Santorini's vines grow on a volcanic island so dry and wind-battered that they're trained into low, coiled baskets close to the ground for protection, some rooted in volcanic ash and pumice for well over a century — phylloxera can't survive in the sandy, mineral soil, so many vines here have never needed grafting. Assyrtiko is the island's defining grape, producing intensely mineral, high-acid whites with a distinct smoky, saline character shaped by the volcanic terroir.

Key grapes: Assyrtiko, Aidani, Athiri