Greece › Santorini › Wineries › Gavalas Winery
By Santorini Dave
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Gavalas is a traditional, family-run winery in the Santorini village of Megalochori.
A small, friendly Megalochori winery that has been family-run for 5 generations, and my favorite winery on Santorini. Gavalas offers an intimate wine tasting experience without the views you find at nearby Santos and Venetsanos (though Perissa can be seen in the distance from the outside patio).
Three tasting options are offered: 3 (€10/person), 5 (€15/person), or 7 (€20/person) wines; a small selection of wine is available for purchase at reception. Tours take about an hour. There’s no restaurant on site but there is a good taverna nearby that serves traditional Greek food.
Open 10am to 8pm daily, April through October. Drop-ins are welcome, but it’s a good idea to make reservations, especially with larger groups. There’s limited parking available (and the winery can be hard to find if you’re driving on your own), but it’s not too hard to access by bus – the nearest bus stop is in Megalochori, only a 7-10 minute walk away.
Gavalas Winery Santorini Hours and Information
- Season: Open April through October.
- Hours: 10am-8pm daily April 1st to October 30th.
- Website: gavalaswines.gr
- Location: Megalochori 847 00
- Telephone: +30 2286 082552
- Restaurant: No restaurant, but there are plenty within a short walk.
- View: No caldera view.
- Tours & Tastings: Tours are offered daily, and take about an hour. Three tasting options are offered: 3 (€10/person), 5 (€15/person), or 7 (€20/person) bottles.
- Parking: A limited number of on-site parking spots are available.
- Bus: The nearest bus stop is about a 7-10 minute walk from the winery, on the road that passes Megalochori. Buses traveling south from Fira and on their way to Perissa, Perivolos, and Akrotiri, will make stops here. If coming from another village such as Oia, Imerovigli, or Kamari you’ll need to make a transfer in Fira to a Megalochori (south-bound) bus.
Gavalas Winery Santorini
Gavalas Winery is located within the traditional Santorini village of Megalochori. It can be difficult to find without a map, but you can access directions here.
Gavalas offers a cozier wine tasting experience than you’ll find at the bigger, cliffside wineries nearby.
In place of caldera views, you’ll find traditional Cycladic architecture: volcanic stone floors, coved ceilings, and few straight lines.
This is a family-run winery dating back five generations, and evidence of the family’s winemaking history is prevalent throughout.
Even the barrel room seems to convey the importance of this family tradition.
It’s not all in the past, however; Gavalas’ patio area blends traditional elements with clean, modern lines.
Three tasting options are offered: 3 (€10/person), 5 (€15/person), or 7 (€20/person) wines. Individual bottles can be purchased at reception.
Snacks are available with tastings, but there is no restaurant on site.
The dry white in the blue bottle is particularly good.
This is the nearest bus stop to Gavalas Winery – about a 7-10 minute walk away. Buses traveling between Fira and Perissa, Perivolos, and Akrotiri will make stops here. The walking route to the winery from the bus stop begins on the path that runs between the bus shelter and the souvlaki restaurant.
The bus shelter is located on the east side of the road, and is used by buses heading north to Fira.
South-bound buses will pick up and drop off at this sign, located directly opposite the bus shelter on the other side of the road.
In addition to the bus timetable, the bus shelter has other helpful signs posted, like this Santorini trail map. Handy if you want to combine your winery trip with a hike to Pyrgos village.
Megalochori is point 6 on the trail map. This sign points the way to Megalochori Square, the village of Pyrgos, and also Gavalas Winery. Follow this route to get there, 7-10 minutes away on foot.
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