Santorini Assyrtiko Vassaltis Tipp Peter Keller

It takes courage to invest in a winery in the midst of a financial crisis in Greece. Three young entrepreneurs and vintners, Yannis Valampous, Elisa Roussakis and Yannis Papaoikonomou, did just this several years ago and established the Vassaltis Winery on the island of Santorini. Visionaries? Speculators? In any case, only the best is good enough, as the newly built winery, which opened in 2016 in Vourvoulos, shows. It is open to visitors year-round. The winery has capacity for an annual production of max. 100,000 bottles. The current output is around half that amount. The winery owns its own vineyards but also buys in grapes. The trio use only domestic grape varieties such as Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani. The newest company on Santorini is pursuing ambitious goals: they aim to produce high-quality wines that reflect their origin. The first vintages are a promise for the future, as demonstrated by the single varietal Santorini 2018 made from the Assyrtiko grape. The Vassaltis Winery is not yet known in Switzerland. But it’s a name that wine aficionados should note.