The Aegean Islands – the most famous of which are Crete, Rhodes, Samos and Santorini – lie in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey. The islands have a long and influential winemaking history spanning thousands of years, but in the modern day are most famous for Santorini's dry, minerally, white wines made from Assyrtico-based white wines made from Assyrtico.
The Aegean Sea covers roughly 83,000 square miles (215,000 sq km) between the southern coast of Greek Macedonia and Crete in the south. Several groups of islands make up the Aegean archipelago, including the Sporades in the north, the Dodecanese just off the coast of Turkey and the Cyclades near the Attica coast. Vines are grown on nearly every inhabited island in the Aegean Sea.
The Minoan civilization on Crete is thought to have been the first in Europe, and wine production dates back to at least 5000B.C., as evidenced by ancient wine presses that have been discovered across the island. The 5th Century BC poet Homer described the thriving wine trade in the Aegean in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and discoveries across the Mediterranean basin of ancient amphorae bearing Aegean insignia suggest that wine was one of the chief economies here in classical Greece.
The famed Malvasia-based sweet wines were produced on many of the Aegean Islands during the period of Venetian rule in the Middle Ages, particularly on Crete, Rhodes and Paros. These wines were exported across Europe between the 14th and 17th Centuries, slating the thirst of well-to-do Parisians, Londoners and Fiorentini. Unfortunately, the period of Ottoman rule that followed saw a major decline in this trade, as well as in wine production across the Aegean Islands.
The mild, dry Mediterranean climate shared by many of the islands is highly compatible with the styles of wines made here, and the winds that buffet the islands from both the north and south further influence the terroir. Vineyards are often trained low to the ground in a goblet style to negate the worst effects of these winds, although a certain amount of wind-related stress encourages the growth of smaller berries with thicker skins.
Most of the wine-producing islands in the Aegean have dry, largely infertile soils, and vineyards are often found on steep terraces cut into the sides of mountains. These terraces, known as pezoules, help to reduce erosion in the soils and retain what little water the vines receive. Regardless, the soils on these terraces have low vigor and reduce the leafy growth of the vines, which concentrate their energy into the production of high-quality berries.
Along with the dry whites of Santorini and the pale reds of Crete, a range of sweet white wines are made in the Aegean Islands. Samos is arguably the most famous of these, although the Muscats of Limnos and Rhodes are also significant.
