The terroir of Santorini, especially as expressed through the fruit of ancient vines, is one of the most complex terroirs one can actually taste. The volcano provided a very young, extremely infertile soil, covering almost the entire island. This soil profile makes Santorini not just phylloxera-free but phylloxera-immune - clay, a particle size needed for allowing the spread of Phylloxera Vastatrix bugs, is non-existent or below-threshold.
Above ground, vines of Santorini are exposed to intense heat, scorching sun, very low rainfall and extreme winds, in conditions that could be classified as borderline dessert. No vegetation would be possible on the island without nature’s most complex drip irrigation system – the morning dew. Every morning, the interaction between the warm sea temperatures, the intense winds and the topography of the volcano’s caldera result in high levels of atmospheric humidity and the creation of a thick fog, which is then settled on the surface of the island.
Idiosyncratic pruning systems have been developed, through centuries of trial and error, in order to overcome these extremities. The various versions, called kouloura / giristo and kladeftiko are different interpretations of a single need - to shield, at least partially, the vine, by coiling canes and amass enough permanent wood for protection and for capturing available humidity.
The creation of basket shaped cane sculptures, parallel to the ground, results in frames that, over time, become too difficult to work with. Given the lack of phylloxera pressure, so that root systems are able to survive over centuries, vine growers remove the above ground part every few decades, while growing a new basket from base canes. As a result, a vine in Santorini can be decades-old above ground, and centuries-old below ground.
The combination of sun, heat, infertile soil, low water availability, wind stress, disrupted flowering and old vine age creates a vine physiology that can support only very low yields, sometimes even below 10 hl/ha. On average, Santorini might be the lowest yielding fine wine region in the world.
