The Oia Sunset with a Glass of Assyrtiko
Five thousand people watch the sun drop behind the caldera. Every one of them forgets every other sunset they have seen.
The village of Oia hangs over the northern tip of the Santorini caldera — white-cube houses painted in brilliant ochre and blue, cascading down cliff faces of ancient volcanic tuff, with a view west across the water to the smaller islands of Thirasia and Aspronisi. At sunset, roughly five thousand people gather along the cliff-top paths, on rooftops, in restaurant terraces, and on every available stone surface facing west. The sun drops slowly, turns the caldera surface pink and gold, and backlights the ruined windmills on the ridge. It is one of the most spectacular things that reliably happens every day somewhere on earth.
The wine that belongs to this moment is Santorini Assyrtiko — one of Greece's great white wines, made from a grape variety grown in basket-trained vines that are among the oldest in the world (some are over two hundred years old). The volcanic soil, the low rainfall, the intense summer sun, and the sea winds produce a wine of extraordinary tension: dry, citrus-mineral, with a saline finish that tastes like the caldera smells. Drink it ice-cold in a wide glass, from a producer like Sigalas, Hatzidakis, or Domaine Sigalas.
The practical reality: book accommodation in Oia or Fira at least three months in advance for summer. The Caldera-facing rooms cost significantly more but are worth the premium if the sunset is your reason for being here. Arrive at the sunset viewpoint an hour early and claim your position. After the sun drops, the crowd disperses and the village is quiet — this is the best time for dinner in one of the caldera-view restaurants, when the prices are the same but the atmosphere is entirely different.
Practical Tips
- 1Book a room with a caldera view if budget allows — waking up to the view at dawn is transformative.
- 2The Assyrtiko wine trail: try at least two different producers to understand the variation.
- 3Avoid Oia restaurants at sunset peak — eat at 9pm when the crowds have gone and tables are relaxed.
- 4The ferry from Piraeus (Athens port) takes 8-9 hours and arrives at sunrise — spectacular introduction to the island.
How well do you know Santorini?
3 questions about this experience
1.What is unique about how Assyrtiko vines are trained on Santorini?
2.The Santorini caldera was formed by which geological event?
3.Greece's wine regions were largely unknown internationally until which relatively recent development?