Assyrtiko Is The Crowd-Pleasing Wine For Your Summer Parties

Your next backyard party deserves a refreshing taste of Greece — Greek wine, that is. Bottles of Assyrtiko can offer the perfect kind of tasting notes that pair well with grilled fish and meat dishes. If you appreciate a crisp Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, Assyrtiko will be a solid bet, and glasses will complement simple and delicious salads topped with olive oil and fresh garden herbs. Perhaps a feta-heavy Greek salad would be the right place to start.

The Assyrtiko grape hails from the Cycladic Island of Santorini, though is now grown elsewhere, too. Its approachable labels serve up the kind of fresh acidity and ripeness that awakens tired palates and keeps outdoor guests filling glasses until the last bottle is emptied. With a vibrant intensity and subtle, gentle whiffs of citrus, a dependable pour of Assyrtiko can be the ideal complement to the shrimp and plates of oysters you had been planning to set out for your summer dinner party guests. It's pretty versatile, however, and will also go with more unconventional hors d'oeuvres.

Assyrtiko grapes are grown close to the ground on sunny Santorini to protect them from high winds. The island's volcanic, mineral-rich soil lends a noticeable mineral expression in each blend. Many of these wines can be described by connoisseurs as offering a clear minerality, so if you're looking to develop your wine vocabulary, this is a solid place to start.

Also known as a blending grape, Assyrtiko is sometimes mixed with Aidani and Athiri grapes into sweet Vinsanto. There are a variety of wine labels to choose from whether going for the pure dry wine, or the blended sweet one, so it is worth trying a few different bottles to discover which ones suit your palate's preferences. Assyrtiko's white grape tends to offer medium and full-bodies sips, and experienced tasters may note hints of stone fruits like peach alongside brighter layers of citrus like lemon and grapefruit. As a whole, Assyrtiko wines will provide an easy backdrop for your carefully curated charcuterie boards and crisp plates of olive-oil-dressed greens. It's an ideal fresh choice for warm summer days, regardless of whether or not you have found yourself on an island someplace in the Aegean Sea.