The Wines of Santorini
If you do not walk through a vineyard –one of the best in Greece– and taste the unique local wines, it will be as if you have missed the true flavor of the island.
If you had asked someone two decades ago what pictures the word Santorini brought to their mind, the answer would have been something about the caldera and the sunset. In the 80s, the wine producers of the island produced cheap bulk wine while vineyards were easily sacrificed on the altar of a “room to let” or a “mini market”. At some point, the island became overpacked and tourists themselves, who until then had been supporting this “rooms-to-let” regime, started to abandon the island exactly because of this excessive overflow. Now there was a demand for high quality and the sector of gastronomy within this context acquired new dimensions. All of a sudden, Santorini found herself having another precious heritage in her hands: her vineyards. These vineyards, which, thanks to the power of the volcanic soil and the character of a charismatic grape variety, Assyrtiko, gave wines with a unique identity. Great wine producers have worked incredibly hard and, as a result, the Santorini wines stand today among the most popular wines in Greece demonstrating the highest sales abroad.
Wine varieties
The Assyrtiko grape is a variety with character. You either adore it or hate it. In the Santorini microclimate, it gives a wine with metallic elements, high acidity and the explosive body, matching the volcanic character of the island. Other main varieties are Athyri, Aaidani (white), Mantilaria and Mavrotragano (red). At the same time, the island has several rare local varieties, the so-called “Xenoloes”, such as Voudomato, Katsano, Gaidouria, Fflaskia, Potamisi, Mavrathyro, Aitonyhi etc. Some wine producers have recently started vinification of such varieties.
Wineries
Today Santorini constitutes the best organised wine-tourist destination with visitable wineries, excellent restaurants and wine tasting.
BOUTARI WINERY
Konstantinos Boutaris is a man whose natural love for the wine and vine is deep under his skin. He speaks about Santorini with great enthusiasm: “She will remain in history as a place of extraordinary beauty and a region which produces excellent wine!”. It is the only winery on the island which can be visited all year round. You can choose a program including a guided tour (offered in five different languages) and tasting various different wines. It is a very modern winery. Very interesting is the multimedia show presenting an overview of the history of Santorini and the winery.
It is situated after Megalohori, on the way to Akrotiri.
CANAVA ROUSSOS
It is really touching to find yourself in the oldest canava of Santorini! The Roussos family winery has existed since 1836. What characterizes the Roussos family is high respect for tradition? Besides the guided tour around the canava, you will also experience wine tasting in the garden with the trailing vine.
Mesa Gonia, Episkopi.
DOMAINE SIGALAS
The winery was founded in 1991. Today 2.200 hectares are being cultivated with different grape varieties of the island giving wines that have been awarded in various contests. You will be guided around the winery and sit in the garden under the pergola to try the wines accompanied with local dishes (meze des), while gazing at the vines which expand as far as the sea.
ESTATE ARGYROS
Established in 1903, Estate Argyros is run by Matthew Argyros, 4th generation of winemaking and emphasizes the protection of the unique varieties of Santorini and the presentation of their pure character. Based in Episkopi Santorini, the winery owns more than 30ha of vineyards with pre-phylloxera plants averaging 60 years old, including some of the oldest vines on the island (over 150 years old). All vineyards are planted with the heritage grape Assyrtiko, among other indigenous varieties of Santorini, such as Aidani, Athiri and Mavrotragano. All vines are basket pruned, which is the traditional way and a key factor for the quality of the grapes.
GAVALAS VINEYARD
The Gavalas family have been dealing with wine for more than 300 years. The owner’s passion is to promote rare varieties. It is him who vinified grape varieties such as Katsano and Ggaidouria, which no one else had been using on the island. The winery is in Megalohori, one of the most picturesque villages of Santorini. You are led to the “Canava” of the winery through a stone tunnel which is lit and set up in such a way that it unfolds the whole story of the winery.
KOUTSOGIANOPPULOS WINERY
A winery with great history. Their grandfathers, who came from Sparta, sold oil on the island of Syros. At some time western winds washed them ashore to Santorini, where they realized that the wine here had great potential. So, they settled here permanently and got intent exclusively on wine. Within 20 years they constructed their own ships and started exporting to Russia, from 1870 to 1917. What makes the winery special is the impressive museum at the undercover canavas, where is presented the whole history of the Santorini wine and Santorini vine-grower from 1660 until today.
SANTO WINES
It was founded in 1947 and is the largest wine producer in Santorini with approximately one thousand active members, including all vine-growers of Santorini. It has been built on various levels so that energy is saved by using the law of gravity. It is one of the first modern wineries on the island in terms of design and the largest one in terms of capacity. The grapes lying in the sun on the balconies above the caldera to yield the Vinsanto in September offer a particularly attractive view, for this is probably the only winery overlooking the caldera. There is a sales kiosk with a great variety of wines and local products.
