SantoWines Santorini Greece

The Greek Isles

Day Six - we finally arrive at our first port of call in Greece. It is a beautiful day as our ship anchors off the coast of Santorini, Greece.

A catastrophic volcanic eruption that ravaged Santorini circa 1600 B.C. created a caldera - and one of the most dramatic land and seascapes in the entire Mediterranean. On Santorini, whitewashed buildings cling to vertiginous cliffs that plunge to a turquoise sea.

 Taste the Fruit of the Vine

This region is famous for world-class wines and unique vinification methods. Here you can visit some of the world's oldest vineyards and learn how the micro-climate and rich volcanic soil produces such a full-bodied bouquet.

We selected Princess Cruises tour, Oia, Fira & Winery, for our day in Santorini, Greece.   We met in the theater where we were then escorted to the waiting tender boat to take us ashore.   Once on land, we boarded a motorcoach for a ride through the villages enroute to SantoWines Winery, our first stop.   SantoWines Oenotourism center is situated on the top of the caldera cliff, with a magnificent view of Santorini volcano and the Aegean Sea.

SANTORINI VINSANTO NATURALLY SWEET WINE FROM SUN DRIED GRAPES 

Despite the early hour, the winery was hosting tastings of several of their products.   As with most tastings, there was a selection of  white, red, and their dessert wines.  Since we prefer sweet wines, we decided to skip the dry white and red and just sample the Vinsanto dessert wine.

Vinsanto wine consists of 75% Assyrtiko and 25% Aidani grapes. The grapes are sun dried for 8 –10 days, slow fermented for 2 – 3 months, and aged for at least 24 months in oak barrels.  Suggested Use:  Enjoy it as a dessert wine or accompany it with fresh fruit and light dessert.  This wine can only be purchased at the winery, so if you like it, take a bottle home with you.  Unfortunately, you'll have to pack it in your checked luggage, so keep that in mind.   Because of that reason, we decided not to purchase a bottle - hopefully we won't regret that later.

After enjoying our glass of wine, we had time to take in the scenic views of the volcano and Aegean Sea before reboarding our bus for the ride to Oia, our next stop.   See our photo album on Facebook: Santo Winery - Santorini

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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