Santorini Wines

Varieties of white grapes:

Aidani. Indigenous variety of  Santorini which is found on other Cycladic island as well. This white variety produces wines with a flower bouquet. Nicos Manessis in his book “Greek Wine Guide”, stresses that its aroma resembles that of the jasmine.    

Asyrtiko. This is found on all of the Cyclades, mainly on santorini and Paros. The grapes are characterized by a high level of acidity with high contents of sugar as well. It is this oxymoron which makes this particular variety very easy to use and produces wines covering the whole range from absolutely dry to sweet, like the Vinsanto of Santorini.

Athiri. Although this is not an exclusivity of the Cyclades (it is mainly cultivated on the island of Rhodes), the variety of the athiri grapes is found all over the Aegean region. In the Cyclades, it is cultivated in Santorini and and the wines deriving are aromatic with a lemon fragrance. Very often they are mixed with other types of grapes, particularly the Asyrtico.

Nychteri, Santorini. This is another, extremely traditional Santorini Wine. Nychteri is always white, prodused almost exclusively from asyrtico. Occasionally, a combination of asyrtico, athiri and/or aidani is used. Nychteri is a representative, white, dry wine, prodused on the island. Its name comes from the fact that it takes a whole day and part of the night to process the grapes. The collection of grapes takes place very early in the morning, whereas the process and the pressing are completed within the same day.

Varieties of red grapes:

Mandilari or Mandilaria. This variety gives the sub line red wine of Cyclades, more famous in Paros. It is probably one of the oldest varieties in Greece and many believe that its famous in Paros. It is probably one of the oldest varieties in Greece and many believe that its roots go back, without historical vacuums, in antiquity. The wine deriving from this variety has a tart taste with plenty of tannin. It is mixed with the white variety Monemvasia or Malvazia.

Some wines have been recognized as clearly local wines and have been awarded the title of Appellation of Origin. These are the dry, red wine of Paros , produced with the combination of local Monemvasia and Mandilaria grapes, the dry, white wine of Santorini, produced by the unique variety of the island, the Asyrtiko and the sweet Vinsanto of Santorini, produced with the combination of Asyrtico and Aidani.

The rich vine and wine tradition of the Cyclades was established through the years, due to the thousands of vine-growers and wine producers who cultivated every single inch of the arable land. Thus, near the well=organized wineries that have standardize their production, there are still many wine makers who keep the tradition of home-making wine, exploiting the forgotten or even rare varieties of vines.

For instance, on the small island of Anafi, we still find the rare variety of Strofyliatico, in Sifnos and Serifos the Serfiotico, in Syros the white Avgoustiati and katsano and the red Armeletousa, Pronico and Romeico. In Paros, along with the famous Mandilaria, we find the also red varieties Vafissa and Cara Ibrahim. In Tinos, the white grapes thrive more, like the Ascathari and Aspropotamissio, while in Andros and Kea, who in the past had a great tradition in viniculture, we find the red Koumari and Spetson. In Myconos, where viniculture is being reborn, we find the white Aspathari, Aspropotamissio and Pariano, whereas the red variety is mainly the Agianniotico. In the “arc” of Milos, Folegandros, Sikinos, Ios and Amorgos, the same varieties are more or less cultivated, as for instance, the Asyrtico, Aidani, Monemvasia, Athiri, Gaidouria and Trefera. As far as the red variety is concerned, we find the Mavroliatis, Voudomato and Nerostafylo. In Thyrassia, we find the white kritico, in Naxos the white Aidani and Asyrtico and in Kythnos the Psarosyrico. Santorini of course, is the richest in vine varieties, where, besides the famous Asyrtico, Athiri and Aidani, we find the very rare (white) Begleri, Mavromoschato, Rodomousi and Stavrochioti.

Other wines:

Brusco, Santorini. This is the traditional wine of Santorini. Its name comes from the Venetians who ruled the island from the 13^th to the 16^th century. The name brusco refers more to a general characteristic rather than a particular wine. It can be white, made with asyrtica grapes, or red, made with mandilari, or by mixing both, in which case we have a rose wine. It is a strong wine containing 16-17% alcohol. This is achieved (independently from the grapes used) by allowing the grapes to ferment in their own skin, for a long period of time.

Vinsanto, Santorini. This is one of the finest sweet all over Greece. Its name is taken from the Italian Vivo Santo, meaning the wine of Holly Communion. Despite its Italian name, this red wine was produced on the island long before the Venetians stepped on it. The clusters of grapes are left intact, spread in the sun to dry. As the humidity is dinishing, the sugar increases, giving a rich dessert wine. Vinsanto is prepared by mixing asyrtico and aidani grapes.

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