Santorini’s Best Kept Wine Secret
- Tobi Phang-Lyn
- May 11, 2017
- 2 min read
It’s easy to get swept up into the ultra-touristy wine tours with 22 different wineries and agencies ready to organize a day trip in Santorini. However, if you’re looking for a more intimate experience with the wines of Santorini, take a drive out to the southern end of the island and stop by Faros Market in Akrotiri.
The family-run market is a little far out, about a 30-minute bus or taxi ride from the town of Fira, but upon arrival you will meet Maria. Maria and her sister have been running the winery for the past five years. The previous owners manufactured and exported wine, but these sisters have opted to keep all products on the island and have quickly become a favorite of the locals.
Maria will take you on a tour of the vineyard, explaining traditional farming practices. The plants are kept low to protect them from the Mediterranean wind. They can only be tended to by experienced hands that know which vines can be trimmed without damaging the plant.
Faros Market's traditional wines.
Faros grows mostly white grapes because red varieties are resistant to heat. The red grapes they do grow are used to add color to the white wines. Grapes are harvested once a year, allowing for the most flavorful fruit to grow and for the land to rest during the off season. If you make it to Faros in August, you may even get to stomp the grapes barefoot!
The juice from the grapes is filtered down into a wine cellar that was carved into the pumice stone underground. The stone regulates the temperature of the cellar year-round during the fermentation process.
Faros produces five varieties of white wines. These include Mezzo, Assyrtiko, Nichteri, Roze, and, the most popular on the island, Vinsanto. This wine translates to “holy wine” and is used regularly in religious ceremonies. This wine has a sweet, candy-like taste rather than the chemical taste of commercialized wine. After tasting each of the wines, guests are able to bottle their own wines. How many times can you say you’ve done that?
Aside from wine, Faros sells various marmalades made from zucchini, watermelon, and grapes. You can also find local honey, fermented caper leaves, soaps and other Greek goods. Maria and her family provide an authentic experience with their hospitality and traditional, hand-made goods. Yamas, meaning cheers in Greek!
Looking out onto the Faros vineyard.
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