A Santorini wine tour is the perfect experience to complete a stay on the Greek island of Santorini in style. Here's the best Santorini wine tasting tours.
Wine Tasting in Santorini
Santorini is famous around the world for a few things: the volcano, the stunning sunsets with a view to the caldera, and the blue-domed white-washed houses.
There is one more thing in Santorini that you won’t always see in your friends’ photos but is really worth exploring, and that is Santorini wine.
The island has a number of wine producers, and you'll often find local wine on the menu at restaurants. You can even visit the Koutsoyannopoulos wine museum if you have time.
The best way to really get an appreciation for the Greek wine in Santorini though, is to take a small group wine tour.
Choosing a Santorini wine tour
There are several wine tours in Santorini, all of which include visiting a few wineries and vineyards where the wine-making process is explained.
Some of these tours offer a full meal, some include platters of cheese and other delicacies, while it is also possible to combine your Santorini wine tour with a cooking class or some sightseeing.
It’s hard to go wrong whatever you decide, so choose one of the tours that most suits your mood.
Here's a selection of the best wine tasting tours in Santorini, Greece. Enjoy your Santorini vacation in style! In this small group tour, you will be accompanied by an accomplished sommelier, who will explain to you the wine production process. You will visit three vineyards and wineries in different parts of Santorini, having the chance to see more of the unique landscape. Wine tasting will be accompanied by platters of local delicacies. Duration 4 - 5 hours. Hotel Pickup and drop off included. During this best-selling Santorini winery tour, you will get to visit three of the best Santorini wineries, and sample a selection of 12 Greek wines, accompanied by a delicious cheese platter. Depending on the season, this tour runs either in the morning, or in the afternoon. This wine tour can also be arranged as a private tour. Winery Tours Duration 4 - 4.5 hours. Hotel Pickup included. In this Santorini wine tour, you will get to visit three vineyards and wineries, and enjoy a nice sunset view at your last stop. The wine will be accompanied by a delicious cheese platter. If you're looking to enjoy your time in Santorini in style with good wine, this is certainly an activity worth trying! This half day tour includes some sightseeing, a winery visit, a full meal and a stop for coffee dessert. You will explore some of the less visited areas in Santorini, and have the chance to learn about vintage wines, the traditional way in which they were made, and a lot more! If you want to learn a few things about Greek cooking while tasting the famous Santorini wines, this is the best option for you. Apart from visiting two wineries, you will also visit a vineyard, and learn about what makes Santorini’s wine so unique. During the cooking class, you will also get to sample some other Greek drinks, namely Ouzo and Raki, and learn a few Greek recipes to take back home. This tour includes visits to two wineries, tasting of Greek delicacies and a visit to a farm. You will get to see an authentic side of Greece, and taste seasonal produce grown in the farm. In this Santorini wine tour, you will get to visit two of the best known wineries on the island. You will also enjoy a lovely meal, complete with recipes, and learn more about Greek food culture. Santorini is the perfect place for wine enthusiasts, as it has a long history of viniculture. If you want to get an insider's view into the local wineries and tastes of this Mediterranean island, then join us on our Sip of Santorini Wine Tour! You'll have exclusive access to 2 different wineries in Oia before enjoying your last sunset viewing from Oia BayThe Best Wine Tours in Santorini
Santorini Wine Roads: Tour of 3 Wineries with a Sommelier
Santorini Half-Day Wine Adventure Tour
Santorini: 4-Hour Sunset Wine Tour
Exclusive Wine and Food Tour in Santorini
Santorini Cooking Class and Wine-Tasting Tour
Megalochori Village Walk: Farm Food Tasting & Winery Tour
Greek Food & Wine Tasting Tour
Sunset Wine Tour
Santorini Wines
Like most of Greece, Santorini has some pretty distinctive grape varieties.
The mild Greek climate, combined with Santorini’s unique soil, has allowed for a few unique grape varieties to grow. Evidence shows that wine has been produced in Santorini for at least 3,500 years!
Santorini Wineries
There are several wineries in Santorini that are open to the public. The most well known of these are Venetsanos Winery, Domaine Sigalas, Santo Wines, and Boutari.
While you can skip them and just taste the various wines on your own, you could also take a Santorini winery tour if you want to know more about wine-making in Santorini.
Wines of Santorini
The best known wine varieties in Santorini are Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani (whites) and Mandilaria, Mavrotragano and Voudomato (reds). They are high in alcohol content and intense in flavor.
While in Santorini, you will also come across a wine called Nichteri, a vintage wine made from Assyrtiko grapes. It took its name after the Greek word nichta (=night), as this type of wine was traditionally produced after dark.
Last, but not least, there is the sweet, world-famous Vinsanto (Vino di Santorini), made from all three types of white grapes, after they have been dried in the sun.
It takes about 10 kg of grapes to produce one litre of Vinsanto, and the wine needs a few months to ferment. This would be an ideal gift for a special occasion.
FAQ About Santorini Wine Tours
Readers planning a trip to Santorini for wine tastings and tourism often ask questions such as:
Is Santorini wine good?
Santorini wine is wonderful and unique owing to the dry and unusual climate. They taste even better with a caldera view!
How many wineries are in Santorini?
There are over 18 wineries in Santorini, which is quite surprising given the tiny size of this famous island in Greece.
How long does a wine tour take?
You can expect most wine tours in Santorini to last around 4 hours. Some may be longer if they include additional activities or add-ons such as a sunset meal.
What islands are near to Santorini?
If you're planning to visit another Greek island right after Santorini, there are a few nearby to consider. Some of the most popular are Mykonos, Milos, Folegandros, Paros, and Naxos.
And that’s it! The best Santorini wine tours, for those of you that love wine. If you take any of them, please leave a comment below to let everyone know if they were good!
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If you're collecting ideas for your upcoming Santorini vacation, this guide to the best wine tours would make a great addition to your Pinterest board. Just use the image below!
Further Reading
You might also be interested in these other Santorini travel guides.
- Where is Santorini?
- Santorini Sunset Hotels
- Red Beach Santorini
- Itinerary for 3 days in Santorini
- Itinerary ideas for 10 days in Greece
- How to spend one day in Santorini
Dave is a travel writer from the UK now living in and writing about Greece. As well as creating this blog post on visiting Santorini wineries, he's written many more articles about destinations in Greece. Follow Dave on social media for travel inspiration from Greece and beyond: