The Assyrtiko Grape

Assyrtiko is a white-wine grape native to the small Greek island best known as Santorini (though now officially named Thera). It is a high-acid wine, and thus typically ages well. Its characteristic tastes are citrus (notably lemon) and minerality.

It is usually made unoaked, but a few vintners are now experimenting with oaked versions; as is often the case with oaking, the results are somewhat controversial.

Owing to its rapid modern recognition as one of the dozen and a half or so of world-class white-wine grapes, Assyrtiko is now also being grown elsewhere than Santorini—not only around Greece, but even in Australia—but the Santorini bottlings are still widely considered the best.

Monovarietal Assyrtiko bottlings are not rare, but at least as common are blends where predominant Assyrtiko is cut with some other Greek whites, Athiri and sometimes Aidani being the most common (but Santorini, small as it is, is host to between two and three dozen other indigineous white-wine grapes). Blend percentages can range from 95% Assyrtiko down to as little as 75%: winemakers’ opinions on how best to blend are personal and various.

Note: some Santorinis are called “Nikteri” (or some variant spelling); that typically indicates a wine made from grapes left to hang on the vine a few days longer, and with some oak influence.

Factoid: Santorini was blown apart by a gigantic volcanic explosion about 3,600 years ago; it is often considered to be the source of the Atlantis legends. (See the image at the right: the island is clearly part of the rim of a now-sea-flooded volcano.)

Some Descriptions of Assyrtiko Wines

Wikipedia
“It’s a high acid grape full of citrus and mineral nuances. It can be enjoyed on its own or with grilled fish and meats. The grape is often referred to as a "white grape in red's clothing", due to the full-bodied wines it produces with an average of 13.5% abv.…The wine is bone-dry with high acid toting flavors of lemon and stone fruits with a distinct taste of minerality.”
All About Greek Wine
“It yields a bone-dry wine that has citrus aromas mixed with an earthy, mineral aftertaste due to the volcanic soil of Santorini. In the last 25 years Assyrtiko has been planted throughout Greece including Macedonia and Attica where it expresses a milder and more fruity character.”
Travel to Santorini
“Asyrtiko has the distinction of being a southern Mediterranean white grape that ripens to high acidity. Soil, climate and elevation have significant effects on the outcome of vinification. The Santorini whites in which it plays a dominant role are among the most elegant in Greece. It is a producer of fickle must. Despite the incredible structure and agebility of its wines, it is high in phenolic compounds and highly susceptible to oxidation. The tendency for Asyrtiko to brown and produce darker aromas as a result of even controlled oxidation has advantages in the vinification of Vinsanto, yet its reaction to oak–especially to new oak–can test a winemaker’s skill in barrel selection and timing. The most successful barrel-aged Asyrtiko wines seem the product of a stability-first philosophy in which few chances are taken where the risk of over-oaking exists. Asyrtiko has far more patience for old oak than for new. Some producers striving to create oakier products they believe will appeal to New World sensibilities have fallen victim to the merciless side of the variety. In recent years,its range has been extended as far north as Drama and it is achieving success in the hands of those sufficiently respectful of its slightly volatile nature.”
Winegeeks
“Considered by many experts to be the greatest white grape in Greece, the Assyrtiko is a productive and versatile varietal…known for having both high alcohol and high acidity, a trait uncommon for whites from the mediterranean. Two distinct styles are widely sold: an intense and dry version with notes of citrus fruits and minerals, and a sweet version sold as Visanto where the grapes are dried in the sun before fermentation thus creating a wine closer in character to a tawny port than to a botrytised wine…The volcanic soils of the island are home to very ancient vines, some reaching 150 years in age. Wines from Santorini are very robust and earthy, while Assyrtiko from other points in Greece are more perfumed and floral.”
Bill Zacharkiw, Montreal Gazette
“[I]t’s a wine that is on the fresher side of the continuum. I guess sauvignon blanc might be comparable, but assyrtiko is decidedly more mineral and much less aromatic. One would normally not expect this type of white wine in such a hot climate. For why it works, one only needs to look at the soils.”
Richard Jennings, Huffington Post
“Assyrtiko originated on the island of Santorini, where it’s planted on volcanic soil and produces wines with stunning aromatics, minerality and high acidity. Over the past 25 years, the grape has been planted elsewhere throughout Greece, where it tends to express a milder and fruitier character. The higher acid versions have the potential to age and evolve over 10 to 12 years, something like grand cru Chablis.”
Markus Stolz, Elloinos
“[Santorini] Assyrtiko wines are typically marked by lemon, lime, mineral flavors and saltiness. Its citrus characteristic reminds me of a light yellow color…[Amyndeo] Assyrtiko is perhaps somewhat richer and fuller than its Santorini counterparts. Although it is unmistakable Assyrtiko, there is a marked difference on the palate. Lemon gives way to apricots and orange zest, the saltiness is replaced by subtle spices…[Chios] Athiri-Assyrtiko blend is intriguing and intense, dominated by pink grapefruit, embedded by the creamy texture.”

Some Assyrtikos to Try

Assyrtiko has so shot up in popularity in recent years that it has become hard to find decent samples priced under our arbitrary $20 upper limit, and it is even harder to find monovarietal bottlings of quality in that price range. We have listed here those Assyrtiko-based wines that seemed, from critical reviews, to be of acceptable quality to represent the grape yet of reasonable price and availability; but, to make any kind of list, we had to include some blends. As noted above, blends with Athiri and, often, Aidani as well are common on Santorini, and should still be good representatives of the island's output.

For a Splurge

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This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

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