Greece has a long, varied wine history spanning dozens of regions and native grape varieties, from Naoussa's Xinomavro reds in the north to Crete's ancient winemaking traditions in the south. Santorini stands out within that wider picture for a few specific, unusual reasons.
Volcanic soil, almost no rainfall
Few wine regions anywhere farm under conditions this harsh — see our Assyrtiko guide for how the island's near-total lack of irrigation shapes the grape itself. Most other Greek regions, even dry ones, have meaningfully more rainfall and more conventional soil to work with.
Ungrafted, ancient vines
Santorini's volcanic sand keeps out the phylloxera louse that forced most of the world's vineyards, including most of mainland Greece, to graft their vines onto resistant rootstock over a century ago. Many Santorini vines remain on their own original roots — a genuine rarity globally, not just within Greece.
A single grape doing most of the work
Where many Greek regions grow a range of native varieties — Agiorgitiko in Nemea, Moschofilero in Mantinia, Xinomavro in the north — Santorini's identity is built overwhelmingly around one white grape, Assyrtiko, grown in a style specific enough that the same grape planted elsewhere in Greece rarely tastes the same.
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