Santorini Sunset Wine Tour

February 6, 2024 By GEORGIOS GEORGIOU

Santorini, an island with incredible charm

Santorini is an island with incredible charm, which attracts everyone like a magnet. Those who also visited it put it in their hearts and never forgot it. Few people set foot on the island once and did not visit it a second time,

It is the colors, the calmness, the peace, the intense blue of the sea, which becomes one with the horizon in the background, the smells, the unique sunset, it is all these and so many more that enchant you in it.

Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades and consists of a cluster of islands which are Thira, Thirasia, Aspronisi, Palaia, and Nea Kameni.

Looking for romance in Santorini in 2024

Santorini is considered the most romantic destination in Greece. After all, one does not often come across majestic white states built on the cliff’s edge, with picturesque villages, cobbled alleys, and impressive churches bathed in light. Let us tour you privately to Santorini in 2024 during the sunset.

Couples in love flock to the volcanic island every year, looking to enjoy the famous sunset of Santorini, embraced on a balcony of the Caldera. In fact, in recent years the island has established itself as a destination chosen by couples to hold their wedding ceremony or honeymoon.

Santorini has been considered for several years, one of the most romantic islands in Greece and the whole world. It is a must-visit destination for couples, especially for those who are going through the first period of their relationship, as, among other things, it has romantic landscapes and of course, its trademark is the enchanting sunset from the caldera, which is a pole of attraction for lovers.

If you visit this particular island, don’t miss to walk through the narrow streets of Oia and drink in a refreshing landscape, enjoying the breathtaking view. The Red Beach, with its imposing rocks and dark blue waters, is one of the most famous and impressive beaches on the island that is worth visiting, while if you want to avoid the crowds, Gialos is an ideal choice. It is a quieter beach, with black sand and clear blue waters, and is ideal for relaxation, in the company of your partner.

Take a walk in Fira and Oia, walk through its stone-built alleys, and let the beautiful houses combined with the bougainvillea and the magnificent view take your breath away. Between them there are two other villages, Imerovigli and Firostefani. The more adventurous choose the walk along the Caldera and wander from Fira to Imerovigli and Oia.

It is not possible to miss the enchanting sunset in Oia or the castle of Pyrgos and the beach of Vlychada, one of the most exotic beaches of the island, along with the Red Beach. Take a small boat trip to the neighboring island of Thirasia and the volcano to get as close as possible to the legend of Atlantis and swim in the warm waters around Palaia and Nea Kameni.

Take a tour of the island’s villages with Santorini Tours

The capital of the island is Fira. Built in the Caldera, 260 m above the sea, with a wonderful view of the blue waters of the Aegean and the islet of Nea Kameni, they seem to be a breath from the sky.

Fira together with Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Oia are spread along the Caldera enchanting the visitor, each in its special way. It should be noted here that the settlement of Oia is the first in Greece to be considered preserved. Not by chance since it looks like a work of art carved into the rocks created by the volcanic lava.

Other less famous but equally beautiful villages of the island that are worth visiting are Akrotiri and Mesa Vounos with their famous archaeological sites, Pyrgos, Karterades, Emporio, Ammoudi, Finikia, Perissa, Perivolos, Megalochori, Kamari, Messaria and Monolithos. Some are more cosmopolitan, some more quiet, others are surrounded by huge vineyards, others are dominated by tall castles with endless views of the Aegean but all have a special personality that will fascinate you.

The products of Santorini

And who does not know the unique local products of Santorini? White aubergine, tomatoes, fava beans, capers, and green cheese: are all tasty ingredients for delicious local dishes that lovers of good food will appreciate! The island is also considered one of the most organized wine tourism destinations in the country.

The volcanic soil of the island favors the vinification of wines with a distinct personality and intoxicating aroma. Try the main varieties, such as Assyrtiko, Athiri, Aidani, Mantilaria, and Mavrotragano, in one of the countless wineries on the island (many of which also serve as museums) or in a restaurant by candlelight. You can take a Santorini wine tour and enjoy the local wines in the sunset.

Discover volcanic beaches in Santorini

Let’s not forget to mention the wonderful beaches on the island of Santorini which could not but harmonize with its special volcanic character. Dive on black, red, and white sand beaches or colorful pebbles and salt and wind-sculpted rocks. A unique setting that you will not find anywhere else in Greece.

So Santorini is waiting for you! Certainly, its atmosphere where the blue of the Aegean mingles with the red of the rocks and the white of the houses will charm you, making you look forward to returning to your “lost Atlantis”! Let the energy emanating from the volcanic landscape permeate you and discover a special magic that no image can capture.

Santorini: The ultimate destination for every wine lover

The truth is that Santorini is the ultimate destination for dozens of types of tourism and one of them is wine tourism. Its vineyard is one of the oldest in Europe and according to research, vines have been cultivated since the 17th century BC.

For thousands of years, a special way of pruning the vines has been practiced in Santorini. Vintners twist the vine around to form a round basket, the so-called couloura. Inside it, the bunches grow and are protected from the strong wind.

Santorini, a popular tourist destination that attracts tourists from Greece and abroad, is undoubtedly the flagship of Greek tourism. In recent years, emphasis has been placed on sustainable development and the promotion of special forms of tourism, such as wine tourism, which favors visits in the autumn months.

Varieties of wine in Santorini

Santorini, therefore, steals impressions and produces unique PDO wines, dry as well as sweet Vinsanto that stand the test of time with the impressive Assyrtiko dominating and leaving its indelible stamp.

Asyrtiko

This is the flagship of Santorini wine. It is vinified alone or in combination with other varieties.

Aidani

Aidani is a white variety that participates in the PDO Santorini blend and also in Vinsanto. It gives wines with a medium body and an oily texture.

Mavrotragano

This is a rare and particularly important red variety of Santorini that gives wines of great claims! You will find excellent red wines from this variety, with a rich body, intense tannins and moderate acidity.

Santorini is known for its vineyards and its wine, which are unique in the world. The wineries of Santorini share with the island’s visitors the secrets and art of wine production. Most of them are located in central and southern Santorini, scattered among the beautiful villages.

Take a Santorini wine tour with us

Organized tours to wineries are a classic activity on the island. Tourist offices include in the itineraries, usually three wineries, in which during the visit, you will have the opportunity to try wine tasting, learn how they produced wine in the past in the canaves, try local delicacies. The winemakers will explain why Santorini vineyards are so unique and why the flavors of Santorini wines are so special.

The types of day trips vary and you can choose the classic morning one, the afternoon one which includes a sunset stop, a more sophisticated one which includes sampling the local cuisine and wine tasting or one for history buffs which focuses on the ancient tradition of wine production in Santorini.

The most famous destinations-villages with their wineries are Pyrgos, Megalochori, Exo Gonia and Episkopi Gonia, Mesaria.

Wine can warm your heart and be inextricably linked to the most important social events of our lives, at the same time it is a powerful weapon in the quiver of the Greek tourist product. Food-conscious wine tourists look for certified, local products, with green specifications from wineries that follow good practices towards the environment.

With over 18 wineries on the island, there is definitely no shortage of places to visit. Striving to make your experience truly unforgettable, in our wine tour we will provide the necessary information so that you can plan your itinerary according to your personal tastes and preferences.

With a history of over 3000 years of winemaking and a wide range of indigenous grape varieties (such as Assyrtiko, Aidani, Athiri, Mavrotragano, Mantilaria), it is no surprise that the wines of Santorini are highly celebrated.

A friendly and welcoming atmosphere awaits visitors at the wineries where they will be provided with a wine expertsommelier that will guide them through their winetasting endeavors and give them insight into the ancient tradition of local wine.

Taste 12 different glasses of santorini wines. The wines are usually accompanied with local specialties and visitors may make purchases if they wish.

Embark on a journey of unlocking the old secrets of local winemaking. Thanks to its distinctive volcanic soil conditions, Santorini is world-renowned for its exquisite wine varieties.Wineries on the island are deeply rooted in century-old tradition and, in fact,local winemakers extend to visitors an open invitation to experience their art.

Wine tourism, gastronomy and culture

Wine tourism on the island is highly developed and is an example for the rest of Greece to follow. Most wineries have specially designed areas, a separate wine tourism department and employ specialized staff. Visitors are offered various tour and tasting packages that marry Santorinian wines with local delicacies and high-end dishes. In addition, there are several companies operating on the island that organize wine tours and integrated wine experiences. On the island there are many restaurants that offer culinary delights of a high standard. Now the wine tourism product of Santorini has gained an international reputation and attracts wine lovers from all parts of the Earth. You can take a tour of Santorini!

Santorinian wines are the bridge between the primary and tertiary sectors, between the land of the island and its visitors. Santorini, over the centuries, has suffered from the eruptions of an unpredictable volcano, but the success of its wines is due to its volcanic soil, as well as to the prolonged sunshine, the wind, the lack of rain and the method of pruning the vines in a coil shape.

The PDO wine-growing zone includes areas of Thira and neighboring Thirasia. The flagship of the Santorini vineyard is Assyrtiko, followed by varieties such as Aidani and Athiri, Mavrotragano and Mandilaria. Santorini has also built a strong name in the field of wine tourism with wineries that can be visited, which, in addition to the crowds of foreign tourists who flock en masse, the domestic traveling public is also entitled to get to know them.

Enjoy a Santorini wine tour in 2021

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.You can take a tour of Santorini!

Why you should visit Santorini in Spring? 5 Reasons why you must!

Although Santorini is a popular summer destination, Santorini Spring is a magical time to be on the island, and just as nature awakens, so will Santorini awaken all your senses. For those who are not used to spring breaks, and especially if the destination is purely summer, they may have many different emotions before deciding to spend their vacation in Santorini in the spring.

Clearly a visit to Santorini is always a magical experience, the beauty of the island and watching the sunset over the cliffs, irrespective of the season. If you are not comfortable with the crowds or just want to relax away from the crowds that the island attracts in the summer, then planning your Spring break is a great choice! You can book a Santorini Private Tour to visit all the popular destinations and enjoy Santorini with your love ones without any worries.

5 Reasons to Visit Santorini in Spring

The pace in Santorini in the spring is slower. So its elegance, luxury as well as its cosmopolitan style will be presented in front of you, without being affected by crowds. The tourist season begins around Easter every year and mainly Greeks and European visitors begin arriving on the island. The Easter season usually fills the island with Greek visitors who spend the religious holiday in the many churches of Santorini.

Spring everywhere means beauty in nature. In Santorini this concept is taken to another level. The deep blue of the caldera is more captivating than ever and blends in with the spring colours that bloom on the high cliffs. There, in the face of this miracle of nature, everyone realizes that Santorini is not just a summer destination. The clear sky, the serene sea, the volcanic landscape, the enchanting Caldera. These are just a few of the features that make Santorini one of the best destinations in the world in the spring. As for the famous sunset, it is something you should definitely see at least once in your life, regardless of the time you visit Santorini. Book in spring a Santorini Sightseeing Private Tour and enjoy it at a more relaxed pace and less crowded.

Activities in Spring

Santorini in spring offers various activities that you should not miss. Hiking is an amazing experience, striking by the intoxicating aromas of spring blooming flowers, the spectacular atmosphere and the deep blue of the sea in the foreground. There are various hiking trails that are ideal for nature lovers but also for those who want to enjoy the uniqueness of Santorini with its picturesque villages and locations. Spring with its mild temperatures makes hiking these trails a real pleasure, which will surely make it hard to do in the summer months when the temperature is much more warmer.

Popular sites in Santorini, such as Ancient Thira and Akrotiri, will make you see the colours of spring projected next to the remnants of the island’s ancient civilization, creating a unique setting.

Gastronomically, spring in Santorini is exciting! Some of the most delectable dishes of the Santorini cuisine are made with fresh spring vegetables! So Book now a Santorini Private Tour and Food Experience to taste every delightful dish.

The main reasons you should plan your visit to Santorini in the spring are:

Weather in Santorini in Spring

The Greek sky is bright and clear while the first warm rays of spring light give Santorini a different, unique beauty. The temperature is pleasant and the weather is perfect for walks. Temperatures are mild, ranging between 20 and 27 degrees in the spring months. Although the water may still be a bit cold you can swim. Apart from the beach time, you will find that the weather is perfect for sightseeing. Be sure to bring something warm for cool nights and book a Santorini Exclusive Shore Private Tour.

Easter

The holiday is religious, but that does not mean that someone who is not close to religion has no reason to be on the island during Easter. At Easter in Greece and Santorini you will see all the local traditions as well as the unique experience of local food. Santorini has exciting customs, such as lighting thousands of lanterns, following the Epitaph, making the island look enlightened!

Colours and flowers of spring

Santorini is full of colours in the spring. A colourful maze of flowers blooming on the rocks and their colours playing with the blue of the sea! You can take a tour of Santorini!

Walks

Those who choose spring compared to summer will feel justified by the famous and comfortable strolls they will enjoy in Santorini. Before the flood of summer vacationers arrives, you will feel like you have the whole island to yourself! You will discover every little corner of the cobblestone streets and relax while watching the sunset. In addition, hotels and flights are cheaper in the spring. So is the best time of the year to take a Santorini Full Day Private Tour.

Gastronomy

Products like fruits, vegetables and local seafood are at their best. The gastronomic tradition of Santorini can combine them to create delicious wonders! Visit some of the region’s award-winning wineries and travel to the world of senses in a different way. Try the famous fava and tomato bites of the island, well-known cod, scandamacarona and known as meatballs of poor or pseudo-bite (meatballs of various herbs and legumes).

Spring is the most economic period in Santorini

Spring is a great time to visit Greece and especially Santorini, just before the summer tourist season begins.

Santorini is undoubtedly one of the most tourist and favourite islands of Greece. Thousands of tourists from all over the world flock there every year, including Greek travellers. Of course, this increased tourist traffic, and as it is reasonable, raises prices. Often staying in Fira or other parts of the island is prohibitive.

Unless you choose to go for a less touristy time of year, such as spring. You will enjoy good weather, less people and much better prices. You will find beautiful and well-kept rooms in Fira even for 40 euros per night.