I am off to Santorini late May. Santorini, regarded as the most famous of all Greek islands, is also one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The amazing caldera formed by the volcanic eruption centuries ago, resulted in the most stunning sea views a human eye can ever see. Its fertile volcanic land produces products with distinctive flavors. Of course wine is at the top of this list. Santorini is renowned for its tradition in wine making and fine wine varieties. When my friend and I land in Santorini its boutique wineries are a must. Right at the top of my list will be checking Assyrtiko (A seer' tec ko) wines. Yep, you guessed it I am big on Assyrtiko.
Why Assyrtiko?
When Cinque Wine Bar, Athens hosted a virtual wine tasting March 2021 our conversations focused on Assyrtiko wines from Domain Hatzimichalis, Gaia Wines, and Avantis Estate. These conversations transported me immediately to Greece. Assyrtiko, a white grape indigenous to Santorini, is arguably Greece's most iconic white wine grape variety. It is a wine with great diversity. Grown in the arid volcanic-ash-rich soil of Santorini and other Aegean islands, it is also found in other regions of Greece, planted as far north as Drama in Greek Macedonia. It is a versatile grape variety, with wines being made in a multitude of styles, from fresh, mineral driven white wines to rich, nutty dessert wines known as Vinsanto. For sure Assyrtiko is a great for conversations.
Our Assyrtiko Virtual Wine Tasting centered around three wines: Domain Hatzimichalis, Gaia Wines, and Avantis Estate.
1. Domaine Hatzimichalis, Assyrtiko Alepotrypa 2019 |
| Domaine Hatzimichalis, Assyrtiko Alepotrypa 2019 © Spaswinefood |
Earlier in Greece I was introduced to Assyrtiko Alepotrypa 2016.
2. Gaia, Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2019
While it was unfortunately I did not receive the shipment, which included the last two wines, both of which are from Santorini. Keith Edwards's article provides an excellent analysis of the three wines that includes these two wines. Given that I was looking forward to tasting them in the future I am excited to be off to Santorini this coming May.
One of the amazing discoveries for me during our session was, there are ancient Assyrtiko vines on Sanitorini. For sure Santorini Assyrtiko vines are amongst the most interesting. On the average these vines can reach 70 years old, and some of the wines are amongst the oldest in Greece. Growers have adapted to the growing conditions on the island by training their vines into "baskets", winding the canes into wall around the fruit, providing shelter from strong winds. Since advanced vine age tends to effect wine quality because yields are reduced, enhancing Assyrtiko's potential to make some very complex wines.
What stuck with me was that the Assyrtiko vines on Santorini are some of the oldest vines in Greece. The lack of water in the soil means the growers need to space the vines further apart than is usual. Moreover, the adaptation of the vines has resulted in the primary root(s) reaching around 5 meters, with the secondary roots being close to the surface to absorb humidity in the air.
For sure the Santorini terroir presents some challenges that significantly affect wine growing. The island is dry enough to be classified as a desert on the Köppen climate scale, and also very windy. On the plus side, the harsh volcanic soils of the island's vineyards have prevented the spread of phylloxera. Unlike most of Europe, the vines do not need to be grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks.
Some of Santorini's wineries have tried special projects, like aging the wines under sea water. This is believe to have an interesting effect on the wines. Giannis Paraskevopoulos speculates it is not the effect of pressure that achieves this but the lack of oxygen. He suggests that this same experiment could be tried on land where wine bottles are immersed under water. For sure Assyrtiko is very susceptible to oxidation. Santorini winemakers take advantage of this in the making of sweet Vinsanto wines. By controlling the level of oxidation, producers can create darker wines with fig, coffee, kirsch and chocolate characteristics. The grape's versatility, however, is that it can also be made into a dry wine, yellow-gold in color with mineral, pear, apple and citrus blossom aromas and flavors. Some versions are fermented in barrel. Naturally high acidity means that Assyrtiko wines can age for many years. Assyrtiko is sometimes blended with the Athiri and Aidani grape varieties on its native Santorini, in both dry and sweet styles. They are usually minor components of the blend. Assyrtiko, occasionally seen in Retsina, appears to be falling from favor for that purpose, as more varietal Assyrtiko wines are being crafted.
Assyritko's unique characteristics has also made it appealing to other countries around the world. One of those characteristics is drought resistant. One of the best examples of its ability to adapt is that Jim Barry Wines produced Australia's first Assyrtiko from 3 hectares (7.5 acres) of basket-trained vines in the Lodge Hill Vineyard in the Clare Valley. The vines were propagated from cuttings from Sanitorini's Argyros Estate. When Spaswinefood visited the Clare Valley in 2015 it was indeed a treat to taste at Jim Barry Wines. We did not taste Assyritko during this visit given it was first released in 2016 (see Decanter article).
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| Jim Barry Wines, Clare Valley, Australia © Spaswinefood |
For sure the Assyrtiko session peeked my interest in knowing more about this wine. Especially after tasting these 2016 wines during a 2018 visit to Cinque.
2. Domaine Porto Carras Assyrtiko
3. Tsantali, Klimaklima Organic Assyrtiko
4. Artemis Karamolegos, Assyrtiko
Kokotos Estate, Perdika sto Ampeli 2016 © Spaswinefood
Let the Assyrtiko Conversations Continue
I felt so fortunate that I am able to enjoy Greek Wines offered by Cinque. Since my first meeting with Evangelie and Greg in 2016, at Cinque Wine Bar, Athens I have had the pleasure to meet up with them and Nikitas at a number of #winelover hangouts in Europe. Of course, whenever I was able to return to Cinque it was always a special treat. For me getting to know Greek wines is an amazing journey.
Cinque THANK YOU
March 2022
Dreaming of Greece
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| Evangelie and Greg, Cinque, Athens © Spaswinefood |
