Volcano Juice - Exploring Explosive Terroirs

Of all the natural disasters we are familiar with in the modern era, none are as exotic and fascinating as a volcanic eruption. The suffocating winds of a hurricane or tornado are formidable; the scale of destruction brought on by a tsunami is awe-inspiring… and yet, they maintain some level of familiarity. Rain, wind, and waves are themselves inherently familiar. But there is something about a volcanic eruption, a certain sense of what was inside is now out, that is all the more alien and terrifying. The idea that cold, static rock can become incomprehensibly hot, and that it can quite literally move mountains, is truly unlike anything else we experience in this life on Earth.

We often thing of volcanic eruptions in terms of their capacity to destroy, and to an extent that is true. But beyond that, volcanos have an incomparable capacity to reshape and redefine their landscape. Whether it be a on the scale of a once looming rock face that has been transformed into a moon-like crater, all the way down to the first wild grasses that eventually poke through the layers of rock and ash to blanket a now treeless hillside, volcanic eruptions have a powerful brush with which to paint the flora, fauna, and agriculture that surround them. Let’s take a look at a few prime examples:

Mt Etna, Sicily – Despite being one of the world’s most active volcanos, Mt Etna is home to some of the world’s most revered volcanic wines. Being in an almost constant state of activity, the soil is regularly being replenished with mineral-rich ash and acidic, reddish-black basalt that is essential to water regulation. Impeccable drainage is one of the key components to preventing phylloxera, so it’s no wonder that the top vineyard sites on Mt Etna are home to nearly century’s old vines. The volcano’s constant activity is also the reason that there is so much soil variation in the region – although being united under a general “volcanic” category, the actual composition of the soil varies between growing sites on the mountain, making for complex, engaging wines. Red grapes of note are Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Capuccio, while Carricante and Catarratto make up the whites.

Lava making its way through a vineyard on Mt Etna.

Extremely old vines planted in small, protective craters surrounded by volcanic rock walls.

Canary Islands, Spain – This little chain of islands under Spanish possession has a long history of viticulture, being a hub of both wine production and trade in the 17th and 18th centuries during the height of high seas transatlantic trade. Its relative isolation and rugged, organic soil made the island a safe haven from phylloxera, with some vineyard sites boasting original 200 year old vines. Tenerife, the most populous island and center of wine production in the islands, is home to 5 DO’s, all influenced by Mt Teide which looms over the horizon from the center of the island. A millennia of eruptions and island building have made for dazzlingly black, high altitude vineyards (the highest in Europe, at 1650 m above sea level) with shrub-like vines grown in small craters protected from the wind and sun by small walls of volcanic rock. A variety of localized grapes are grown on the islands, with Listan Negro and Listan Blanco being dominant on Tenerife.

Santorini, Greece – Out beyond the glitzy beach clubs and idyllic white terraced houses on the island of Santorini lies some of the Mediterranean’s most unique vineyard sites. The historic Minoan Eruption of 1650 BC not only obliterated the settlements on the island, but preserved much of what was left under 7+ meters of ash. As a result, the vineyards of Santorini are composed of purely inorganic volcanic pumice and sand – there is no clay – making it yet another safe haven from phylloxera. Pumice is extremely porous, and its ability to retain what little moisture it can gleam from the early morning fog and coastal humidity are the deciding factor between life and death for the vines. Many growers employ a unique vine training system in which the vines are coiled around themselves into round baskets, which protect the delicate grapes from the scorching sun. The best wines of Santorini are intensely mineral, dry and broad, and can have a complexity akin to great Burgundy. Despite the hostile environment, the biggest adversary for winegrowers on the island isn’t the weather, but the economy itself. Being on an island affords a fixed amount of available land, and its status as a luxury vacation destination further limits any possible expansion. The whites of Santorini are almost exclusively Assyrtiko, an indigenous grape that is predominant in the islands and southern Greece.

Assyrtiko vines are coiled and woven in on themselves to form baskets that shade the delicate grapes from the sun and harsh winds.