Amazing Santorini wineries to discover in 2022!

This island is home to some spectacular wines. Read on to discover the best Santorini wineries.

Santorini must be the most famous island in Greece. It is known for its sunsets, its caldera and for some of the greatest wine (and wineries) in the country!

So you are planning your tour of Greece and beautiful Santorini, and you are hoping to taste some great Greek wine. Wonderful plan!

You are probably wondering:

- When is the best time to visit Santorini?

- Where should I stay in Santorini?

- Which wine will I be sampling in Santorini?

- Which are the Santorini wineries I must visit for wine tours?

If you already figured out your trip, skip and read about the best wineries in Santorini.

When to visit Santorini

The ideal time to visit Santorini is in mid-spring or early autumn. April-May and September-October are ideal periods to come to the island. The weather is still hot but not as overwhelming as in the summer months. Plus, skies are clear and Santorini much, much less busy than in summer!

If you are thinking to come in winter, think twice. Winter in Santorini is wet and dim. And even if you like the sound of that, the majority of restaurants and services close down.

So visiting Santorini in the “shoulder season” will guarantee you nice weather, bearable temperature and better far prices!

Where to stay in Santorini

Santorini is a small island, true, but there is plenty of wine to sample and many wineries to visit. In terms of town centres in Santorini there are mainly two, Oia and Thera (or Fira).

Oia

Oia is the most famous town in Santorini. It’s in the north top bit of the island, it overlooks the beautiful Aegean Sea and offers stunning sunset views.

Fira (or Thera)

Fira (also spelled Thera) is Santorini main town and harbour. It’s lively and busy with nightlife, a main shopping street and plenty of dining options.

Both Oia and Fira tend to be very busy, but they do offer a lot of different services. What I prefer, actually, is to stay just a little outside the main towns. This gives easy access to any town service but still allows you to enjoy privacy and quietness.

These are two of my favourite spots to book in Santorini:

Xenones Filotera

Xenone Filotera is pretty much exactly between Oia and Thera. It has several studios and villas, yet the service is that of a hotel with room service and rich buffet breakfasts. Here you’ll also be able to enjoy the hot tub and stunning views of the Aegean Sea and Santorini caldera.

Hotel Apeiron Blue Santorini

At Apeiron Blue the rooms are airy and candid and the service is impeccable. Plus the views of the caldera from the swimming pool and terrace are amazing, especially at sunset!

From either hotels it will be easy to go for a tour to pretty much any winery in Santorini. So let me talk you through Santorini wine and vineyards now!

Assyrtiko: Santorini Wine Success Story

You may have found yourself sipping some Assyrtiko wine which is very trendy right now. But maybe you didn’t know that this grape is originally native to Santorini. It’s more, this grape variety is most associated with the volcanic soils of the island vineyards.

If you never heard of this grape before, here is a very quick intro. It’s a white wine grape that makes very crisp and very mineral wines. It’s native to Santorini which is literally covered in vineyards (65% of the land that is). The majority of the vines here are ungrafted. Also, thanks to the range of soils, altitudes and microclimates in Santorini, Assyrtiko produces wines of very different styles.

Assyrtiko wine is mineral and crisp and can age for decades

If you love this wine or if you have never tried it before, it doesn’t matter. At Santorini wineries you will have the perfect opportunity to try it in all its splendour!

While here, make sure you get to sample some aged bottles.

Thanks to its high acidity Assyrtiko can age extremely well, developing a beautiful bouquet and complexity over time.

The best wineries for wine tasting in Santorini

Here is a list of my top recommendations for wine tasting experiences in Santorini.

Estate Argyros

The winery has been established more than a century ago, in central Santorini, west of the town of Kamari. Argyros is a family run winery, and it organises two wine tasting experiences. Both tours include a visit of the vineyards and cellar. As for the wine tastings, they both pivot around Assyrtiko and include Vinsanto, the local sweet wine, too. The main difference between the two options is actually not about the wines but about food. The cheapest (15 euros pp) includes wine and nibbles. The second option (40 euros pp) aims at pairing the wines with more substantial food.

The wine tour can be booked directly via Estate Argyros official site. The tours are run also in English, they are very interesting, other than delicious.

Argyros Assyrtiko also made it into my best Greek wine listicle for 2022!

Volcanic Slopes Vineyard

VSV or Volcanic Slope Vineyard Winery is a beautiful, serene place. For me, the modern architecture and design is actually a nice added plus to the great wine tasting experience you can have here.

At VSV they have two wine tasting experiences, one with their wines and one comparing Santorini wines from different estates. But what I rather suggest is to book here for a vertical tasting of their wine. You will be able to try their Assyrtiko “Pure” from different vintages going back till 2013, when VSV released their first bottles. This is the perfect opportunity to try this grape ageing potential!

You can arrange a tasting via the winery official site, it can be run in English or Greek.

Artemis Karamolegos Winery

Artemis Karamolegos winery is a family run winery in central Santorini. At Artemis Karamolegos they have the widest offer of wine sampling packages I’ve seen. You can try their wine range in many forms. You can choose between 3 and 7 different wine packages, or you can go for vertical tastings (different vintages) of the same wine. And for any package you pick, you can add a food pairing option.

The cellar at Artemis Karamolegos estate

For more information about the different tours, have a look at their website. Finally, to reserve your experience you can contact winetasting@artemiskaramolegos-winery.com , you can write in English no problem!

I hope you enjoyed this short guide to my favourite Santorini wineries.

Are you planning a trip to Santorini? Are you dreaming about Santorini after tasting some amazing Greek wine? Have a look at my Best Greek wines for 2022 listicle. And, reach out on Twitter or Instagram to tell me more about you and your love for wine. It will be great to hear from you!