Santorini Vineyard
On Santorini and Thirasia, on volcanic soil with the Aegean in the background, Assyrtiko grows like nowhere else in the world: without water, without phylloxera, with the wind and the volcanic sand shaping its character.
Our first privately owned vineyard on Thirasia. Planted with ungrafted vines.
The place
Volcanic soil, beside the Aegean
The soil here is the eruption itself: pumice, volcanic ash and lava, with almost no organic matter, yet able to hold the night’s moisture for the vine. In completely arid conditions, with only the sea mist and the north wind, the vines express a unique character.
Our vineyard stretches from Santorini to Thirasia, the small island across the caldera, where time moves more slowly.
The variety
Assyrtiko, the soul of Santorini
Assyrtiko was born here, and here it gives its most austere expression: minerality, salinity, acidity that lasts for decades. From these vines come Thalassitis, Wild Ferment, Nychteri and Ammonite.
Yields are among the lowest in Europe, contributing to grapes of high quality and concentration.
Next to the chapel of Agios Georgios, the first Assyrtiko clone is cultivated.
An irrigated vineyard, with targeted and responsible water management.
Cultivation
Basket vines and new plantings
The old vines are trained in the kouloura, the distinctive basket shape the people of Santorini devised to protect the grapes from the wind and the sun. Their roots are centuries old — phylloxera never reached the volcanic soil.
The new Assyrtiko plantings consist of ungrafted vines, to preserve the island’s genetic material, combined with selected clones from Santorini. We keep the traditional training system while experimenting with different practices, looking for those that best suit the particular conditions of our vineyard.
Sustainability
Sustainability in a place without water
Santorini teaches economy: cultivation with minimal irrigation and fertilisers, with respect for an ecosystem that survives on the edge. The old vines are not uprooted; they are maintained and renewed with the traditional technique of layering.
On Thirasia, where viticulture nearly disappeared, our work is also one of preservation: keeping alive a landscape and a craft that go back thousands of years.
A new linear vineyard, where we will keep the traditional basket training.
