Aegean Islands

Aegean Islands, islands in the Aegean Sea between modern greece and turkey. From 1050 bc onwards most of these islands were populated by Greeks. Some of the best Greek wine came from these islands, with chian wine, from the island of Chios, ranked highly in both Ancient Greece and Ancient rome. Wines from Lesbos, Thasos, and Cos also featured strongly. Chian wine was still highly valued in the Middle Ages and traded in quantity by the Genoans, for example. Today the islands, led by santorini, are home to several important wines and appellations. In addition, a number of grape varieties such as assyrtiko, mandilaria, and limnio are considered quintessentially Aegean.