Welcome to another One Minute Wine Ace post. This week, it’s all about getting to know Santorini’s flagship white grape Assyrtiko with this ‘vinalogy’ to help you remember its characteristics:
Assyrtiko: Among Ancient Ruins
There’s not a cloud in the sky on this warm, bright day as you head on foot down the white, gravelly pathway towards what’s physically left of this ancient Greek civilization. The air is redolent with the scent of almond trees and acacia blossom with clementine peels warming in the heat. You spot a stand selling small pots of lemon granita and gratefully suck down the salty, citrusy ice crystals, holding the empty pot to your brow. Soon enough, it’s time to step inside this ancient world of cool, marble structures away from the glaring sun. Down here it smells mineral and earthy. What these walls must have seen!
Assyrtiko is Greece’s finest quality white wine grape and it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves on wine lists around the world. In its sunny spiritual home of Santorini, Assyrtiko makes fairly full-bodied white wine with lush notes of orange and lemon citrus, acacia honey and marzipan tempered by a very welcome cool, mineral core and refreshingly high acidity, despite the heat. It doesn’t much like oak and you can drink it young but the best ones can age well for years too. If you’re into fine Riesling, you’ll love this, especially with a plate of white fish and skinny potato fries.
GEEK FACT: On its island home of Santorini, many of the Assyrtiko vines are still ungrafted* and are aged between 60 and 250 years old! This means they have incredibly deep roots, reaching down for metres into the volcanic soil and sucking up lots of trace elements and minerals, hence the style.
*Most European vines have different rootstocks - I’ll bore you with why another time.
ASSYRTIKO SIPS SAFARI
Assyrtiko 1: Santorini, Greece
For benchmark Assyrtiko, try one unoaked from the island of Santorini in the Cyclades. This is where you’ll find powerful,. yet crisp, dry and saline wines with their fragrant notes of ripe lemon and clementine with a touch of honey. For fuller-bodied, more textured and gastronomic versions, look for ‘Nykteri’ on the label and you can also try it in its dark, sweet wine form as the original Vinsanto for a salted caramel, fudge vibe.
Try: Assyrtiko ‘34’, Santorini, Karamolegos 2023, £41, The Wine Society,
Assyrtiko 2: Crete & Mainland Greece
More and more plantings of this grape can now be found in Crete and around mainland Greece, especially around Macedonia, Drama and the Peloponnese where the inland climate and more youthful vines produce wines that are a little lighter, less austere and more fruity. They don’t quite have the length, complexity or the panache of Santorini, though.
Try: Lyrarakis Assyrtiko 2025, Crete, £15 (£11.50 mix 6), Majestic Wine
Assyrtiko 3: Clare Valley, Australia
You won’t find a huge amount of Assyrtiko outside Greece yet, but pockets of it are cropping up, such as in Australia’s cool Clare Valley region. This is the home of the razor-like, crisp Aussie Rieslings and they share that concentration and acidity with Assyrtiko here.
Try: Jim Barry, Clare Valley Assyrtiko 2023, £25 Laithwaites
Also Try: Thanks to its incredible capacity to remain fresh when the weather is extremely hot and dry, many regions worldwide are now experimenting with Assyrtiko thanks to climate change. New Zealand and Puglia are doing well with it and they are even experimenting with it in Bordeaux now, so keep an eye on that!
Assyrtiko is…
🎨 Golden, complex and citrussy
🏋️♂️ Full-bodied, concentrated and saline with very fresh acidity
👃 All about complex orange and lemon peel, honey blossom and almond
📍 The star white grape of Santorini, Greece
🍴 Pair with grilled white fish
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