How I Enjoyed a Unique Wine Tasting Experience at Estate Argyros

Estate Argyros is one of Santorini’s most visually gratifying and grandiose wineries in all of the island.

Besides it’s looks, it boosts an award winning Vinsanto that is advertently aged from the 1990’s. However, before I get into wine notes, let me elaborate a bit on this 116 year old family-owned establishment.

Estate Argyros is located in Episkopi Santorini and its sits on 297 acres of land. In 1903, the late Georgios Argyros founded the winery with just 5 acres of land and today the successful establishment is ran by Matthew Argyros.

Upon arrival, I drove through a long driveway surrounded by vineyards to the left and the right with the winery nicely nestled at the end.

Once I reached the winery, I noticed that there was an accommodatingly sized outdoor space for customers with beautiful views of the vineyards and hills of the island. The winery is more inland compared to the other local wineries that boast caldera views on the island.

Inside the winery, everything looked pristine and orderly with busy workers attending to tourists looking to feel lavished and whisked away.

I reserved the Taste The Real Santorini tour in advance and was almost immediately introduced to my tour guide after checking in at the reception desk.

Our first stop on the winery grounds was near the vineyards where the guide explained intently about Santorini’s agriculture. Before I get into that, I think it’s important to share some vital information about Santorini’s history.

In 1646BC, there was an catastrophic volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini that defaced its structure and naturally sculptured the renowned cliff-side that we know today. The caldera, formed by the volcano, is shaped like a bowl and it offers views of the volcano, present-day Santorini, and some distant neighboring islands. Below the beautiful blue abyss of the caldera, lays the sunken bodies of land (Atlantis?) that the volcano laid to rest.

Now back to the tour! The guide explained that Santorini’s exceptional dry climate and volcanic soil provides an unique habitat for wine cultivation.

In the mid 1800’s American wine vines were transported from the America’s to Europe but there was a secret passenger onboard: phylloxera! Phylloxera is a pest that eats the roots of vines. Although the American vines were fine, the exportation of this type of phylloxera to Europe was detrimental. During the duration of 30 years, the American phylloxera destroyed almost all of the European vineyards slowly but surely.

Santorini was an exception. Due to its volcanic soiled terrain, the phylloxera could not thrive and modern day Santorini is still phylloxera free!

Next, I learned more about the pruning process of the vines. In a earlier post, I explained a little bit about kouloura. Estate Argryos, and all successful wineries on the island, use the kouloura to protect wine vines from the wild winds and to lock in moisture that comes from the cool of the night.

Santorini is a very dry island during the day and Santorinan wines are uniquely and distinctively crafted as a result. At Estate Argryos, irrigation is only provided through water lines to vines that are 1-4 years old. After, the vines are left to the natural elements and later pruned in the kouloura.

The Estate Argryos website reports that the average age of its vines are 70 but they also have some special gems that are over 200 years old!

During the trip we also went inside to take a look at some of the machinery that is used during wine production. The lab, at the estate is said to be one of the most technically equipped in all of Greece.

The tasting was informative and one of it’s biggest highlights was the Estate Argyros Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko comes from white wine grapes and is exclusively native to Santorini. The Assyrtiko tasting notes were reminiscent of lemon, salt, and mineral water. Assyrtiko is naturally yellow but with age it darkens in hue and the acidity is more pronounced. I recommend paring this wine with grilled vegetables, seafood, or poultry.

The guide first let me try the 2011 but I was truly awed by the full-bodied aroma and taste of the 1995 version. By the way, Vinsanto is a dessert wine and I highly recommend it for people that like sweet wines and/or have a hard time distinguishing between wine variations. Vinsanto is brown in color, and like most wines, becomes deeper and richer with time. My Vinsanto 1995 wine notes are caramel, vanilla, butter, smoky, and nutty. A little goes a long way when it comes to Vinsanto and I recommend a try for ALL when visiting Santorini.

Overall, I am very happy about my visit to Estate Argryos and I would rate it one of the best wine tastings in Greece. The hospitality was very welcoming and the tour was very enlightening. I would recommend the 90 minute Taste The Real Santorini tour for true wine lovers as the option comes with 7 wines, small savory food selections, dessert treats, and water. For any one that’s curious, but still on the fence, I would recommend the standard Estate Argyros Welcome tour with four wines, cheese, and bread sticks.

P. S. – So, since I’m a junior wine connoisseur these days, I would love to know what your favorite wine is and why. Sound off in the comments and thanks for reading!