myth of Atlantis, a must-see destination for travelers wishing to discover Greece. But tourism isn't the only economic resource for this small island of just 76 square kilometers, with its 12,000 permanent residents.

Megalohori, © Jean-Marie (Evaneos)

More than 1,000 hectares of vineyards color the arid and volcanic landscapes, producing a renowned wine, the production of which began around 3,500 years before our era.

Assyrtiko, a unique indigenous grape variety, is indeed one of the oldest in the history of viticulture, with some vines dating back several hundred years. It has been classified as a Protected Designation of Origin.

A dry, slightly fruity white wine is produced here, its characteristics unique and reflecting the local production constraints. Water stress, strong winds, and intense sun result in very low yields. Adding to these characteristics is the low clay content of the soils, all of which makes the development of phylloxera virtually impossible, making Santorini wines almost organic by nature.

A particular type of vine plan

When strolling through the vineyards, the distinctive shape of the vines is striking. Uninitiated travelers sometimes mistake them for neglected plants, observing a pile of leaves and shoots seemingly growing wild on the ground. However, viticulture in Santorini is meticulous. Year after year, the trunk of each vine is shaped into a hoop, nestled in a shallow hollow at ground level, by weaving the shoots together. This configuration provides better protection for the grapes growing within this ball of leaves, shielding them from the sun and harsh winds. Furthermore, Santorini's volcanic soil contains, in part, tiny particles of pumice. This allows the infrequent rains, as well as the dew generated by the high humidity of spring, to be absorbed more effectively and released gradually, naturally irrigating the Santorini vines.

Vineyards of Santorini, © Jean-Marie (Evaneos)

Recently, local winemakers have attempted to revive a very old indigenous grape variety, Mavrotragano, producing an intense red wine with undeniable aging potential. Another, more approachable red wine is produced with Mandilaria, a grape variety found on several Cycladic islands.

In our next article, we'll be talking about Vinsanto!

Evaneos (for Les Grappes)