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Category Archives: Wine Education


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The Art of Basket Training: Santorini’s Ancient Answer to a Harsh Climate.

A delicious bottle of Estate Argyros Assyrtiko 2021 made me think of the just how extreme the growing environment on Santorini and admire once again how the combination of unique growing techniques and the special qualities of the Assyrtiko grape variety come to together to produce stunning wines.

Santorini Instagram central of the Aegean, is home to some of the world’s most unique and resilient vineyards. Here, where volcanic soils and fierce winds challenge even the hardiest of grapevines, local winegrowers have perfected a centuries-old training method known as kouloura—the basket training system.

Unlike the neatly trellised rows seen in most wine regions, Santorini’s vines grow in a low, circular shape, woven carefully by hand into protective nests close to the ground. This technique requiring huge amount of highly skilled labour in the vineyard, is vital to the survival of the island’s vineyards.

One of the primary threats to grapevines on Santorini is the island’s relentless winds, which sweep in from the sea with punishing force. The basket structure shields the delicate grape clusters within its coils, preventing wind damage and reducing the risk of berries drying out or breaking prematurely. This natural windbreak ensures that the vines can thrive despite the extreme conditions.

Moisture retention is another crucial benefit of basket training. Santorini receives minimal rainfall, but the volcanic pumice-rich soil has an extraordinary ability to absorb and store the scarce water available. It does mean vines are planted at very low densities so that there is enough water to go around. At night, humidity from the Aegean condenses on the vine leaves and trickles down into the soil. The low, coiled structure of the vines helps trap this precious moisture, ensuring slow, steady hydration.

This ancient technique, passed down through generations is one to the key factors behind the unique, concentrated and structured expressions of Assyrtiko that the Island produces.


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Sclavos Winery, Kefalonia.

Sclavos winery takes a minimum intervention approach to wine making and is transitioning to biodynamic practices in the vineyards.

Their goal is to craft natural organic wines that showcase the unique characteristics of local grape varieties, influenced by their microclimate. After harvest, grapes undergo careful hand-sorting to remove any unsuitable fruit. Vinification employs modern techniques, including stainless steel tanks, pneumatic presses with nitrogen environments, and oak fermenters.

Mavrodaphne is traditionally made as a sweet wine on Kefalonia and in order to protect the PDO classification dry versions are actually not allowed to be labelled as Mavrodaphne!  Sclavos along with others, has long advocated for the recognition of red dry wines from this variety.  The winery is introducing new expressions of Mavrodaphne Kefallinia, continuing its pioneering efforts in dry vinification and aging, a practice initiated 25 years ago.

The Mavrodaphne variety undergoes three weeks of fermentation, followed by over a year of aging in French oak barrels of varying sizes (225L, 500L, and large oak tanks).
The winery has 14 hectares of their own vineyards, but buys some grapes in to produce 160, 000 bottles annually.
The wines:
Alchymiste 2020 Mavrodaphne and Moschatela grapes picked relatively early. This wine is made in stainless steel tanks  producing a rose colour wine. On the nose crushed raspberries and chalk dust. A nice fruit mix with a smoky slightly animal note – goaty! also malt loaf.  It is fresh and medium bodied with soft powdery tannins.

Orgion 2020 Mavrodaphne aged partly in French oak barrels. There is a floral jasmine note also smoke and again malt loaf. The oak is very subtle and fills it all out the wine making it a bit rounder. Very nice.

Xinodos Biodaynamic 2020 From old vine Mavrodaphne + 17% Vostilidi, co-vinified. Matured for one year in big barrels. The wine is dark and concentrate. It is dry with red and blue fruits and has the tannin and acidity to age well.

Vin Doux Du Soleil 2020 Made from sun dried Moschato grapes. Intense concentrated fruit, good acidity, very long.  


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What is it that makes Barbaresco special?

A good wine friend organised a trip to Barbaresco this May to join the annual Tavola festival and taste the new release of the 2019 vintage. There is of course no better way to experience and fall in love with the wines of a particular place than to taste them in situ and you can find tasting notes and photos to make you envious, in our write up of the trip.

The Tanaro River

Our friend is a great fan of Italian wines but particularly loves the wines of Barbaresco favouring them even over the noble wines of Barolo.  So here I thought it would be interesting to compare the wine making regions of Barbaresco and Barolo.  Both prestigious they of course have many similarities but also a few key differences that give each a distinct character.

Barbaresco DOCG, lies in the heart of Piedmont, northeast of the Barolo DOCG. It is known for producing wines of finesse, elegance, and exceptional aging potential, exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. While Barbaresco and Barolo share similarities, significant differences in climate, topography, and winemaking regulations distinguish the two appellations.

Climate and Topography

Barbaresco’s climate is continental with notable influences from the Tanaro River winding through the region and helping to moderate temperature extremes. Compared to Barolo, Barbaresco has a slightly lower elevation, typically between 200 and 400 meters above sea level, resulting in a milder microclimate. Nebbiolo ripens earlier here contributing to wines that are more approachable at a younger age compared to Barolo’s often more austere structure in youth.

On the rolling hillsides of the region many of the best vineyards face south or southwest, allowing optimal sunlight exposure, however variations in altitude and orientation create diverse terroirs across the region’s key communes: Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso, and a small portion of Alba.

Soils and Terroir

Barbaresco’s soils are primarily composed of marl, a mixture of clay, limestone, and sand. This composition is thought to result in wines with refined tannins and a more delicate structure than those of Barolo, which generally has a higher proportion of sandstone, contributing to its more powerful, tannic profile. The relatively fertile and compact nature of Barbaresco’s soils encourages a softer expression of Nebbiolo with floral, red fruit, and spice-driven aromatics.

Wine Laws and Grape Varieties

Under DOCG regulations, Barbaresco wines must be made from 100% Nebbiolo and undergo a minimum aging period of two years, with at least nine months in oak. Barbaresco Riserva requires at least four years of aging. This contrasts with Barolo, which mandates three years for standard wines and five years for Riserva, further reinforcing Barbaresco’s reputation for earlier drinkability.

Barbaresco vs. Barolo

Clearly both appellations produce amazing wines and the wine makers approach, whether traditional or modern also has a big influence, but Barbaresco’s wines are typically lighter in body, more perfumed, and approachable sooner than Barolo’s. Whilst comparatively more delicate they can still be very long lived and developing great complexity with time in the bottle.