Day 236 - Wine Tasting

Thought of the day: One thing we learned after coming here was that Santorini had a long history of wine making. In fact, wine making took place even in the ancient culture before it perished in the huge volcanic eruption. The region makes wines with a special quality and taste because the volcanic soil is lacking in organic materials but is rich in minerals. This morning, we visited a winery called Sigalas on the eastern plain of Oia.  It took us about half an hour to walk there from our hotel.  Along the way, we walked past a number of deserted vineyards, presumably abandoned by locals who moved into the more lucrative tourism industry.  In Sigalas winery, we tried out a few different red, white and dessert wines and really liked the white ones we tasted. In a warm Mediterranean summer day, it was refreshing to sit in the shade of the vines, sip the wine and let the cool ocean breeze wash all over you. Mr. Sigalas is clearly passionate about wine making and I hope this ancient tradition will be carried on in Santorini by him and others like him.

Photo of the day:

Wine tasting in Sigalas Winery.  Beyond the vineyard lies the blue Agean sea. What a place to have a winery!