Samos Muscat Wine

Samos has grown Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains for centuries on stone terraces that climb the northern slopes of Mount Ampelos to around nine hundred metres, some so steep that everything is still carried by hand or mule. Since 1934 the entire crop has been handled by the Union of Vinicultural Cooperatives, a rare structure that gives every grower a guaranteed outlet, and the appellation covers sweet styles from the naturally fermented Samos Vin Doux to the sun-dried Nectar, aged for years and tasting of dried apricot and honey. The wines were long favoured for communion in Catholic churches, which built export markets in France and elsewhere. The cooperative runs a wine museum in the port with tastings and explains the terraces, harvest and ageing.

What you actually see

• The mountain terraces - vineyards climbing steeply above the north coast.
• The cooperative winery - the union that processes the island's whole crop.
• The wine museum - old presses, barrels and the story of the appellation.
• The harvest - picking on the terraces in August and September.

When to go

August and September for the harvest and the busiest cellar work; tastings run year-round at the museum. Village festivals in wine areas cluster in late summer.

Honest expectations

These are sweet wines, which not everyone enjoys, and the dry Samos wines are a small part of production. The museum is modest and the tasting brief. Vineyard visits generally mean driving mountain roads yourself rather than organised tours.

Nearby

Vathy and the port are at the museum's door; the mountain villages of Vourliotes and Manolates are above the terraces.