Domaine Sigalas is one of the most beautiful reality of the Greek oenology, one of those wineries that make you fall in love with the wine world for the quality and the personality that manages to transfer into the chalice from a terroir poor, but extremely rich and complex.
We are in Santorini, in the Cyclades, southern Aegean, where the landscape is dominated by the white of pretty cottages placed overlooking the caldera and the blue of the sea and the sky. We are in the northern tip of the island, along the road from Fira to Oia, a little less than a kilometer from the sea, where the wind blows strongly conveying the vineyards notes saline Mediterranean.
19 hectares of vineyard with vines still all ungrafted, where they grow native varieties that perfectly express the ancient history of Greek oenology; a rich history that has played an important role in the growth of an ancient culture that founded mythology, traditions and social aspects of a withholding sacred drink for several centuries.
Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani for white grape, Mandilaria and Mavrotragano for red grapes, grown from very old vines to the basket, in greek "giristi": the long branches of the vine are rolled on the ground in order to protect the grapes from the sun and wind. A type of cultivation that leads to very low yields and make the most of the water, one of the most valuable resources on this island, which has the opportunity to stay longer in the central part of the basket.
Not just one basket; here the vines grow on poor soil in some ways, but undoubtedly rich and complex; volcanic soils rich in magnesium and iron, with small percentages of pumice stone which has the advantage of retaining water and humidity. A unique terroir made of volcanic soil, a field goal and breeding a particular climate, with strong sunshine for much of the year and, most recently whereas we are in the middle of the Mediterranean, strong winds and thermal excursions.
A sensory trip through mythology and traditions, in an island that captures for the charm of its unique terroir, where the passion for wine and the desire to spread the local varieties gave birth a dream called Domaine Sigalas.