Canava, Vedema Luxury Collection Resort

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Range of Santorini wines from sparkling, white, red, and Vinsanto

  • Tasting fee: €70

This tasting is a bit unique as it’s provided by the hotel built on an old historical winery. They curate a tasting flight and feature wines from various wineries across the island so it’s a great chance to taste a range of Santorini varietals and wineries. We tasted through

  • Santo wines Brut - Traditional method sparkling made from Assyrtiko, the most common grape in Santorini but not easy to find in a sparkling form! Great easy drinking starter.

  • Gavalas Katsano - blended with 15% Gaidouria, both rare grapes even in Santorini. Enjoyed the refreshing minerality

  • Vassaltis Vineyards Assyrtiko - representative of the most well-known Santorini white wine. Dry and crisp

  • Hatzidakis Winery Mavrotragano - wanted to visit this winery so was happy to see this on the flight! Medium bodied dry red with good tannins.

  • Estate Argyros Vinsanto - If you like dessert wine, Santorini is actually famous for it. Traditional vinsantos are made with white sun dried grapes. Dark amber color with a nice balance of acidity and sweetness.

It comes with a plate of local cheese and honey, loved the pairing with the wines. I enjoyed the entire experience! Wines were all tasty and loved the vibe inside the cave!

More about Vedema Resort: Website

Gavalas Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 3/5

  • QPR: 5/5

  • Main varietals: Greek whites, reds, and sweet wine

  • Tasting fee: €16-35 depending on the flight you choose

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 4.0

I remember personally liking the wines here better compared to Venetsanos so recommend trying Venetsanos for the view and trying Gavalas for wine tasting flights! This winery is filled with history as it started more than 300 years ago. You can take a peak at their old traditional facility and handmade barrels, which are still used to store Vinsantos, sweet wine that put Santorini wines on the map. Tasting flight was a good representation of Santorini grapes: Aidani, Assyrtiko (whites) Mavrotragano (red), Vinsanto (sweet).

More about Gavalas: Website

Boutari Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 4/5

  • QPR: 5/5

  • Main varietals: Greek whites, reds, and sweet wine

  • Tasting fee: $20 for tasting, $45-60 for food and wine pairing. ~$5 for wines by the glass.

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 3.6

Boutari was a great spot to be able to try Greek wines from all over Greece vs. just Santorini wines. They have wines from Naoussa, Peloponnese, Crete, Attica, and Goumenissa, which were all new to me! Since we were doing a few other wineries in Santorini, I ended up trying a glass of white and rosé from Peloponnese, and Rosé. from Naoussa. I liked all of them! Moschofilero was one of the more common varietals for Peloponnese region, refreshing! Their tasting room is spacious and the bar is super cute with a soil layer decoration. Great price to quality ratio with most wines being ~$10-20/bottle



More about Boutari: Website

Venetsanos Winery

TL;DR

  • Cute for pictures: 5/5

  • QPR: 4/5

  • Main varietals: Greek whites, reds, and sweet winte

  • Tasting fee: $32-41 tasting flights or $11-15 by the glass

  • Average wine rating on Vivino: 3.9

Venetsanos is one of the two wineries in Santorini famous for its views. I’ve read the wines here are bit better (compared to Santo) and it was also closer from our hotel so decided to stop by. We didn’t end up doing the full tasting flight but each got a glass of white (there were 3 of us) and enjoyed them with the view. You can get a taste of traditional Santorini white varietals like Asyritko, Athiri, Aidani, etc. They have 3 different tasting flights and also a food menu. To visit, you can make a reservation for either the main hall or sunset terrace. Main hall has both tasting flights and full menu available (wines by the glass and food) but the sunset terrace doesn’t have wine tasting flight. Both areas have great views!


More about Venetsanos: Website