Tsantiris Winery — Attraction in Icaria Municipality

We visited the winery twice in June this year. The drive from Raches to Proespera was beautiful and as we approached the winery we realised that we were going to be spellbound with the magnificent view of the sea at sunset.From a distance the winery looks like a discreet building in a dark claret colour and as there is nothing else in the vicinity it is easily spotted. We found it on Google maps and the road signs were accurate. It was a privilege to arrive at this most incredible place on the island. Nature all around. We were welcomed by Mrs Tsantiris and a cheerful member of her staff, Marina. At first we walked into the main reception room which was most impressive, classy and serious. The walls adorned with historic photos of family members. In this room at the bar we were shown the different wines available for tasting and also wines which were available for sale. We chose to have a tour of the winery where we learned about the sequence of planting, growing and the pruning of the various vines that make up the different variety of wines produced at the Tsantiris winery. All the wine at the Tsantiris winery are organic On the tour we heard Marina describe fine wines reserve wines, blanc de noirs, pressing, fermentation, tanins, must, oxidation, bottling, aromas, bouquet, oak barrels, amphorae, first growth, maceration, temperarture, sediment and so on.... When we finished the tour of the roomy production areas (which demonstrated up to date equipment and impeccable cleanliness) all we wanted was to try out the wines and we were not disappointed! We sat facing the sea from the veranda and garden surrounded by flowers and scented bushes from quite an altitude, able to take in a view of the vines on their terraces. We sipped our choice of the organic wines accompanied by a platter of cold cuts and cheeses beautifully presented and temporarily wished that the sun would never set into the blue.

Thank you for your hospitality, Domina and Yianni. We look forward to coming back, Irene,...

Absolutely incredible view, with wine and service to match. GPS may try to take you up a steep small road at one point, but there are plenty of signs to show you the way to drive. The people are passionate about what they do, so come ready to learn about their process and philosophies. Very fun and educational. The people were also quite chatty and gave us some tips for other places to go, what to see in towns, festivals, etc. We did the 5 wine tasting. This also came with some light snacks - goat cheese, bread and croutons, and tomatoes from their garden. The rose was probably our favorite wine we had while on the island. It was all excellent and helped connect us to the place, its history, and the people made us feel a part of...

A more wonderful and scenic winery you could not find. Ikaria is known for many things, and wine is on top of that list. We were greeted by Marina, who was gracious and extremely kind, and gave us a tour of the grapes, the cellar and the winemaking process. There is so much history and tradition and love that goes into each bottle, and it was fantastic to hear and see it firsthand. Then we settled outside on the chairs with a bottle of Blanc de Noir, which was heavenly. A small plate of cheese, and life couldn’t be better. Thank you for a wonderful day and an even better wine. Look forward to returning every time I am on this island. Pure,...