Wine in Pyrgos, Santorini

Santo Wines (Union of Santorini Cooperatives) ★ 4.6

The cooperative of Santorini grape-growers, founded 1947 and based at Pyrgos on the central ridge of the island. A major purchaser of island fruit, with a caldera-rim tasting terrace that is a busy cellar-door stop on Santorini.

Tasting: Year-round caldera-rim tasting terrace at Pyrgos; walk-in flights with structured wine and food pairings, plus reservation-only deeper visits. A high-volume cellar-door operation with terraces seating hundreds at peak.

Signature wines: santo-wines-assyrtiko, santo-wines-nykteri, santo-wines-vinsanto-12-years

Tip: Book the sunset slot on the caldera terrace and order the food-and-wine pairing flight; the standard PDO Santorini at cooperative pricing is one of the better entry-level Assyrtiko bottles on the island.

Hatzidakis Winery ★ 4.8

Pyrgos-based organic estate founded 1997 by the late Haridimos Hatzidakis (1965 to 2017), a self-taught winemaker who pioneered the organic dry Santorini style.

Tasting: By appointment; structured tastings in the cellar including the Skitali (the heir) bottling continued in memory of the late founder, plus Aidani, Mavrotragano and the Hatzidaki Cuvée 17.

Signature wines: hatzidakis-santorini, hatzidakis-aidani, hatzidakis-mavrotragano, hatzidakis-skitali

Tip: The single-vineyard Cuvée 17 is the estate's most ambitious dry white; the rare monovarietal Aidani shows the lifted floral side of the PDO blend.

Santo Wines Tasting Room ★ 4.7

The flagship tasting terrace of the Santorini Union of Cooperatives sits on the caldera ridge above Pyrgos with panoramic views toward the volcano. Walk-in tasting flights cover the full SantoWines portfolio including Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto.

Hatzidakis Winery Tasting Room ★ 4.8

Founded by the late Haridimos Hatzidakis, now run by his widow Konstantina and daughter Stella, this organic-certified estate in Pyrgos works with low-intervention Assyrtiko from old-vine kouloura plots.

Santo Wines Tasting Bar ★ 4.6

The terrace tasting bar of the Santorini Union of Cooperatives sits on the cliff above Athinios port with panoramic caldera and volcano views. Walk-in flights cover the full PDO Santorini portfolio and Vinsanto from the cellar's library.

The list: Walk-in caldera-view tasting bar pouring 18 PDO Santorini wines by the glass from the cooperative's portfolio, including dry Assyrtiko, Nykteri and barrel-aged Vinsanto.

Pours: Santo Wines Assyrtiko, Santo Wines Nykteri, Santo Wines Vinsanto 4 Years

Santo Wines Heritage Bar ★ 4.6

The lower cellar bar of Santo Wines, in the Pyrgos cooperative complex above Athinios. Sit-down tasting flights walk through the full five-tier portfolio with explanations of the kouloura basket-vine system from cooperative winemakers.

The list: The lower bar pouring all five tiers of the SantoWines portfolio including PDO Santorini, single-vineyard Grand Reserves and library Vinsanto verticals.

Pours: Santo Wines Grande Reserve Assyrtiko, Santo Wines Vinsanto 12 Years, Santo Wines Aidani

Pyrgos Restaurant ★ 4.4

Pyrgos Restaurant sits at the foot of the Kasteli fortress of Pyrgos Kallistis, the inland village at roughly 300 metres elevation on Santorini.

Santo Wines Cellar Shop ★ 4.6

The flagship farm-gate shop of the Santorini Union of Cooperatives, stocking the full SantoWines portfolio from entry-level Santorini Assyrtiko to the Grand Reserve single-vineyard releases and library Vinsanto.

Wine focus: Cooperative-wide PDO Santorini portfolio including Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto across all five quality tiers, plus regional specialty foods

Hatzidakis Winery Cellar Shop ★ 4.7

The cellar shop of Hatzidakis Winery in Pyrgos sells the certified-organic range from the family estate, including the Cuvée 15 old-vine Assyrtiko, the Skitali single-vineyard Assyrtiko and limited Mavrotragano and Mandilaria reds.

Wine focus: Hatzidakis organic estate range including Cuvée 15, Assyrtiko Skitali single-vineyard and Mavrotragano

Santo Wines Guided Tasting Programme ★ 4.6

Santo Wines runs a structured tasting programme on the caldera terrace teaching the kouloura basket-vine system, PDO Santorini classification and Vinsanto production. Daily walk-in tastings cover 6 to 12 wines per flight.

Tip: Reserve the 12-wine premium flight at sunset; the panoramic caldera view from the upper terrace is unmatched among Santorini's winery visitor centres.

Santo Wines Three-Winery Caldera Tour ★ 4.5

Santo Wines coordinates a half-day three-winery tour anchored at the caldera-edge SantoWines terrace with two additional partner-cellar visits. The route walks through Pyrgos, Megalochori and the southern PDO Santorini vineyards.

Hatzidakis Organic Cellar Tour ★ 4.7

Hatzidakis Winery runs family-led tours of the underground cellar carved into volcanic tuff in Pyrgos. The route covers the low-intervention organic winemaking philosophy founded by the late Haridimos Hatzidakis and concludes with a 6-wine tasting.

Santo Wines Vinsanto Fortified Production ★ 4.5

Santo Wines runs an extensive Vinsanto programme, both unfortified and traditionally fortified styles. The cooperative ages Vinsanto in oak for a minimum of 24 months with the Grand Reserve held for over a decade.

Tip: The fortified Vinsanto tasting on the Pyrgos terrace is the most accessible introduction to the style; the 12-year Grand Reserve is the cooperative's signature library release.

Santo Wines Visitor Centre ★ 4.4

Santo Wines's caldera-edge visitor centre at Pyrgos doubles as an exhibition on the Santorini Union of Cooperatives' member growers, the kouloura basket-vine system and the island's PDO Santorini and Vinsanto classifications.

Santo Wines Sunset Vinsanto Tasting ★ 4.7

Santo Wines's signature evening experience pairs the caldera sunset over the volcano with a structured Vinsanto vertical from the cooperative library.

Hatzidakis Cave-Cellar Organic Wine Experience ★ 4.7

The Hatzidakis Winery cave-cellar in Pyrgos hosts a family-led tour through the underground tuff cellar carved into volcanic rock. The route covers the low-intervention organic philosophy founded by the late Haridimos Hatzidakis with a structured 6-wine tasting.

Santo Wines Evening Sunset Tastings ★ 4.4

Santo Wines's cliff-top facility above Pyrgos operates evening tasting flights through sunset and into the night, with caldera-view terraces seating hundreds of visitors.

The list: Santo Wines runs evening tasting flights into the late evening hours, with caldera-view terraces serving the cooperative's full Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto range. The cooperative seats hundreds across its terraces, and sunset slots fill weeks ahead in the high season.

Santo Wines Sunset Terrace ★ 4.3

Santo Wines's caldera-rim sunset terrace is a heavily photographed Santorini wine setting, with the cliff-edge tasting tables overlooking the entire caldera.

The list: Santo Wines's sunset terrace pours the cooperative's Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto range, with the caldera sunset view from the cliff above Pyrgos. The terrace is high-volume but spectacularly sited.

Selene Restaurant Pyrgos Wine Dinner ★ 4.7

Selene in Pyrgos is a long-running Santorini wine-focused restaurant and a regular stop for serious wine-pairing dinners on the island. The list and the kitchen are both calibrated for Assyrtiko-led pairings across multiple producers.

The list: Selene at Pyrgos pairs a serious Greek-island menu with a wine list weighted heavily toward Santorini producers. The list covers Sigalas, Argyros, Hatzidakis, Gaia, Santo Wines and the smaller estates in depth. Pairing dinners are by reservation with sommelier guidance.

Santo Wines Vinsanto Tasting Room ★ 4.5

Santo Wines offers the most accessible dedicated Vinsanto tasting on the island, with multiple ageing tiers poured side by side. While not fortified in the strict sense, Vinsanto fills the dessert-and-sweet-wine specialist role on Santorini.

The list: Santo Wines runs a dedicated Vinsanto-focused tasting programme covering 4-year, 12-year and longer-aged Vinsanto from the cooperative's library. Vinsanto is Santorini's PDO sweet wine, a sun-dried passito-method wine and the closest Santorini analogue to fortified wine specialist programmes elsewhere.

Santo Wines Extended Evening Tasting Sessions ★ 4.3

Santo Wines's extended-hours sessions through the high season allow late-evening cellar door tastings that would not be possible at smaller estates.

The list: Santo Wines runs late-tasting sessions through the high season with extended hours through sunset. The cooperative's flight format covers Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto with extensive volume capacity, and the late slots are easier to book than the headline 18:00 to 19:00 window.

Santo Wines (vegan-compatible cuvees) ★ 4.1

Santo Wines documents vegan-compatible fining agents (bentonite clay rather than animal-derived products) on selected cuvees. Specific bottles carrying the vegan indication are identified on the cooperative website and cuvee tech sheets. Confirm the current vegan list directly.