Santorini Wineries Open in Winter
Which Santorini wineries open from November to March, winery by winery: hours, holiday closures, appointment rules, tasting prices and a one-day winter route.
Four Santorini wineries say they receive visitors through the winter: Santo Wines in Pyrgos, the Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum in Vothonas, Estate Argyros in Episkopi Gonia and Hatzidakis in Pyrgos Kallistis, which takes visitors by appointment only. Venetsanos and Art Space open on restricted terms, and most of the other estates close for the season or publish no winter hours at all.
Winter hours on the island change at short notice, and several wineries never publish a timetable. Pick the cellars you want to visit from the list below, then phone or email each one a day or two before you go. If you would rather have a guide handle the bookings, our page on whether Santorini wine tours run in winter covers the tours that still take December and January dates.
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Winter opening at a glance
The table below lists what each winery publishes for November to March. Where the winery itself gives no winter hours, the table says so; treat those as “call first”, not as closed or open.
| Winery | Village | Winter status | Winter hours | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santo Wines | Pyrgos | Open all year | No winter timetable published | Walk-in; book a terrace table for sunset |
| Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum | Vothonas | Open all year | Nov–Mar: Mon–Sat 9 am–5 pm, Sun 10 am–5 pm; last entry 1 hour before closing | Walk-in or online |
| Estate Argyros | Episkopi Gonia | Open all year except national holidays | No official timetable | Recommended |
| Hatzidakis | Pyrgos Kallistis | Open all year | Tue–Sat 9:30 am–3:30 pm | Appointment only, at least a day ahead |
| Venetsanos | Megalochori | Open Nov 15–Mar 31, closed Dec 22–Jan 7 | Winter hours not published | Recommended |
| Art Space | Exo Gonia | Appointment only, Nov–Mar | By arrangement | Appointment only |
| Artemis Karamolegos | Exo Gonia | Not confirmed | Not published | Call first |
| Domaine Sigalas | Baxedes, near Oia | 2026 season opened March 15 | Not published for winter | Call first |
| Gaia Wines | Exo Gonia coast | Closed in winter, reopens in spring | — | — |
| Gavalas | Megalochori | Open April to October | — | — |
| Vassaltis, Anhydrous, Canava Roussos | Vourvoulos, Kontochori, Mesa Gonia | Not confirmed | Not published | Call first |
| Boutari Santorini | Megalochori | Permanently closed | — | — |
Avoid December 25 and 26, January 1 and January 6 for any winery plan: these are Greek public holidays, and Estate Argyros and the Wine Museum both close on national holidays.
The four wineries you can plan around
Santo Wines (Pyrgos): the caldera terrace
Santo Wines says its wine tourism center “is open all year round to welcome visitors from all over the world.” The website publishes no winter timetable for the tasting bar or the restaurant, and hours are often shorter outside the main season, so call before you plan a sunset visit around it.
It is the largest caldera-edge terrace on the island, and on a winter afternoon you can usually get a table at the railing without booking days ahead. The winery belongs to the Union of Santorini Cooperatives, founded in 1911, which in its own words counts “1.200 active members”, so the flights draw on grapes from across the island. There is a deli shop on site for fava, capers and cherry tomatoes to take home. Our Santo Wines guide covers the tastings in detail.
Contact: +30 22860 22596 · info@santowines.gr
Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum (Vothonas): the underground option
The museum publishes its winter hours: from November to March it opens Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, with last entry one hour before closing. It is closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Clean Monday and Easter Sunday.
You visit it as part of a tasting: the winery says “Separate tickets for the Museum are not available.” The museum runs through a natural cave eight meters below ground and 300 meters long, with displays on island wine-growing life from the 1600s onward, and audio guides “in 15 different languages”. The entry-level Bronze tasting costs €30 for four wines and takes about 75 minutes; Silver (€55), Gold (€90), Platinum (€250) and Diamond (€450) add more wines and time. The same ticket is sold as the Vothonas: Wine Museum Ticket with Tastings and Audio Guide ($33, 4.8/5 from 425 reviews), which is the simplest way to lock in a rainy-day plan. Our Wine Museum guide compares the tiers.
Contact: +30 22860 31322
Estate Argyros (Episkopi Gonia): the Vinsanto estate
The estate’s FAQ says it “stays open all year round except on National Holidays” and adds that winter tends to be quieter, so “check winery’s availability before planning your visit.” It publishes no official winter timetable, and listings disagree about Sundays, so treat a Sunday visit as unconfirmed until the estate replies.
Two tastings are listed on its own site: the “Estate Argyros Welcome” at €25 (about 45 minutes, four wines including Vinsanto, with a platter) and “Taste the real Santorini” at €40 (about 1 hour 15 minutes, six wines with cheeses and cold cuts). The family founded the estate in 1903, and some of its ungrafted vines are more than 200 years old, according to the Club Oenologique profile. Come for the aged Vinsanto.
Contact: +30 2286 031489 · winetasting@estateargyros.com
Hatzidakis (Pyrgos Kallistis): the cave tasting by appointment
Hatzidakis receives visitors all year, Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and only by appointment: the winery says “all wine tours and tastings are conducted by appointment only” and asks for at least one day’s notice. There are no walk-ins in any season.
Its own visit page lists three tastings: €40 for four wines, €80 for six wines with a vineyard walk, and €160 for twelve wines including older vintages. The estate is organic, and the tastings take place in a cave dug beneath the vineyard. Hatzidakis was also the first winery to bottle Aidani on its own, in 2000.
Contact: +30 698 110 7180 · +30 697 677 1711 · hatzidakisvisitors@gmail.com
Wineries open on restricted terms
Venetsanos (Megalochori): mid-November to March, with a holiday break
Venetsanos gives its winter window as November 15 to March 31, closed from December 22 to January 7. It does not publish winter opening hours or which weekdays it opens, and an older guide gives a longer mid-December to mid-January break, so confirm your date with the winery. Its sunset terrace opens only from May 1 to September 30, so in winter you get the cellar and the view, but no terrace service.
The building is the reason to go: Santorini’s first industrial winery, built in 1947 into the cliff above Athinios port on a gravity-fed design. For visits within 48 hours, phone +30 22860 21100; otherwise email hospitality@venetsanoswinery.com.
Art Space (Exo Gonia): appointment only from November to March
Art Space opens daily in the main season and only by appointment from November to March; its site says “VISITS ONLY BY APPOINTMENT.” The winery is an 1861 canava carved into pumice, now an art gallery, a museum of old winemaking tools and a small winery in one.
Contact: Antonis Argyros, +30 22860 32774 · +30 6932 899509
Artemis Karamolegos (Exo Gonia): call first
Karamolegos is often described as open all year, but its own contact page publishes no winter hours, and directories disagree about the times and about Sundays. Its Aroma Avlis restaurant opens for the season in spring, so do not count on lunch there in winter.
Contact: +30 22860 33395 · +30 69783 39081 · reservations@artemiskaramolegos-winery.com
Wineries that close or go quiet in winter
- Domaine Sigalas (near Oia): its contact page listed the 2026 season from March 15, with tastings by reservation, which means the winery was closed in midwinter. If you are on the island in November, ask whether the winery can take you.
- Gaia Wines (east coast): closed in winter; it reopens in spring.
- Gavalas (Megalochori): open from April to October.
- Vassaltis (Vourvoulos), Anhydrous (Kontochori) and Canava Roussos (Mesa Gonia): none publishes winter hours, and guides disagree about whether they open at all. Ask before you build a day around them.
- Boutari Santorini (Megalochori): permanently closed. Some 2026 guides still recommend it, which shows how quickly winery lists go out of date.
- Estate Kamaras, Mikra Thira, Volcanic Slopes, Domaine Mavrakis and other small producers: we found no official winter information for any of them.
Our guide to the best wineries in Santorini covers all of these estates in the main season.
Month by month, November to February
Sunset times are mid-month figures from our best time guide.
| Month | Open without an appointment | Book ahead | Closed or limited | Sunset, mid-month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | Santo Wines, Wine Museum | Estate Argyros, Hatzidakis (Tue–Sat), Art Space; Venetsanos from Nov 15 | Seasonal estates close from the end of October | 5:11 pm |
| December 1–21 | Santo Wines, Wine Museum | Estate Argyros, Hatzidakis, Venetsanos, Art Space | Sigalas, Gaia, Gavalas closed | 5:04 pm |
| December 22–January 7 | Santo Wines (call first), Wine Museum except Dec 25 and Jan 1 | Estate Argyros except holidays, Hatzidakis (ask about holidays) | Venetsanos closed; expect most places shut on Dec 25–26, Jan 1 and Jan 6 | 5:04 pm to 5:25 pm |
| January | Santo Wines, Wine Museum | Estate Argyros, Hatzidakis, Art Space; Venetsanos from Jan 8 | January 6 is a holiday | 5:25 pm |
| February | Santo Wines, Wine Museum | Estate Argyros, Hatzidakis, Venetsanos, Art Space | Seasonal estates still closed | 5:58 pm |
On a winter Sunday, the Wine Museum (from 10 am) is the only cellar with published Sunday hours, and Santo Wines is the likeliest second stop. Hatzidakis is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Public holidays that close wineries
- December 25 (Christmas Day) and December 26 (Synaxis of the Theotokos): national holidays.
- January 1 (New Year’s Day): national holiday.
- January 6 (Epiphany): national holiday, with the blessing of the waters at the harbors.
- Clean Monday 2027 falls on March 15, 48 days before Orthodox Easter on May 2, 2027. The Wine Museum closes that day.
Estate Argyros closes on all national holidays. For a holiday-week trip, plan tastings for December 27–30 or January 2–5 and confirm each winery in writing.
Watching the sunset from a winery in winter
In winter the sun sets between about 5 pm and 6 pm. Santo Wines is the one caldera-view winery that says it is open every day of the year, so arrive at around 4:15 pm for a December sunset and confirm closing time when you book a table. Venetsanos has the view too, but its sunset terrace is closed from October to April. The Wine Museum is underground and has no view, and its last entry is at 4 pm. Most dedicated sunset wine tours are summer products; see which tours run in winter for the exceptions.
How to book a winter tasting
English is widely spoken at the wineries. On the phone, keep it short:
“Hello, I’d like to visit for a wine tasting on [day, date] at around [time]. Are you open that day? Do I need to book, and which tasting would you recommend? We are [number] people.”
By email or WhatsApp:
Subject: Wine tasting request – [date], [number] guests Hello, we are visiting Santorini on [dates] and would like a tasting at [winery] on [preferred date and time], or [backup]. Could you confirm you are open, the tasting options and prices, and whether we need to pay in advance? We will arrive by [taxi, car or bus]. Many thanks, [name, phone].
Call on a weekday morning. Winter staff are few, and the person who answers may be the winemaker.
You need an appointment at Hatzidakis and Art Space, and at Estate Argyros and Venetsanos you should book. Santo Wines and the Wine Museum take walk-ins.
A one-day winter winery route (Tuesday to Saturday)
- 10 am, Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum (Vothonas): cave walk and tasting; allow 1.5 to 2 hours.
- 12:30 pm, Estate Argyros (Episkopi Gonia): a few minutes’ drive away. The €25 Welcome tasting with a platter can stand in for lunch.
- 2:15 pm, Hatzidakis (Pyrgos Kallistis): book ahead and arrive well before the 3:30 pm close.
- 4:15 pm, Santo Wines (Pyrgos): a terrace table for the sunset, then dinner in Pyrgos village.
The four stops sit in a tight loop inland from Fira: Vothonas and Episkopi Gonia to the southeast, Pyrgos on the hill to the south. On a Sunday or a Monday, do the Wine Museum (from 10 am on Sundays) and then Santo Wines for sunset, and add Estate Argyros only if the estate has confirmed it is open.
Getting between wineries in winter
- Do not drive after tasting. Greece’s legal limit is 0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, and 0.2 g/l for new drivers, professional drivers and motorcyclists. Fines and licence suspensions rise with the reading under the Traffic Code, and three tastings will put most people over the limit.
- Taxis are scarce in winter. Book your return time in advance or hire a driver for the afternoon.
- KTEL buses run a reduced winter timetable. Check the current Fira–Kamari and Fira–Perissa times with KTEL Santorini before relying on them.
- A guided tour with pickup removes the driving and the phone calls; our page on winter wine tours compares the options. The Santorini: Guided Wineries Private Tour with Wine Tastings ($189 per person, 4.99/5 from 43 reviews) includes the Wine Museum, and a November 2025 reviewer wrote that they “Loved the Wine Museum.” Check the calendar for your dates before you plan around it.
Winter weather and what to wear
Average highs on Santorini are about 20°C (68°F) in November, 16°C (61°F) in December and 15°C (59°F) in January and February, with rain on 9 to 13 days a month, according to the figures in our best time guide. The caldera rim feels colder in the wind after dark. Bring a windproof jacket, layers and closed shoes for gravel vineyard paths; the cave cellars stay cool all year.
What you see in the vineyards in winter
- Pruning: growers cut back the dormant vines from November.
- Kouloura: the vines are trained into low baskets close to the ground, which shelter the grapes from the wind. With the leaves gone, you see the coils on the black volcanic soil.
- Old ungrafted vines: Santorini’s volcanic soils kept phylloxera out, so estates such as Argyros can show vines that are centuries old.
Our page on Santorini’s volcanic vineyards explains the basket training.
Santorini wines to taste in winter
- Assyrtiko: the island’s dry white, with high acidity and a mineral finish.
- Nykteri: an oak-aged dry white made mostly from Assyrtiko.
- Vinsanto: the sweet wine made from sun-dried Assyrtiko, Athiri and Aidani, and the bottle to open on a cold, windy afternoon. Argyros’s 20-year-old Vinsanto is a highlight.
- Mavrotragano: a rare red the island’s growers revived.
- Aidani: an aromatic white grape, bottled on its own first by Hatzidakis.
Assyrtiko and Vinsanto explained covers the two you will taste most.
Frequently asked questions
Are any wineries open in Santorini in winter?
Yes. Santo Wines and the Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum open all year and take walk-ins. Estate Argyros is open all year except on national holidays, and Hatzidakis opens all year by appointment, Tuesday to Saturday.
Which wineries are open in December in Santorini?
Santo Wines, the Wine Museum (Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 5 pm), Estate Argyros, Hatzidakis (Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, by appointment) and Art Space (by appointment). Venetsanos opens until December 21. Call Artemis Karamolegos to check.
Are wineries open on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day?
Plan on them being closed. Estate Argyros closes on national holidays, and the Wine Museum closes on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Is Venetsanos open in January?
From January 8. The winery closes from December 22 to January 7 and reopens until March 31; it does not publish winter hours, so book ahead.
Is Domaine Sigalas open in winter?
Not in midwinter. Its 2026 season opened on March 15, with tastings by reservation.
Can I watch the sunset at a winery in winter?
Yes, at Santo Wines, which is open all year on the caldera. Sunset is around 5:04 pm in mid-December, 5:25 pm in mid-January and 5:58 pm in mid-February.
Do Santorini wine tours run in winter?
Fewer run, and most of those are private. Our page on whether Santorini wine tours run in winter lists the ones to check.
Do I need to book wine tastings in winter?
At Hatzidakis and Art Space, yes. At Estate Argyros and Venetsanos, book ahead. Santo Wines and the Wine Museum take walk-ins.
Is Boutari’s Santorini winery open?
No. Its Megalochori winery has closed permanently.
Taste Santorini's Volcanic Wines at Three Wineries
Assyrtiko, Nykteri and Vinsanto poured where they are grown, on ash that has never seen phylloxera — with sunset tours finishing at a caldera-view winery. Hotel pickup and free cancellation included.
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