Though I personally would welcome the warmth and wind, the Assyrtiko vines on the island of Santorini would beg to differ. To keep the grapes from being lifted away into the sky by the relentless gusts, the vines are woven into a basket shape.
The wine produced from the Assyrtiko grape is a bracing, lively white wine. When I spoke to Yiannis Paraskevopoulos of Gaia Wines, he mentioned that it is his favorite wine for oysters. In fact, he is so fond of this pairing that he told me “it’s as if oysters were made for this wine.” I was also really surprised by his thoughts on a much-maligned wine: Retsina. His words, and a tasting of two bottlings, have got me reconsidering Retsina. Look for a recap in an upcoming post. In the meantime, head over to Foodista for more about tradition and innovation in Greek wine from my interview with Yiannis.
Santorini vine photos courtesy Klearchos Kapoutsis.
