Assyrtiko, Kouloura Vines, and Santorini’s Wine Estates
Santorini’s vineyards grow in volcanic pumice with almost no rainfall, and the vines survive by drawing moisture from the humidity that rolls in off the sea overnight. Growers coil the canes into a basket shape with the fruit developing inside the coil, sheltered from wind that would otherwise strip it. Some plants are more than a century old, having survived because phylloxera cannot live in the ash.
The wines are mineral and high in acid, and they age far better than most visitors expect. Estates near Megalochori and out on the central plateau run tastings, and several will arrange private sessions with the winemaker outside public hours. Benarrivati books these directly, and curated travel experiences on Santorini built around wine usually work best in the morning, before the heat and before the tour buses reach the estates.