Most of the hoards of tourists who visit Santorini every year have no idea what the strange little things that look like bird nests dotted all over the black volcanic landscape are. Well, they're vines - very special vines of a grape variety native to the island called Assyrtiko (altogether now: Ah-SEER-tee-koh). There's so little moisture and the sun is so merciless that the vines are woven into baskets to protect the grapes and capture morning dew. The result are grapes of stunning intensity. It's such a labour intensive and inefficient method of viticulture that the wines are never cheap, but for the quality, they are worth every penny.
Absolutely bone dry, you can almost taste the parched rock of Santorini and then a burst of lemon, an electric charge of acidity and a finish that will remind you of the Aegean. It's an absolute knock-out with grilled fish and, if you have the patience, will develop honeyed and nutty notes with time in the bottle.
