Why Vintage Matters

One of the misconceptions surrounding fashionable wine regions is that place matters more than vintage. In reality, both are crucial. Volcanic regions often experience extreme growing conditions: drought, altitude, strong winds and significant temperature variation between day and night. Small differences in weather can therefore have a profound impact on the resulting wines.

Cooler vintages tend to emphasise freshness, acidity and elegance. Warmer years often produce richer, more generous wines. Understanding vintage variation is one of the pleasures of exploring these regions and helps explain why certain years become particularly sought after.

Why I Keep Coming Back to These Wines

What ultimately draws me to volcanic wines is not some romantic notion that I can taste lava in the glass. Rather, it is their individuality.

In an increasingly global wine market, where many wines can feel technically perfect yet strangely anonymous, volcanic regions continue to produce bottles with a strong sense of identity. Whether it is the haunting perfume of Nerello Mascalese from Etna, the electric acidity of Santorini Assyrtiko or the wild character of a Canary Islands red, these are wines that demand attention.

For anyone looking to move beyond the familiar this summer, I would strongly recommend exploring them. Start with an Etna Rosso 2021 or a Santorini Assyrtiko 2022 and see where the journey takes you. They are among the most distinctive wines being made anywhere in the world today.

The Wine Edit: Why I'm Currently Obsessed with Volcanic Wines

Wine fashions come and go. A decade ago everyone seemed to be talking about orange wine; more recently it has been Jura, grower Champagne and alpine reds. Yet volcanic wines are one trend that, in my view, has genuine substance behind it.

Not because volcanic soils magically impart flavours of smoke, ash or lava to a wine; they do not. As Jancis Robinson MW has often pointed out, the relationship between soil and flavour is far more complex than many wine marketers would have us believe. But there is something undeniably compelling about the world's great volcanic vineyards. Again and again, they seem to produce wines of remarkable tension, freshness and individuality.

Perhaps it is the combination of altitude, poor soils, old vines and extreme growing conditions. Perhaps it is simply that many of these regions have escaped the homogenisation that has affected other parts of the wine world. Whatever the reason, some of the most exciting bottles I have opened recently have come from volcanic landscapes.

Etna: Sicily's Most Exciting Wine Region

If there is one volcanic region that has captured the attention of sommeliers and collectors alike, it is Mount Etna. Europe's largest active volcano rises dramatically above Sicily's eastern coast, and its vineyards are planted on a patchwork of ancient lava flows, black volcanic sands and terraces that can reach over 1,000 metres above sea level.

The star red grape here is Nerello Mascalese, often compared to Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo, though in truth it is entirely its own thing. The best examples combine perfume, fine tannins and remarkable freshness despite Sicily's warm climate.

The 2021 vintage is particularly worth seeking out. A cooler growing season produced wines with precision, bright acidity and excellent ageing potential. For those buying now, 2021 Etna Rosso offers a wonderful balance between accessibility and structure.

Santorini: One of the World's Great White Wines

Santorini remains one of the most dramatic vineyard landscapes on earth. The island's vines are famously trained into basket-shaped coils known as kouloura, protecting the grapes from fierce winds and intense sunshine. Many vineyards are ungrafted, a rarity in Europe, thanks to the island's volcanic soils which have protected vines from phylloxera.

The dominant grape is Assyrtiko, and when grown here it produces one of the world's most distinctive white wines. Bone dry, intensely fresh and often saline in character, it can age surprisingly well.

The standout recent vintage is 2022, which delivered concentration alongside the grape's trademark acidity. For drinking now, 2022 offers vibrant citrus fruit and mineral precision. Those fortunate enough to find mature examples from 2019 or 2020 will discover how beautifully Assyrtiko develops complexity with bottle age. Pair it with oysters, grilled octopus, sea bass or simply a plate of fresh Mediterranean seafood.

The Canary Islands: Volcanic Wines with a Cult Following

The Canary Islands remain one of Europe's most fascinating wine regions.Vineyards planted on black volcanic ash, often at significant altitude, produce wines unlike anything else in Spain. Indigenous varieties such as Listán Negro and Listán Blanco dominate, many grown on ungrafted vines that are centuries old.

The 2023 whites are particularly attractive, showing freshness and aromatic purity, while the 2021 reds have developed impressive complexity and balance. These are wines for curious drinkers; distinctive, characterful and often surprisingly affordable given their uniqueness.