Assyrtiko Aegean Wine Region

Assyrtiko is Greece's most internationally celebrated indigenous white grape, producing its finest wines on the volcanic island of Santorini in the southern Aegean but also cultivated on the Greek mainland in Halkidiki and Drama. The Santorini Assyrtiko — grown in basket-trained vines (kouloura) on the island's ancient volcanic ash (pumice and lava) soils, surviving desiccating Meltemi winds and virtually no rainfall through the root systems developed over centuries — produces wines of extraordinary mineral tension, phenolic weight and saline complexity. The grape's thick skin and high acidity allow it to resist the Aegean heat while retaining freshness. Great Assyrtiko from the island's Nykteri (night-harvest) and Vinsanto (sun-dried sweet wine) traditions adds additional dimensions to a variety of remarkable range and depth. Mainland Assyrtiko — particularly from Drama in northern Greece — shows different character: more aromatic, less volcanic.