Vinsanto.

Throughout history, Santorini rule changed hands, and names, many times.

In the Middle Ages, it came under the control of the Venetians,

 who used the island as a major Mediterranean commercial hub.

 Despite the island’s resurgence as a well-known trading port,

 however, Santorini’s volcanic soils offered little potential

for producing valued goods, with the exception of a few.

Wine was a commodity during these times, especially on Santorini, as it was viewed safer to drink than the water itself. In fact, the visiting seamen were instructed to drink a glass of Vinsanto in the morning, due to its alcohol and sugar content. As a result, it was decided that Santorini’s major contribution was to be wine and a focus on vine-growing ensued. Goods transported from Santorini were labeled “Santo,” denoting its geographic origin from the island of Santorini and wines were labeled “Vin” or “Vino” to denote the contents; thus the name “Vinsanto” was born. These packages were transported throughout the ancient world and, of course, brought back to Italy, where Vinsanto found a home in the Catholic church. Historians speculate that Vinsanto came to be known as Italy’s holy wine through a series of misunderstood statements uttered by the Pope, coupled with the Italians’ use of Vinsanto in religious ceremonies such as first Communion. The Italians adopted many Greek winemaking styles, including that of Vinsanto, and it’s easy to make an obvious correlation between the Italian and Greek styles of the wine.