As a wine region blessed with a dry, sunny climate and sheer rugged beauty, it’s no wonder Santorini has become one of Greece’s premier tourism destinations.
Few visitors to its busy taverns and restaurants complain when the dramatic views are momentarily interrupted by platters of good food and local wines.
All give thanks they’re not the ones braving the heat and wind to hand-tend 1600ha¹ of vines.
“The vineyards are like lunar landscapes,” says Clare Valley winemaker Peter Barry.
“Vines are dry-grown in thin, sandy, volcanic soils. Traditional viticulture is ground-hugging to protect fruit and retain precious moisture. Even tomatoes are grown that way.”
It’s been almost 20 years since the Jim Barry managing director and his wife Sue travelled to Santorini, en route to a Shiraz trophy at the 2006 London International Wine Challenge.
Today, some 20,000 vines of Assyrtiko (‘ah-SEER-tee-KO’) across seven sites provide regular reminders of the deeply personal and unique wine odyssey that has unfolded. These are Australia’s only Assyrtiko, among few plantings anywhere outside Greece.
“Greece has more than 200 indigenous grape varieties², but it’s that first Assyrtiko over lunch that sticks in my mind,” Barry explains.
