Wineries to visit in Santorini
Wineries to visit in Santorini
Santorini is famous for its wineries and Santorinian – Santorini car rental– wine. The love of the people for the wines and the geological morphology of the island produce high quality wine. You can visit them if you are on vacation in Santorini to enjoy the excellent and special flavors.
The island is famous for the high tradition in wine production due to the geological morphology of the soil but also the mood and desire of people to maintain their vineyards over time. With the help of low car rental prices you will be able to visit not one but more wineries and enjoy the delicious local wines!
Venetsanos winery
The Venetsanos winery is located just above the port of Athinios, overlooking the enchanting caldera of Santorini. The family started producing wine for the needs of the island but over the years it continued to export. The Venetsanou family from Megalochori, one of the most prosperous in Santorini during the interwar period, left for Cairo and when they returned they bought land where they started to cultivate.
Built on the bay of Athinios at the edge of the caldera, the family took advantage of the law of gravity since at that time there was no electricity. Due to the sloping level of the ground, it was built on four floors with different levels of vinification and the transport of wine was done by the natural flow.
First the grapes were weighed, then there were the tanks and the presses, then there was the basement with the taps and finally the wine went down with pipes to the port and from there with the ships it left for the cities abroad.
The Venetsanou family has a very long tradition in wine production. It started with the aim of producing wine that would serve the needs of the island but soon expanded its activities as well as its exports especially to countries like Russia. The winery was built in 1947 by the Venetsanos family and became the first industrial winery on the island of Santorini.
You can visit the winery during the following dates:
• Daily 10.00 – 20.00 from 1st – 30th of April
• Daily 10.00 – 21.00 from May 1st to October
• Monday – Saturday 10.00 – 17.00 from 1 November – 31 March
• December 15 – January 15 the winery is closed
Sigalas winery
The Sigalas estate was founded on the traditional canvas of the family in 1991. Then in 1998 the family created a new wine production and bottling unit. The property is located in the plain of Oia, in the area of Baxes. The winery bottles 300,000 bottles a year and exports them to Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, England, Cyprus, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sweden, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, USA and Canada.
Guided tours take place at the winery and guests learn about all stages of the wine production process and have the opportunity to try the flavors with gastronomic suggestions. At the winery you can arrange dinner from 4 to 10 people where the wines from the Sigalas estate are served with traditional Cycladic food. There is also the possibility to perform weddings for up to 50 people with the help of live traditional island music or with a DJ until 03:00 p.m.
You can visit the Sigalas Estate on the following dates and times:
• April, October, November
Monday – Friday: 10: 00-19: 00, Saturday & Sunday: 11: 00-19: 00
• May, September
Monday – Friday: 10: 00-20: 30, Saturday & Sunday: 11: 00-20: 30
• June July August
Monday – Friday: 10: 00-21: 30, Saturday & Sunday: 11: 00-21: 30
• For the remaining months, the wine tasting room will remain open Monday – Friday 10:00 – 17:00
Boutaris winery
Boutari winery started winemaking in the 1980s in Megalochori, Santorini, in order to revive indigenous varieties. The first harvest took place in 1989 and over the years the company’s agronomists created wines with a Protected Designation of Origin after improving the quality of local wines and developing wine tourism.
You can visit the winery and drink wine with some excellent local food such as fava beans, tomato meatballs, traditional sausage daily from 11:00 to 18:00 accompanied by acquaintances and friends. You can visit the winery every day from 10:00 to 15:00.
It would be an amazing experience to visit a winery and try the delicious aromatic wines of Santorini while you are on the island. In order to do so you will need to rent a car as the wineries are not located in the center of the island bur farther away from the villages.
Enjoy your vacation in Santorini!