Éxo Goniá is a small village built amphitheatrically on a hillside. Wine and local history come together here in a specific place: GAIA Wines in Vrachies, Éxo Goniá, is housed in a stone building that was once a tomato-processing factory dating from the early 20th century. GAIA Wines converted it into a modern winery.
Taste wine and learn about its production
During the summer season, visitors can taste wines from Santorini and Nemea at GAIA Wines. The Santorini wines place particular emphasis on the different expressions of Assyrtiko. Each tasting lasts about an hour and is suitable for individual visitors as well as small groups. This makes the wine experience easy to fit into a travel itinerary as a manageable block of time; tastings are available seasonally, during the summer only.
A guided tour of the Artemis Karamolegos winery in Éxo Goniá offers a different perspective on wine. Visitors walk among the vineyards and through the wine cellars, learning about the individual stages of production—from cultivation and fermentation to aging. The two experiences have different focuses: GAIA centers on tastings and wines from two regions, while the tour at Artemis gives visitors an understanding of the winemaking process.
Village church and cooking class
Agios Charalambos is the parish church of Éxo Goniá and one of the three largest churches in Santorini. Together with the village’s hillside setting, it is a prominent cultural landmark that adds a different dimension to a visit than wine.
In Aroma Avlis cooking classes, participants can use vegetables from the garden, prepare their own meal and then enjoy it in the restaurant. Here, preparing the food yourself takes center stage, whereas a wine tasting is primarily about sampling. If you plan to take the cooking class, confirm its availability in advance.
Santorini as a wider travel destination
Santorini is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. The caldera was formed by a massive eruption around 1600 BC; the island group is also characterized by a landscape of active volcanoes. On the coast at Vlychada, wild, pale cliffs form a distinctive lunar landscape. Akrotiri, meanwhile, preserves remarkably well-preserved Minoan frescoes and buildings buried beneath volcanic ash. These island highlights broaden the focus beyond Éxo Goniá to include nature and archaeological destinations across Santorini.
Hikes also offer different views and destinations: a path along the caldera rim leads from Imerovigli to Oia, with views of the sea, caldera and volcano. Other trails connect Pyrgos with Profitis Ilias, Emporio and Ancient Thera. In Pyrgos, the settlement was designated as protected in 1995. The town’s ecclesiastical collection, housed at the Profitis Ilias Monastery, opened as a permanent exhibition in August 1997.
Several clearly identified products are part of Santorini’s culinary scene. Santorini Fava is a product with protected designation of origin, made from the cotyledons of the legume Lathyrus clymenum L., which grows exclusively in Thera’s volcanic soil. The Santorini tomato is also such a product; it has been cultivated since the early 19th century. Local cooks make tomato fritters called Tomatokeftedes with protected cherry tomatoes. The white Santorini eggplant is known for its sweet flavor and juicy flesh, which does not absorb oil when fried. Chloro, a creamy goat’s cheese, is produced on Santorini in very limited quantities.
For activities on the water, Santorini’s southeast coast offers opportunities for sailing and kitesurfing, as well as parasailing and views of the Aegean Sea. A seasonal event is the Ifestia Festival: it takes place on the third Saturday in September and depicts the volcanic eruption with a fireworks display. Check the dates for the relevant year before your trip. If you are traveling by air from Athens, the flight from Athens International Airport to Santorini Airport takes 50 minutes; check the flight schedule and duration before departure.
Discover more destinations: Agkali, Alopronoia, Mesariá, Manganari Ios, Akrotírion, Thira, Karterados, Vourvoulos.
For the broader travel overview: Santorini.
