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Santorini’s Vine Breeze

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A crisp and refreshing Greek wine aperitif inspired by the vineyards and volcanic landscape of Santorini.

Retsina brings its distinctive pine and resin character, while Assyrtiko adds a fresh, dry wine profile. Chilled soda water opens up the flavours and keeps the cocktail light, lively and wonderfully refreshing.

Simple by design, Santorini's Vine Breeze is made for slow afternoons and early evenings — a cool breeze between the vines before dinner.

_[_{Also available on Difford's Guide}_]

🍸 Yield: 140 ml (before ice dilution)

👤 Serves: 1

🔥 Calories: ±70 kcal

🥃 Glass: Wine Glass

🍷 Alcohol: ±8% ABV (before ice dilution)

✨Enjoy: Aperitif / Early Evening

⚠️ Allergens: Sulphites

Bereidingstijd 5

Porties: 1

Calories: 70

Ingrediënten Method Nutrition Video Notities

Ingrediënten

60 ml Retsina well chilled
30 ml Assyrtiko well chilled
50 ml Soda Water well chilled

140 ml Total Yield – Before Ice Dilution

Optional

5-10 ml Lemon Juice to taste

Practical Variation — Madeira

60 ml Retsina well chilled
20 ml Madeira well chilled
10 ml Lemon Juice
50 ml Soda Water well chilled

140 ml Total Yield – Before Ice Dilution

Method

Fill a large wine glass with plenty of ice.
Pour in the chilled Retsina and Assyrtiko.
Gently top with the well-chilled soda water.
Stir briefly and gently to combine.
For a brighter, more citrus-forward aperitif, add 5–10 ml fresh lemon juice to taste.
Serve immediately while cold and lightly sparkling.

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Nutrition

Serving: 140mlCalories: 70kcalCarbohydrates: 4gSugar: 2.4g

Video

Notities

A Breeze Through the Vines

Santorini’s Vine Breeze takes its inspiration from Greek wine culture and the vineyards associated with the volcanic landscape of Santorini.

Retsina is one of Greece’s most distinctive wine styles, traditionally flavoured by the addition of pine resin during winemaking. Its characteristic pine and resin notes give this aperitif an unmistakably Greek foundation.

Assyrtiko provides the second wine element. The grape is strongly associated with Santorini, where it is famously grown in the island’s dry, windswept volcanic soils. A Santorini Assyrtiko therefore provides the closest connection to the inspiration behind this cocktail, although Assyrtiko produced elsewhere in Greece can also be used.

Rather than covering these wines with fruit juices or sweet liqueurs, the recipe deliberately keeps things simple. Soda water lightens the wine and allows the dry, mineral and resinous character to remain clearly present. Fresh lemon juice is optional: 5 ml gives a subtle lift, while 10 ml creates a brighter and more citrus-forward aperitif.

Light, dry and refreshing — a Greek-inspired aperitif imagined as a cool breeze between the vines.

Madeira Variation

For a practical alternative, replace the Assyrtiko with 20 ml medium-dry Madeira and add 10 ml fresh lemon juice. Madeira gives the cocktail a slightly warmer colour and rounder flavour, while the lemon restores the fresh acidity of the original version. As a fortified wine, Madeira also keeps considerably longer after opening than a dry white wine.

Madeira is not a Greek substitute for Assyrtiko; it is offered simply as an alternative interpretation. Its own volcanic-island origins provide a fitting, if different, connection to the inspiration behind the drink.

Explore this cocktail

Aperitif · Light · Original Recipe · Santorini · Santorini Collection · Sparkling · Wine Cocktail

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Santorini’s Vine Breeze