OVERVIEW
Some say you haven’t been to Santorini if you haven’t tried the local wine. So if wine is your poison, then you will have to do wine tasting on this island as it produces some of the best wines in the world. In this article you will find everything you need to know about doing a wine tasting in Santorini.
Getting There
On your own
- You could rent a car or an ATV and drive down the distance isn’t too much. Contact your hotel reception for the nearest vehicle rental service. Or you can visit Santorini Car Hire for reserving the a car of your choice in advance.
- Taxis are also available, just contact your hotel reception for a taxi. If you plan on visiting more than one winery, this may not be an ideal option.
Tour Operators
- If you don’t want to go on your own there are a lot of tour options. It is super convenient as most tour operators offer pick-up and drop from your accommodation.
- Depending on the tour, they cover 1-2 to even 4 wineries sometimes. Make sure to check out which wineries the particular tour is covering as various times, they don’t take you to the best ones which we have mentioned below.
- You can go all lux and opt for a completely private tour, but that’s going to mean a deeper hole in your pocket.
LIST OF BEST WINERIES
There are a lot of wineries in Santorini and each one is unique in its own way. Almost all of them provide wine tasting tours in which they explain the history of the place and the whole production process which is very interesting. Then they offer wine tasting with local food and snacks. So here are our top recommendations. Let’s see them one by one, shall we?
1. Santowines Winery
- Santowines Winery is the largest and most famous winery on the island. Let’s put it this way: If there is only one winery that you want to visit or you don’t have the time to visit a second one, then it has to be the amazing Santowines winery!
- Amazing location, large selection of wines, yummy greek meze, great service. Overall, wine tasting with an amazing view!
- Being one of the best on the island, this place is almost always booked especially in the peak season and sunset time. So it is wise to book a table in advance. Visit official website of Santo Wines for reservation and additional details.
2. Venetsanos Winery
- Venetsanos Winery probably has the longest history of the island. This winery is located just above the Athinios port where all the ferries from Athens stop. It is in a really quiet and unique location overlooking the caldera and the volcano. This view makes it is one of the best places for wine tasting in Santorini.
- It is like a “mini Santowines Winery” in a way. On a clear day you could spend hours just enjoying the view.
- This place also is almost always booked especially in the peak season and sunset time. So it is wise to book a table in advance. Visit official website of Venetsanos Winery for reservation and additional details.
3. Domaine Sigalas Winery
- This wineyard has an amazing romantic terrace located in the middle of the vineyards which takes the wine tasting experience up a notch.
- They offer tasting of great selection of Sigalas wines with amazing local food like the Greek salad and goat cheese. This place also offers great food so that you can definitely consider taking your lunch here. There are different packages available like only wine tasting, wine tasting plus lunch and so on which starts from 50 Euro per person. Visit official website of Domaine Sigalas for reservation and additional details.
- This place is a 5 min drive from Oia but you can even walk to it from there.
4. Artemis Karamolegos Winery
- This place has been producing wine since 1952. This charming winery consists of a beautiful restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the vineyards. They offer very informative wine tours and end it with delicious wine. They also offer great sea food and meat.
- In case you are looking for a dinner under the Santorini sky, this place also offers that.
- Reservation in advance is recommended. Visit official website of Artemis Karamolegos for booking and additional details.
WINE TOURS
- Going on your own feels like a hassle? Don’t worry, there are many wine tour organizers on the island. You can choose from the tours available based on your budget, time and number of wineries covered.
- The basic itinerary included a pick-up and drop off from your accommodation or a fixed point in an A/C minivan. The tours generally cover 1, 2 or even 4 wineries in a single tour. At each stop you could indulge where you can relish the amazing wine and Greek food. As mentioned above, the wine tasting will include history and production process of each place followed by the wine tasting.
- Just make sure to check which wineries they are covering and if it includes the one’s mentioned above. There are a lot of wineries on the island, and if they aren’t covering the above one or some it, it doesn’t make sense to go.
- The unmissable thing in the Santorini wine tasting experience is wine with the view of the volcanic islands and the sea. So make sure you don’t miss that. These tours start from around 130 USD, link for booking given below.
Tips
- If you are going by yourself, call and book your table in advance for the best view.
- Minimum age requirement: 18+ so please be sure that you book accordingly.
- Some wineries are closed in case of bad weather, so you may want to check for it in advance.
- Google Maps works great on the island so you can easily locate the wineries.
- This experience is not recommended for PWDs, pregnant women, and people with serious medical conditions but you can always enjoy the view.
- English-speaking wine expert guide is generally the expectation and notion, but just to be on the safe side you should check before booking . Also there are certain tour operators that provide other language speaking guides.
Concluding Note
- Truth be told, Santorini produces some of the finest wines in the world and thus wine tasting experience on the island is a must. Picturesque terraces, unique wines, friendly winemakers with hundreds of years of wine production on their backs, yummy local greek food and the amazing landscapes will make your wine tasting experience one of the best you’ll ever have in your life. (Plus, buy a few bottles of wine to bring back home! :))
- While all the wineries mentioned above are the best, if you have the time for only one, visit the Santo Wines winery or Ventsanos. This is because wine tasting with the spectacular view of volcanic islands and the sea is an experience very few places can provide. And that will definitely become the highlight of your tour. So…what are you waiting for?
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