Glassware

An Assyrtiko from stainless steel calls for a narrow, tall glass, similar to one used for Sauvignon Blanc. A wide bowl would let the delicate notes of lime and sea salt simply drift away before the nose could catch them. It would also warm the wine far too quickly in a room-temperature setting. A narrow glass, by contrast, gathers the aromas at the rim and keeps the chill locked in the bowl for longer.

When it comes to temperature, it's fine to go to extremes. Eight to ten degrees Celsius, colder than most other white wines, suit a young Santorini well, since its acidity is already razor-sharp. A bit of chill rounds it off without masking the lime and salt. Served too warm, that same acidity can quickly turn harsh.

Nykteri calls for a larger glass and a few degrees more warmth. The mandatory minimum of three months in oak rounds out Assyrtiko and adds toasty notes. Those aromas would never fully emerge in a narrow, ice-cold glass. Ten to twelve degrees and a bit more room in the bowl let this extra texture truly come through.

Vinsanto, finally, belongs in a small glass, barely larger than a sherry copita, since with a minimum sugar content of thirty-seven grams per hundred milliliters, a full-sized wine glass would simply be too much of a good thing. It's served cool, but never ice-cold. Its own decades-long barrel aging happens deliberately with some oxygen contact — known as oxidative aging — and can't tolerate a chill that would freeze its mature aromas before they even leave the glass.