Santorini Private Wine Tour

Learn about specific conditions required for growing the grapes on volcanic soil and discover unique ways of winemaking.

Visit a local vineyard to see what it takes to grow the most ancient grape varieties in Europe, some dating back to more than 3600 years in history in this special wine-growing region of Greece.

Taste & buy Santorinian wines produced only in private wineries and in extremely limited quantities. Most of these exquisite selections can be tasted and bought only at the wineries included in this tour, many of which have won famous international awards!

Visit a Cliffside winery with a remarkable view of Caldera, followed, of course, by wine tasting. This incredible spot will inspire you to take many pictures to boast about to your friends, colleagues and perhaps even the whole world!

Travel in time at the underground wine museum, a one of a kind attraction! Watch how winemaking has evolved from old tools and presses used centuries ago to today’s modern technology. Discover one of the oldest wineries on the island, built inside the pumice & rock caves, protected from sun and rain. At the end of our visit, the wine makers treat you to the best island wines in the world!

Visit another smaller but traditional winery of Santorini located in a picturesque little village, its secrets hidden among volcanic stones. This winery named “Best winery of Greece” is definitely a ‘must see’ on your list of visits to taste some of the most delicious nectars in all of Santorini!

Customize your Santorini wine tour according to your preferences

Our Santorini wine tour introduces you to the unique terroir (grape-growing conditions) of the archipelago and the outstanding variety of wines. There are many regional wineries to choose from to personalize your tour. We will select three of the best wineries based on flavors you wish to explore. Relax, enjoy the scenery and savor the best, most rare wines in the world produced in the vineyards of Santorini.

The unique conditions of growing grapes in Santorini

In Santorini, certain varieties of grapes still exist since the biggest global eruption. Since then little has changed in the way these grapes are grown under the island’s favorable climatic conditions and specific farming techniques.

The unique climate of the island, rich in volcanic soil sustains our ancient selections. In fact, the grapes need little human intervention and literally grow on their own.  From this soil, they acquire a unique mineral taste that makes Santorini wines stand out from the rest.

Santorini has limited vineyards due to the small size of the island. For this reason, our grape varieties are nationally safeguarded and winemakers must acquire specific knowledge and experience on how to farm them in order to keep their product safe from mutilation. It is interesting to note that no other crop is permitted to grow on these fields, replacing the grapes.

It’s rare to find a vineyard for sale in Santorini.

Santorinian Wine Makers

Our most successful wine makers dedicate an entire lifetime to their businesses and on protecting their techniques.

The secrets of quality wine making are passed down from one generation to the next. Nowadays, you often see the winemakers’ children and grandchildren also devoted to wine production, contributing their ideas, especially on how to market the product.

Only rare, wine selections that get the best critiques from wine spectators earn international awards. Among them are the Santorini wines, appreciated globally for their unique tastes. The expertise put into producing these wines is brought to your glass by the special traditional techniques used by our local wineries on this most popular island in the Aegean.

Local Grape Varieties and Santorini’s most famous wines

Since antiquity, hundreds of grape varieties are grown on Santorini. Wine was the main product the island exported in return for basic needs and drinkable water.

With the onset of tourism, agriculture declined to the point where the unique Santorinian grape blends were nearly lost. Fortunately, the winemakers of Santorini soon realized they were losing an important part of their heritage and many traded in their lucrative tourism businesses, to return to the earth and to the hard work of wine production under the hot sun.

There are over fifty grape varieties on Santorini, but winemakers generally use about ten of them.

Every winery produces three most famous types of Santorinian wine:

• Assyrtiko (often under the trade name of 'Santorini'),
• Nychteri (the 'night' wine)
• and a famous liqueur wine Vinsanto (translated as 'Holy Wine' or Vino di Santo – 'Santorinian Wine').

These wines produce a slightly varied flavor depending on the winery techniques and traditions used. 
We take you to the experts!

The most popular and most ancient grape variety of Santorini is Assyrtiko.

This grape comes to us from the past: probably from the times of Lost Atlantis, at least 3600 years ago. This variety is accredited for earning gold international medals and awards for many Santorinian wines. Furthermore, from the moment Assyrtiko wine was introduced to the international market, it immediately earned a special place in the hearts of the wine critics. Now it belongs to the three most important white dry wines categories in the world!

Nychteri is another famous, dry white wine of Santorini, made from the same Assyrtiko variety. It has a fruity, softer flavor that ladies enjoy. The grapes for Nychteri are often left uncrushed giving the wine a refreshing, full aroma that will tickle your senses on a hot summer’s day.

Vinsanto is definitely the most characteristic and celebrated wine of Santorini, sharing with you all the sweetness of the land, the sun and summer in a highly concentrated way. This liqueur wine is made almost entirely from raisins, and we emphasize that its sweetness is all natural.
This is the wine that brought wealth to the island from the beginning of time. It is the one exported to Russia first, followed by other countries later.

Home-made wines produced on Santorini bear a touch of Vinsanto.

The wine producers use three traditional grape varieties to make this wine, all white, even though the wine color is brownish-reddish. The ingredients are Athiri, Aidani and Assyrtiko grapes. Santorini is most famous for its white varieties which form most of the island’s vineyards.

Only the most patient, caring farmers can grow this rare kind of grape. Other varieties grown on Santorini are:

• Katsano

or

• Gaidouria

accounting for less than 1% of the total harvest of the island.

Winemakers further experiments bring to the world’s wine community red grapes varieties too:

• Voudomato
• Mavrotragano
• Mavrathiro
• Mantilaria

The red wines of Santorini are especially dry, except for the charming sweet taste of the Mavrathiro grape, giving you all the sweetness of the volcanic soil, and more. 

The Unique Santorini Wine Experience

Visiting just one winery is not enough to appreciate what winemakers and nature can offer. Santorinian wines have whole bouquets of flavors. Therefore, we encourage you to dedicate some of your time to visiting more than one private wine factory.

Although Santorinian wines are still quite affordable, experts believe that very soon such rare and quality wines will become very expensive so make the most of your visit and taste as many as you can.

A glass of a local wine from Santorini blends the sun, the sea, the warmth and love of the local producer, whose hands took such special care from growing the grape to the final product.

Discover the world of our wines and take home a part of Santorini in a bottle!

It’s not just about wine but a journey of knowledge and impressions!

Be the envy of your friends when they see your photos from our private Wine Adventurous Tour and sharing with them exciting facts and stories about winemaking on Santorini!