Cheese · PDO · Santorini
Also labelled Αρσενικό Νάξου
A hard, pressed sheep and goat's milk cheese from Naxos: eleven mountain and hill communities and the Small Cyclades.
Arseniko is the hard, spicy table cheese of Naxos, made from non-pasteurised sheep and goat milk and sold in whole cylindrical wheels weighing 1 to 4 kg. The EU single document describes a whitish to yellowish cheese with a hard but relatively thin rind, and requires at least three months of maturing because the milk is raw. It was registered as a PDO in 2020. Naxos is a different island from Santorini, but arseniko is on the menu at Aroma Avlis, the restaurant at Artemis Karamolegos Winery in Exo Gonia, with Naxos bresaola and on its cheese plateau.
Made in: Naxos: eleven mountain and hill communities and the Small Cyclades
The EU single document gives an intense, spicy, pleasant and bittersweet taste, a buttery and soft texture and a rich aroma, becoming spicier and more aromatic as it matures.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
Arseniko Naxou is a hard, spicy, bittersweet cheese matured at least three months. A dry, oak-aged Mavrotragano with firm tannin and high acidity meets its fat and spice, and the cheese's salt softens the tannin.
Arseniko Naxou is an intense, bittersweet hard cheese that grows spicier with age. A Vinsanto aged twelve years or more in oak brings deep sweetness and high acidity that set against its salt and spice.
The grapes behind these winesMavrotraganoAssyrtiko
Guided tastings by appointment in an organic cave winery in Pyrgos. The 4 and 6 wine tastings come with Naxos goat cheese and bread-rusks; the 12 wine tasting with Aegean island cheeses. Tuesday to Saturday.
A walk on the vineyard soil, then six wines from Santorini's indigenous grapes tasted with a platter of selected cheeses, cold cuts and local bites, guided by the winery's wine educator. By appointment.
Four premium Assyrtiko wines tasted under a pergola by the beach, with a complimentary plate of traditional Greek cheeses. The winery is open daily 12:00 to 20:00 from 29 April to 31 October.
On the menu at Aroma Avlis, the restaurant at Artemis Karamolegos Winery: a cheese plateau of arseniko from Naxos, Cretan graviera, geremezi, San Michali and melichloro, and a kopanisti spread.
Wine tasting on the main hall terrace of the Megalochori winery, with light snacks such as cheese platters available alongside. The cheeses are not named.
Winery restaurant in Fira Kontochori serving a la carte, a degustation menu, or a glass of Anhydrous wine with a platter of Greek cheeses.
In the communities of Apeiranthos, Damarionas, Danakos, Keramoti, Koronida, Koronos, Kinidaros, Mesi, Moni, Filoti and Chalkeio on Naxos, and the Small Cyclades.
At least three months before release, because it is made from non-pasteurised milk. It is made between December and May.
The Aroma Avlis menu at Artemis Karamolegos Winery in Exo Gonia lists arseniko from Naxos, both with bresaola and on a cheese plateau.
Same cheeseboard
Plan the trip
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Booking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: protection register, ec.europa.eu, el.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.
