Greece — wine

Santorini

Greece's most volcanic and internationally recognized wine island in the Aegean, producing Assyrtiko of extraordinary mineral intensity from ancient, basket-trained vines (koulouri) on volcanic pumice and lava soils. The island's extreme conditions — 300+ days of sunshine, howling Meltemi winds, no phylloxera, no rain — require vines to be trained into ground-level baskets to protect the grapes. Assyrtiko's piercing acidity, citrus intensity, and volcanic mineral character is unlike any other white wine on earth.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Outstanding Santorini vintage; Assyrtiko from ancient volcanic pumice soils showed extraordinary citrus intensity and mineral precision.
2021 Classic Aegean vintage; basket-vine Assyrtiko produced wines of haunting salinity and mineral freshness.
2020 Benchmark year; Sigalas and Argyros produced internationally acclaimed barrel-fermented Assyrtiko and Nykteri.
2019 Greatest Santorini vintage in the modern era; Assyrtiko of legendary volcanic mineral intensity and aging potential.
2018 Excellent vintage; the ancient vines' concentration produced Nykteri wines of extraordinary oxidative complexity.