Enjoy a wine tour in Santorini in 2021
Undoubtedly Santorini is recognized as one of the best and most famous travel destinations in the world. In addition to its wild beauty, it is especially known for the excellent wines it produces which you can enjoy in a Santorini wine tour with Santorini Tours. The volcanic soil it has gives its wines a rare, almost unique character.
In Santorini are cultivated only indigenous varieties such as Assyrtiko, Aidani, Athiri, Mandilaria and Mavrotragano. The latter was a forgotten, insignificant variety scattered on the island in very small quantities. At the beginning of 2000 it started to gain the interest of the producers again, as a result of which today some of the best Greek red wines are produced from Mavrotragano.
However, the most famous variety of Santorini is Assyrtiko, which shows its best face on the island. Santorini wines have strong personality, rich body and sharp acidity. This uniqueness has made Santorini wines famous, giving them a place in the best wine lists around the world. The small quantity, the unique character, the expensive land and the global recognition have also contributed to the vertical increase of prices. The price of most wines increased by about 30-40% within 1 year. Many considered this increase absurd, but let us not forget that we are talking about unique premium wines that should take the place and also the price they deserve.
The island of Santorini has a special tradition in the production of wine from its birth about 3,500 years ago. Wine goes hand in hand with the evolution of civilization from its depths yesterday until today. The main reason for the exceptional and unique wine production in the world is the volcano. The volcanic site created the conditions: rich volcanic soil in lava and ash, volcanic material in the subsoil, specific climatic conditions and dry land due to limited rainfall, sea and sun.
The vineyard, an integral part of Santorini culture, is everywhere. The vineyards of the island are one of the oldest in Europe and a special way of pruning in the shape of a bun is used, which protects the vine from the wind. You will find old traditional wineries all over the island but the houses also have their own place dedicated to wine. The wineries keep the traditional method of winemaking until today, aiming at quality, custodians of the secret, divine taste that the volcano gave to the Santorini. Get to know the wines of Santorini with a Santorini private wine tour.
Which wine should I try in a Santorini wine tour?
The most famous labels of Santorini are Nykteri, dry, white aged wine of the Assyrtiko variety and the delicious, intoxicating Vinsanto with the intense sweet taste. The unique taste and aroma of Santorini wines brought them to the forefront of the international wine tasting community, winning outstanding reviews around the world. Santorini may be known all over the world for its sunset and view of the Caldera.
But connoisseurs know that Santorini, with its valuable heritage and tradition of 3,500 years in viticulture, is also famous for the quality and unsurpassed taste of its wines. The strength of the volcanic land of Santorini, in combination with the excellent climate of the island, favored the creation of unique varieties with strong aromas and flavors. And when professional winemakers came into play with a love for the place and a passion for their work, the fame of Santorini wines skyrocketed both in Greece and abroad.
Although there are several varieties, the most famous is Assyrtiko, a wine with an explosive body, which matches the volcanic character of the island. It is the largest part of the wine production of the island and one of its most important and recognizable exportable products.
There are two wines that we especially love. One is Nychteri, a white dry wine of the Assyrtiko variety, with aromas of flowers and citrus. The people who produced this wine worked in the cellars until late at night to squeeze the grapes, thus giving the wine its name. The second is Vinsanto, the famous red sweet wine of Santorini that is served more as a liqueur. The growers traditionally spread the grapes in the sun for two weeks to raise the sugars, which gives the wine its sweet taste. Its name is said to have come from Vin Santo which means Holy Wine.
In a Santorini wine tour you should try Assyrtiko in all its versions, fresh and aged as each vineyard reflects its uniqueness but also each winemaking is unique. There are excellent varieties of wine you can taste in a Santorini wine tour such us Athiri, Aidani, Mavrotragano but also the lesser known Mandilaria, Voudomato, Katsano.
What to accompany them with?
With the genuine local products, fava, capers, barley, cherry tomatoes, the recipes that are based on them, but also tomato meatballs, sponge, stuffed (either with zucchini flowers or cherry tomatoes).
With Santorini Tours you can visit all the wineries of Santorini. Obviously, Santo will be happy to send you home with any amount of wine. They offer special combination packages with a bottle of choice full of a variety of other Santorini specialties. Every serious wine lover must visit Santorini at least once in his life. Especially, the location of Santo Winery is an amazing place to see the sunset, offering a different angle to the caldera. But if you go to Santo Winery late in the afternoon or evening, be aware that lifting it above the rocks can make it a little windy.
