TOASST TRAVELS: Santorini, Wines of Wind and Volcano
Taking a morning hike on the lip of the caldera that forms a crescent moon-shaped island, salty air of the Aegean sending hair whipping around my face, I finally understood the two things that make the white wines of Santorini so unique: volcano and wind.
It seems unlikely that an island, formed of a collapsed volcano, should have become one of the most sought after (and photographed) tourist destinations in the world, let alone home to distinctive white wines that have formed a global reputation as food-friendly with crisp acidity and mouth-watering salinity. But this is Santorini, home to Minoans, Phoenicians, Romans, Ottomans and 3000 years of winemaking history. It is also where one of the most violent volcanic eruptions in recorded history took place, the Minoan eruption 3600 years ago, a blink of the eye in earth time. While earthquakes and eruptions along the South Aegean Volcanic Arc remain a constant threat, that grapes grow hardy, and winemakers coax flavors both fresh and age-worthy, is a testament to land defined by resilience.
Santorini is a source of unique, high quality wines with passionate winemakers that are behind some of our most popular wines. As summer winds down, we look back on our travels and share more about how the viticulture and winemaking at one of the most prestigious wineries in the Mediterranean continues to evolve to produce some of the most sought after and quaffable wines in the world.
Our hike led out from Oia, the second largest village on the island where square-shaped whitewashed buildings defy gravity, clinging to steep slopes that drop down to the protected bay. Looking down to the interior of the crescent, yachts and cruise ships leave a cross hatch of wakes, dropping off island hoppers for sunset photos, grilled fish, and more than one glass of Santorini’s famous white wine made from the Assyrtiko grape. At 367 m (1,204 ft.) at its high point, Santorini may not be the highest growing region in the world, but that height can be vertiginous and is packed into a landmass that covers only 90.623 km2 (34.990 sq mi). For the grapes it is on the outer side of the crescent, more gently sloping than the interior, but still steep, that grape vines dig deep into dark, nutrient dense soil.
Climbing the ridgeline trail from Oia to Imerovigli, we trudged on well-worn stone paths and scrambled up volcanic rock, the same rock that gives these vines their character and strength. Porous volcanic soil collects moisture at night then releases it slowly to the vine roots during the day by way of evaporation, a lifeline in a place that receives far less rainfall than Bordeaux or Napa. It is also thanks to the clay-less volcanic soil that phylloxera, the vine decimating pest, never did any damage to Santorini, making these vines some of the oldest in Europe.
Whether hiking on the ridgeline or having a cocktail at a rooftop restaurant, there is no place on the island it seems the wind does not touch. To protect the vines from damage, generations of winemakers developed a unique method of training vines into low lying wreath or basket shapes called kouloura. Leaves growing out over entwined vines provide protection for the grapes from damage by wind, volcanic sand flung by the wind, and the intense Aegean sun.
Eight kilometers and an hour and forty five minutes after we started, my husband and I found a wind blocking wall by a pool at the chic Andronis Concept Hotel and pulled on our long sleeve layers. Salty, lemony and bright, our chilled glass of Assyrtiko was like tasting the wind itself, whipping off the cool May sea, the perfect accompaniment to an unsurpassed view and a fitting reward for the hike.
That afternoon we set out for Domaine Sigalas, one of the few wineries to make its home near Oia. Founded in the early nineties by pioneering winemaker and mathematician Paris Sigalas, their 40 hectares of vineyard of indigenous grapes, primarily Assyrtiko, are sustainably farmed, stretching throughout the northernmost part of the island.
Alongside a plate of local sheep’s milk cheese, briny olives, and umami-rich sun dried tomato paste, we tasted through five Assyrtiko bottlings ranging from a bright and racy single vineyard to a vanilla scented barrel-aged, proving this varietal has range. It is easy to get caught up in the moment wherever you are wine tasting, but it was hard to deny that the volcanic rocks we had trudged along only hours earlier lent a distinct minerality to each wine. Meanwhile the sea-blown wind continued to make its presence known, sending tendrils of hair loose from my ponytail as we tasted Sigalas' offerings on their outdoor patio. Those winds were not just cooling, preserving acidity in an otherwise sun beaten island, they also were undoubtedly the source of the mouth-watering saline notes, from the lemony fresh 7 Villages to the rich, old vine Kavalieros.
Ending the line-up, the 2019 Domaine Sigalas Nychteri was a discovery. Traditionally a wine made for the vineyard workers and winery owner to drink, it is mostly late harvest. At 3.8g/L of residual sugar and 15% ABV, this is a wine that can age for up to 10 years. With notes of ripe tropical fruit and quince paste this made for a lovely sweet-sour-salty combination with our plate of hard cheese.
We moved on to sample a bottle of 100% Aidani, another white local grape that is typically relegated to blending, as well as a red Mavrotragano, grown in the trellis style, rather than koulouri, to improve ripening, though the high acidity might still leave some big red lovers wanting. It is always interesting to see these native grapes given full attention but given the limited production of any wines outside of Assyrtiko, you might just need to plan a Greek holiday to taste for yourself. Lucky for the rest of us, anytime you want to be whisked away on Aegean winds to the land of blue and white, you need look no further than a glass of the island’s best, Assyrtiko.
The wines of Domaine Sigalas have been featured in several monthly TOASST boxes and remain some of our members’ favorites. You can currently sample Sigalas Assyrtiko-Monemvasia PGI Cyclade 2019 in the White Wine Lover Box at TOASST.CO.