Delicious Greek white wines beyond Assyrtiko

Assyrtiko is in crisis. The popularity of this diamond-pure Greek white grape from the burnished pumice of Santorini, has risen as fast and bright as a meteorite in reverse.

But the disastrously meagre 2024 harvest described by Stellios Boutaris of Sigalas as barely ‘two buckets of grapes’, presents a shortage to burgeoning fans of this cheerleading local variety.

Thanks to above average temperatures and a lack of the night-time dew compounded by a third consecutive year of lower-than-average rainfall on Santorini, the dip in production is biting.

Scroll down for Olly’s pick of Greek white wines that aren’t Assyrtiko

Looking beyond the obvious

At this year’s Oenorama wine fair in Athens almost every winemaker spoke with enthusiasm for their passion for grapes beyond Assyrtiko.

For too long, they say, we’ve all been beguiled by the beauty of Assyrtiko and with hardly any stock around, even regular buyers of this star from Santorini are facing waiting lists and allocations.

Back from the brink

The first grape on everyone’s lips for something with widespread appeal is Malagousia.

Saved from extinction just a few short decades ago by Evangelos Gerovassiliou, Malagousia is a white grape that’s far more than just a scented crowd-pleaser.

Those new to wine loves its bright fruity appeal, Greece’s answer to Albariño, you might say.

While devoted connoisseurs, are gripped by its ability to thrill with the precision of a minerally matrix.

In its more serious iterations, I think of it as a steel nectarine glowing beneath a halo of frozen jasmine, such as the wine of Maria Dimitriadis who grows very fine Malagousia on the slopes of Mount Olympus under her Navitas label.

Attic contender

For volume to fill the gap left by Assyrtiko, the former workhorse grape behind retsina – Savatiano – has serious potential.

Rather like Chenin Blanc it’s capable of youthful vim as well as extended ageing and with lots of old vine heritage, quality across Attica in particular is abundant.

With producers like Papagiannakos producing beautiful single vineyard examples such as the Vientzi from vines more than 60 years old in limestone soil, this grape shows encouraging potential to produce wines of fruity delight balanced with textural richness.

An island duo

For blade-fresh wines with similar mineral-pure saltiness to Assyrtiko from Santorini, Thrapsathiri from Crete or Xynisteri from Cyprus are both interesting contenders.

Thrapsathiri has a subtle tropical edge with fresh herby spice to it.

Meanwhile, Xynisteri from Cyprus can deliver compelling citrus tension especially from the high-altitude vineyards of Cyprus such as Kyperounda, (some of which reach 1,400 metres, among the highest in Europe).

Sites such as these combined with the drought resistance and naturally fresh acidity of so many Greek white grape varieties offer great hope in the face of the climate emergency.

Heady charms

For white wines with bold character with scented freshness, the fragrant headiness of Moschofilero is already a hit on the UK high street in stores such as Marks & Spencer where their Found bottling is blended with lemony Roditis.

With rose petal and heady lemon blossom among its captivating aromatic charms, Moschofilero is about as enticing as summer white wines can get.

Yet in the hands of specialists Troupis in their ‘TOMH’ Mantinia 2023 (12.5%)’ it’s focused into a wine of etched definition with lime-scented stone fruit and irresistibly crisp élan.

Its near-relative Mavrofilero has even more citrus verve which is doubtless capable of luring fans of top-quality Sauvignon Blanc towards local Greek grapes.

Quincy allure

But in my view, the rarer Kydonitsa grape (meaning ‘little quince’) is a variety which manages to balance seriousness with delightfully discreet aromatic allure.

Kydonitsa has a sense of liveliness (as the name suggests, there is a certain similarity to quince), with a charming textural crunch and a restrained aromatic profile somewhere between chamomile and pear.

Another emerging star in the firmament of Greek white wine beyond Assyrtiko is Vidiano.

Vidiano is a grape that comes from Crete, thought to originate from the prefecture of Rethymno and tends towards peachiness lifted with herby freshness.

While it’s never the zippiest of all Greek grape varieties, I’ve yet to taste a soft example and from cooler vineyards the wines balance nicely between widespread appeal and mesmeric finesse.

Paired with fish, shellfish and light summer salads, it’s absolutely splendid.

Rare jewels

However, for the captivating pristine power of volcanic Assyrtiko, the answer lies in some of the seriously rare varieties that are tucked away on other sun-drenched islands.

The highly rare grape of Makripodia from Zakynthos is one to watch with a saline streak to appeal to Assyrtiko fans or the red grape Romeiko planted across Crete which produces moreish white wines with dynamic umami and sea-spray that are wonderful matched with mezze.

But the real hope for similar calibre to Assyrtiko is Potamisi.

Found in the Cyclades, the best examples have a similar mineral power to Assyrtiko with the tension and invigoration of grand cru Chablis.

For a white wine of impressive concentration that can be equally at home with a Greek salad, shellfish, sushi or a lemon roast chicken, Potamisi has the power to take the world by storm.

Delicious Greek white wines that aren’t Assyrtiko:

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