Santorini has more wineries than I expected. The best way to see them all quickly is by scheduling a wineries tour. Let me tell you the story of my visit to Gavalas Winery. It is a traditional method and family-owned winery in the heart of Santorini.
Gavalas Winery is located on the island of Thera in Santorini. This hidden gem, Gavalas Winery is a family-owned winery. Produces all its wine by traditional methods and lives under volcanic soil terroir. Yes, you read it right. They use conventional techniques that involve grape stomp. It’s just like all that jazz we saw in I Love Lucy episodes.
I enjoyed tasting only three of their wines for 5 euros. I wish I could have tasted more of their wines, but I needed more time in Santorini. Moreover, I wanted to explore more wineries, so I had to go with their three-wine-tasting option.
The first wine we tasted was ‘Katsano.’ It is a blend of 85% Katsano and 15% Gaidouria. Both grape varieties are little known outside the island because they only cover 1% of the total vineyard. The harvest commences in early August. Grapes collection starts before they fruit is fully ripe.
According to their website, Gavalas’ Katsano is a dry white wine with green highlights. It has a nose of sweet aromas like flowers, honey, and lemon blossom. Katsano develops a rich taste on the palate with an exceptional balance, pleasant acidity, and a long-after flavor. It accompanies all seafood and white meat dishes superbly with light sauces. Katsano is best served with a little chill. The production is strictly limited.
The second wine we tasted was a Dry White Wine named ‘Nykteri.’ Nykteri is produced from extra-matured Assyrtiko grapes. In the past, the harvest took place during the day, and the stomping of the grapes during the night. This wine is produced with the traditional method. This is a hight alcohol wine with more than 14% alcohol with long aging in oak barrels. Its color is gold, and its nose is of pear and jasmine. It is full-bodied and can be aged for at least 7-8 years. Perfectly paired with grilled and white meat, grilled squid, intense spicy flavors, and fatty fish. Best served at 12-14oC/53-55oF
The third and last wine we enjoyed was, of course, their dessert wine, Vin Santo. Gavalas’ website states, ‘The soil of Santorini is characterized by unique geological inorganic elements created by volcanic eruptions. The yield is meager because of the limited rainfall. Strong winds also contribute to the low yield. Only 300-500 kgs of grapes are produced per 1000 sq.m. of vineyards. The result is the production of grapes having excellent quality and perfect maturation. When the grapes reach the desired degree of maturation, they are carefully picked. Then, they are sun-dried on terraces for approximately 10 to 15 days.’
Gavalas Winery vinifies the most vibrant variety in Greece, Assyrtiko, Aidani, Mandilaria, and Mavrotragano. Gavalas is also the only winery in Santorini that vinifies the rare indigenous varieties of Katsano and Voudomato. This shows the richness of the land. Learn more about Gavalas Winery here. If you are ever in Santorini, definitely make the trip to visit this unique winery.
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