Hello, Visiting Naxos in a few weeks and we'd like to visit the wineries on the island. It looks like the wineries all have formal reservation requirements costing 75 euros+ for a wine tour/tasing.
we just want to taste the wine w/o the tour etc.
does anyone know if this is possible?
Thank you.
I don't understand why you are talking about a formal reservation and 75€ to pay.
When we visit wineries on the islands, we just go there. Most of the time there is someone to welcome you, you can taste and buy what you like.
We are adults who can manage on our own without the unnecessary paid assistance of a wine tasting tour., If you have a car you should be able to do the same.
On Naxos we went without any reservation or tasting tour to the Terra Grazia vineyard in Kanaraki village and to the Tranampelo vineyard in the village of Glynado. We do the same for farm visits and tastings of any product. Sometimes you have to call before going there.
We are visiting Naxos mid-October and also looked into this. We are currently planning to visit Saint Anna Winery. They have a tour/tasting option at 1700 that is ~ $40pp that looked interesting but was not going to work with our timing. I had reached out to them to check if it was possible to come earlier and they are allowing us to come earlier in the afternoon to just do a tasting. Not sure how much that is or if it will also be the $40, though.
There are winegrowers who produce more or less good wine, but always with passion and who just have a small sign on the side of the road saying "Winery".
And there are those, very clever, who are more in a commercial logic and take the opportunity to create a website only in English, with an online reservation system and organize visits only by groups, charging €40 per person a tasting of 5 wines .
Whatever the quality of the wine, I will always prefer the mentality of those in the first category.
Thank you for the responses.
JoLui to answer your question, we contacted 2 wineries and both said the only option was a formal tour w tasting. I specifically asked about just showing up and buying glasses, they said that is not an option. Also sent a note to our hotel and our hotel said the same.
Strange. Perhaps they're trying to get me to book the tour.
Either way, we'll figure something out and have a good time nonetheless.
Maybe you should try the local wineries and ask them in person. They will propably give you a small taste. i hope everything will go smoothly.
Sorry, it seems that now, with all these people who are no longer able to get by other than with organized tours for any basic activity...food tour - walking tour - wineries tour - off the beaten track tour - monasteries tours - tasting this and tasting that tour, the local producers who did this for free a few years ago understood how to make money easily.
I see that Terra Grazia in Naxos, which was just a small new biodynamic vineyard 5 years ago, is now doing the same thing with tasting tours at €75/person!
Try going solo anyway:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vtPoEqQQLPfMjodU6
All this is a shame
We were on a Greek island 15 days ago, we visited a vineyard and tasted wines without asking anything in advance, we also stopped by an aromatic herb producer who showed us around his garden and we tasted lots of incredible things made from its herbs
