Aidani

What is Aidani? Aidani is a Greek white grape variety grown primarily on Santorini and other Aegean and Cyclades islands, prized for its floral aromatics and moderate acidity. Although it is sometimes bottled on its own, Aidani is best known as a blending partner for Assyrtiko in dry Santorini PDO whites and as a permitted component of the famous sweet Vinsanto dessert wine. Its softer, perfumed character rounds out Assyrtiko's sharp minerality, giving the island's wines their distinctive balance of tension and lift.

Origin and Where It Grows

Aidani is native to the Aegean Sea region and is most closely associated with Santorini, the volcanic island whose dry, windswept vineyards have shaped Greek viticulture for centuries. Beyond Santorini, the variety is also cultivated on other Cyclades islands, including Naxos and Paros, though on Paros it is not permitted in the island's PDO wines.

The grape travels under a long list of synonyms — Aidani Aspro, Aedano, Aedani, Aidano, Aspraidano, Asproaidani, Lefko Aidani, and Lefko Ithani — a reminder of how local naming conventions have evolved across the Aegean over generations.

Tasting Profile

In the glass, Aidani is pale lemon-green with a discreet nose of yellow and citrus fruit, gentle minerality, and floral notes that give the wine its signature lift. The palate is medium-bodied with moderate alcohol and moderate acidity — softer and less sugary than Assyrtiko, which is precisely why the two varieties pair so well in a blend.

Dry Aidani-based wines are generally best enjoyed young, while their aromatic charm is fresh, though some examples can develop in bottle for five years or more. Although Aidani is most often a blending partner, it is occasionally bottled as a single varietal for drinkers who want to taste its floral character on its own.

Role in Santorini PDO and Vinsanto

Aidani's most important job is supporting Assyrtiko in Santorini PDO whites, where it contributes roundness and floral complexity without overriding Assyrtiko's bracing minerality and salinity. It is also blended with Athiri to produce dry wines that lean a little richer in texture.

The variety plays a key part in Vinsanto, Santorini's sun-dried dessert wine. Regulations require the blend to be predominantly Assyrtiko — at least 51 percent — with Aidani and Athiri completing the cuvee. After harvest, the grapes are sun-dried for roughly 7 to 15 days to concentrate sugars, fermented slowly, and aged in oak for a minimum of two years, with some categories requiring three years or more for the Vinsanto designation. The resulting dessert wines are remarkably long-lived and can age gracefully for decades.