In year for strong solvers this year’s wines evolve Santorini. According to data, in terms of quantity this year’s vintage is the worst recorded, with the total harvest reaching 500 tonnes of fruit.

However, speaking to the Athenian – Macedonian News Agency, the president of the Santorini Winery Association, Petros Vamvakoussis, emphasized that “in terms of grapes the grape was very good, technologically mature with a taste and aroma. Its acidity in the wines With excellent balance and time strength for the crop of 2025 “.

Although Greek quality wine in overseas markets is quite recent “the topopials contained in the PDO zones are pleasantly surprised both with their unreadable names and the quality of the wine they represent,” notes the president of the Winemaker.

But he emphasizes that the price is the one that determines their course in the market and Greek wine still wants a lot of effort and work to stand next to branded wines of competition and confront quantity and price.

For the Greek market, according to Mr Vamvakoussi, “PDO Santorini is one of the most expensive white wines for the price of raw materials and the branded restaurant or cellar have PDO Santorini in their list”.

He estimates that in order to stand on the market with stability and prospects for the future, PDO Santorini “should return to lower prices starting from a sustainable primary sector that will emphasize productivity”.

Tourism and vineyard

Santorini is one of the most iconic tourist destinations in the world, combining unique natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. This, on the other hand, results in the tourist pressures that the island is translated into construction, traffic congestion in vineyards and burden on the natural environment, endangering its vineyard.

“Generally in the small islands of the Cyclades, the tourist product creates pressure and trends that sometimes even relate to the institutions, with disastrous, for the place and the environment, results,” Mr Vamvakoussis said.

He noted that there is no “protection net” on the state side as “zone protection groups as the institutions proposed by the European community are still left on the” papers “and the 2012 Presidential Decree, which protects the so -called” high productivity “, is the only tool and the only tool. today cannot discount the outcome. “

The goals of the Santorini Winery Association as he said are clear “in terms of land and environment management, advocating:

  • Stop off -plan construction
  • Remain on the island of Santorini 25,000 acres of agricultural land that will not change use, so that sustainable agricultural investments and necessary projects in small farms can be made. “

Ensuring identity and future of Santorini vineyard

In terms of prospects, Mr Vamvakoussis appears to be pessimistic. 15,000 acres have been lost since the 1970s and today they are barely at 10,000 acres. “Maybe at the end of the 10 years we are going through Santorini with 5,000 – 6,000 acres that will move to the spectrum of a balanced production that will be top and the quantity will exceed 500 kg per acre.”

The challenge is also the differentiation of Santorini wines from imitations to protect this unique product. The president of the winery considers that the future is in commitment to PDO Santorini and the promotion of Assyrtiko with different expressions: single vineyard, barrel, amphorae, stainless steel tanks. “Other forms, such as bulk wines or varietally outside pop, should minimize productive tissue,” he says.

Finally, it sets three directions: the reduction of the age of the vineyards with restructuring vineyards, the shielding of the vineyard against climate stress and the attraction of new visions with vision. “Santorini is a unique vineyard and must remain a step ahead of the rest of the Assyrian in Greece,” he concludes.