Santorini’s Vineyards: Climate Crisis and Tourism Threaten a Wine Legacy
This might just change your routine: Santorini’s vineyards, once a symbol of timeless winemaking, are now fighting for survival against climate change and tourism. For millennia, the island’s volcanic soils and salt-stained Assyrtiko grapes have defined Greece’s most iconic wine region. But today, historic vineyards are shrinking, yields are collapsing, and the future of Santorini’s wine identity hangs in the balance. The crisis is both ecological and economic. Over the past three vintages, Santorini has endured record droughts, with annual rainfall plummeting below 200mm. Heatwaves have accelerated budbreak, pushing harvests into late July—far earlier than traditional cycles. At Domaine Sigalas,…
