Santorini Wine Tasting & Vineyard Tour

Santorini's vineyards look unlike any others in the world: the vines are trained into low basket shapes called koulouri, spiralling close to the ground so the fruit hangs inside the coil, protected from the island's fierce winds and able to capture morning moisture from the volcanic ash soil. The island's native Assyrtiko grape produces dry whites with a mineral acidity that comes directly from the pumice and volcanic ash beneath the vines, and Santorini's wines have been recognised with a Protected Designation of Origin since 1971. This day tour visits three distinct wineries across the island's central plateau, moving between the traditional cooperative at Pyrgos, a boutique estate above the village of Megalochori, and a caldera-view tasting room near Akrotiri. At each stop, the winemaker or estate manager leads a guided tasting of four to six wines — predominantly Assyrtiko in its various styles, from bone-dry to the dessert wine Vinsanto, made from sun-dried grapes. Lunch at the second winery features mezedes designed to accompany the wines: fava from the island's yellow split peas, cherry tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil, and locally cured capers. The tour moves by private minibus between estates. Those who are sensitive to heat should note that the harvest and crushing period in late August and early September gives the most vivid sense of active production, though tastings run throughout the season from April to November.