There are more than a dozen wineries in Santorini, Greece and we visited two while on the island. By far, Estate Argyros was our favorite! It’s intimate, the staff is knowledgeable, and the wine is delicious!
Wine Tasting in Santorini
We visited two wineries during our four-day stay on the island: Santo Wines and Estate Argyros.
Known for its sunset wine tastings, Santo Wines has a great location along the cliffs of Santorini. However, in our opinion, the sunset was the only upside to this winery. Our service was terrible! Estate Argyros, on the other hand, offered an experience that was very intimate and authentic.
Estate Argyros
Estate Argyros is a fourth-generation winery founded in 1903. It is located in the Episkopi area.
Some of the oldest vines on the estate are over 200 years old! Recently, the winery relocated into a brand new building in the middle of the vineyards. It’s a beautiful location with views of the seemingly endless fields and the sea.
The Vineyard
Our group was fortunate to get a specialized tour thanks to our friend, Guillaume Asselin, chef at Les Affamés in Montreal. The tour began with a history of the vineyards and a look at the grapes.
Estate Argyros grows mainly Assyrtiko grapes. These white grapes are indigenous to the island and thrive in the volcanic soil. They also grow a few other varieties including Aidani, Athiri, and Mavrotragano. These Santorini vines do not require much water. We learned Santorini receives very little rainfall per year. The youngest vines are watered through an irrigation system, but only until they reach seven years old. Then the vines are on their own!
Typically, the grapes are harvested in August. They will be harvesting earlier this year due to the unseasonably warm temperatures.
Fermentation
Our tour continued into the back of the winery where we got a look at the wine making process after the harvest. The fermentation process takes place inside giant steel tanks.
Some of the grapes, like those in the famous Vinsanto wine, are sun-dried and then aged in French oak barrels for as many as 20 years! This sweet white wine is unlike anything we’d ever had before!
The Tasting
Now to the best part: the tasting! Estate Argyros and our host, Elisavet, went above and beyond to give us a real “taste” of the winery.
We tried a handful of the wines during the tasting. These included the Vinsanto, Atlantis Rosé, and the Estate Argyros. We ended up buying a bottle of the 2016 Estate Argyros to bring home.
Elisavet did an amazing job of explaining each wine and the best food pairings.
We truly enjoyed the tasting experience and thanks to Elisavet for making us feel welcome!
Visitor Information
For an authentic wine tasting in Santorini, you should definitely visit Estate Argyros.
The winery offers 60 minute tour and tastings starting at just 15€ per person. More extensive tastings are available for up to 90€ per person, lasting close to 3 hours! The Estate is open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. For more info, email [email protected].
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