Sea, sun & wine – the vines of Santorini

Emmanuel, our Deputy Head Sommelier recently visited the stunning vines of Santorini. In meeting many local producers and tasting an array of these expressive, exceptional wines, one thing that always stands out about this wine-making region is the unique way in which the grapes are grown. Kouloura is the name of the traditional vine training system in Santorini, Greece. The vines are wound into a basket shape at ground level which has two main purposes: protecting the vines against strong winds on the island and preserving the precious humidity. Harvest is now in full swing in Santorini and producers are collecting grapes from those very old prephylloxeric vines of Assyrtiko (sometimes 200 years old) planted on volcanic soils. It is due to these volcanic soils that the wines of Santorini have such unique characters, and the lack of clay in the soil gives the vines a natural immunity from Phylloxera. However, despite the many advantages, the growing conditions of Santorini are made more difficult because of the lack of rain, with an average of only 400mm per year. Having said this, cool, refreshing winds from the north called, “meltemia” blanket the island during the summer, decreasing the temperature dramatically at night... We have some vibrant, crisp and memorable wines from this region on our list, and in fact, a fantastic representation of Greece as a whole. We may not have an ocean view, but the bar at the Club is a worthy alternative…