The Cyclades are the most famous island group in the Aegean Sea that constitutes the Aegean archipelago. The name (Κυκλάδες νήσοι, Kykládes nísoi, 'encircling islands') refers to the archipelago forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos. It consists of about 220 islands of which only about 25 are inhabited. The climate is generally dry and mild, with very strong winds “Meltemi” during summer months. The most significant wine producing islands are Santorini, Paros, Tinos, Mykonos, Naxos and Syros. There are two islands with PDO’s Santorini and Paros.
This region uniquely showcases nature’s profound influence on winemaking. The distinctive soil, the persistent strong winds, the scarcity of rain, and the rare local grape varieties all converge to create some of the most remarkable and distinctive wine styles in the world. The main varieties are Assyrtiko, Athiri, Monemvassia and the red variety of Mandilaria, together with small amounts of many local varieties (such as Nykteri, Aidani, Mavrotragano) are grown almost to the exclusion of other varieties.
Due to the rugged and often inhospitable terrain, viticulture continues to use traditional methods. So the vines are usually planted on tiered terraces (pezoules) built as a way to avoid soil erosion and retain the precious little rainwater or shaped as baskets close to the ground.
The most famous of all islands for tourism and for wine is Santorini and for many professionals around the world, Greek wine is Santorini. The quality of the wines produced here is unquestionable. The unique volcanic terroirs of the island hold a prominent position among the vineyards of the Aegean islands. Here the vines are kept low to the ground, ‘weaved' in a basket shape that helps protect the grapes from the fierce winds and heat of the island. The vine shape is not the only strange thing about these vineyards, because the island is not only phylloxera free, but is phylloxera immune, due to lack of clay in its soil. So in Santorini’s vineyards you can find vine roots that are hundreds of years old, they say that a 400 year old root system is a conservative estimation!
