We hope our readers enjoyed the brief intermission last week and took the opportunity to sip some Chenin and visit the popcorn stand for some buttered popcorn, not the ersatz stuff that resembles brake lubricant, mind you. This is the fifth installment of our Days of Wine and Music series, and this week we return to Greece, to the beautiful island of Santorini.
“Beautiful” may be an understatement for this very special island, and one adjective alone cannot do it justice. As might be expected, the Mediterranean island of Santorini is a magnet for upmarket tourists in search of sun, sky, and some Vinsanto, of course. The title of a recent article appearing in Mena Report, in which Santorini is mentioned, lends credence to that assertion—”Greece: Greek Wine Tourism Is One of the Most Dynamically Emerging Forms of Tourism.”
Well, what makes the viticultural landscape so special? Answer: Plenty. How about powerful winds that might do much more than fly your kite, so strong that the grape vines have to be protected by being coiled and therefore remaining close to the ground? These serpentine sweeties are ungrafted, and some are exceedingly old (think about 400 years). And there is more. How about extreme aridity? The grapes are sustained by morning mists. All this, of course, adds up to extremely low yields and some especially good wines.
And if all that is not enough for you, how about the lost continent of Atlantis? Well, you’ll have to ask Plato about that one.
Drinking Japan 