The Wines of Syros: the promise of Serifiotiko

By Wojciech Bonkowski

Syros holds a special place amongst the Cyclades. Its capital, Ermoúpoli, founded during the Greek Revolution in the 1820s, became the leading commercial and industrial centre of Greece, as well as its main port eclipsed by Piraeus in the late 19th century. But it remains a stunning place, with lavish neo-Hellenic mansions and a sophisticated atmosphere, not to mention its beautiful position on a series of hills rising over a natural harbour. The rest of the island presents a familiar mixture: inviting pebbly beach coves, coastal cliffs, whitewashed hilltop villages, with inner valleys covered in terraced orchards and tiny vineyards. The rugged, windswept northeast of the island, with its stunning Aegean vistas, could be another interesting terroir.