Wine and vineyards in Santorini

The arable area of Santorini is large, among the largest in the archipelago, and a large part of the land is used to grow grapes. There is a dozen of grape varieties, many of them are unique to Santorini. The most common is called Assyrtiko, a grape that gives a white wine with high acidity and an elegant and fresh taste. Assyrtiko is also grown on a small scale in Australia.

To protect the grapes from the wind, the vines are placed in wreaths along the ground.

The vines of Santorini is growing in a different way than we are used to see in other wine countries, it is often windy, and it is often a fierce wind, and there are no trees to screen so to protect the grapes the vines are trained low to the ground in a basket shape.

Grapes of the Assyrtiko variety.

Assyrtiko grapes.

The wines produced in Santorini is said to have a distinctive flavour thanks to the mineral-rich soil. The wineries have naturally made capital of the island's origin and the wines have names like Atlantis, Vulcano and Lava.

The white wine Nykteri is produced by Santo Wines.

Grapes picked in Perivolos.

Vineyards below the windmills of Emporio.

Vineyards near Oia and Baxedes beach.

The island has about a dozen wineries, almost all offer some kind of tour and tasting. A nice winery is the cooperative Santo Wines, they produce among other things an unbelievably tasty white wine that are sold in both bag-in-box and bottle. At Santo Wines one can also enjoy wine and snacks together with formidable caldera views. Santo Wines is located above Athinios port on the way to Perissa.

Wine tasting at Santo Wines overlooking the volcanoes.

In Santo Wines store, you can buy many kinds of wine.

Vineyards near Santo Wines.

Read more about Santo Wines here »

Examples of other vineyards are Boutari Winery and Gavalas Winery in Megalochori, Hatzidakis Winery in Pyrgos and Canava Roussos in Mesa Gonia.

Gavalas Winery in Megalochori is in the alley on the left.

Vineyards under the village of Pyrgos.

When we were going to get married in Santorini in 2003, we stayed at Honeymoon Beach Hotel in Perivolos. Between the houses grew grapes of the Assyrtiko variety. A few days before the wedding, some craftsmen came to build a dance floor and a stage for the wedding. After the wedding, the craftsmen came back and restored the small vineyard.

Craftsmen are building a dance floor and stage for our wedding at Honeymoon Beach Hotel.

This is what the dance floor built above the grapes looked like.

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