Art Space Santorini: Winery, Gallery Visit & Tasting Guide
Plan a visit to Art Space Santorini in Exo Gonia, a working winery, gallery and museum in one. See what a tasting involves and how to get there.
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Art Space is not a standard Santorini cellar tour. The winery sits in a roughly two-century-old complex in Exo Gonia where production rooms, an old stable and former workers' quarters now share space with a gallery, so the visit mixes wine with local art and island history. That hybrid format is the reason to go, and it also resets expectations about how long you stay and what you taste.
The wines are made by Antonis Argiros in small quantities, reportedly under a thousand cases a year, unfiltered and organic, and sold only on site. Because bottles do not travel to shops, the tasting counter doubles as the only place to buy, which shapes both the budget and the itinerary.
What Art Space Actually Is
Visitors describe Art Space as a winery, art gallery and museum rolled into one building, and that is the honest way to plan it. Wine is still made on the premises, but portions of the old production areas and horse stables have been repurposed to display works, mostly by local artists. You are not walking a modern gravity-fed winery; you are walking a layered old complex.
The setting carries history: the complex is around 200 years old and once housed and fed workers on site, which is why you pass a communal washing area and an old oven before you reach the tasting counter. That context is the differentiator against the island's sleeker tasting rooms, and it rewards a slower pace rather than a quick flight of pours.
Where It Sits in Exo Gonia
Exo Gonia lies on the Messaria to Pyrgos side of the island, inland from Kamari and a short drive from Pyrgos village. Treat it as a routing decision rather than a standalone pin: it pairs naturally with Pyrgos for lunch and a wander, and with Kamari if you want the beach side of the island in the same half day.
That inland position is why a car or a tour is the default for most visitors, and why a bus-based plan needs a little work. If you are building a day around Assyrtiko, compare this stop with the wider set of Santorini wineries before committing your afternoon to one side of the island, and use our Santorini wine tasting planning guide to see how the estates and villages fit together. If you are weighing island-hopping options, the Chania wine guide shows how Crete's tasting scene compares.
The Building: Old Winery, Old Stables, New Gallery
The walk-through is the heart of the visit. You move between rooms that once handled wine and horses, now hung with mixed-media work from local artists, and the tasting counter sits just beyond a partition next to one of the gallery spaces. It is informal rather than curated, which suits travelers who like a place with texture over polish.
Because art and wine share the same rooms, expect the tour to lean historical and anecdotal rather than technical. If you want a deep explanation of fermentation and barrel regimes, ask when you book whether a technical walkthrough is possible; the format reported by visitors is a brief guided pass followed by a short tasting.
What the Tasting Involves
After the walk-through, a host leads a brief tasting at the counter. A visitor report from a 2024 trip notes small pours of roughly an ounce, a strongly flavored local cheese offered between wines, and a tasting fee of about 15 euros each, described from memory rather than from a published price list. Read that figure as a reported benchmark rather than a current rate, and ask for the current fee when you reserve.
The tasting is not designed as an extended seated flight, so plan your day around a compact stop rather than a long lunch-style session. If tasting depth matters more than the setting, say so when you book and ask how many wines are poured; the winery has not published a fixed tasting menu or duration.
The Wines to Expect
Assyrtiko is the island's signature white, and here it appears as a straight varietal and in a blend with Aidani, a softer aromatic grape that rounds out the acidity. Mavrotragano, the island's dense red, is also part of the range, along with a semi-sweet style called Mezzo. That spread lets you judge both the crisp and the broad side of Santorini in one stop.
The wines are reported as unfiltered and organic, which is part of why the range feels idiosyncratic rather than polished to a house style. Mavrotragano is typically structured and tannic, so if you lean toward whites, say so at the counter and let the host sequence the pours.
The Vineyard Detail Worth Knowing
Santorini's vines are trained into low basket shapes just a couple of feet off the ground, a form that shelters the fruit from wind and captures humidity in the dry Cycladic summer. You will see this across the island, and it explains why the vineyards look like scattered coils rather than rows.
If you want to see the basket vines closely, build in a vineyard stop on the same day rather than expecting a long walk through the vines at Art Space. The visit is centered on the old complex and the counter.
Costs: Tasting Fee Versus Bottle Prices
The real budget decision is the gap between the modest tasting fee and the bottle prices. The same 2024 report lists the Assyrtiko-Aidani blend at 65 euros and the Assyrtiko at 75 euros, described as high for the island and bought only because the wines are sold on site. Treat those as reported prices from that trip, not current rates, and ask for the current price list before you commit to a case.
Because the wines are only sold at the winery, there is no later chance to buy a bottle you liked elsewhere on the island. Decide your budget before the tasting, and if you are flying home, ask about packing and luggage limits when you buy rather than at the airport.
Booking and Timing
Santorini wineries generally work on appointments, especially for groups, and Art Space is a small operation rather than a large visitor center. Ask when you reserve about the current procedure, whether a party of your size needs advance notice, and whether a tasting happens before or after the walk-through. The winery has not published opening days, seasonal closures or a fixed booking method, so confirm those directly rather than relying on third-party listings.
Harvest season is the busiest stretch on the island, and small producers are stretched then. Booking a morning slot leaves the afternoon free for Pyrgos and gives you a buffer if the visit runs over.
Getting There Without Driving
Without a car, the realistic options are a taxi from Fira or Kamari, a local bus to the Messaria or Pyrgos area followed by a short taxi, or a guided Santorini wine tours day that includes transport. Buses on the island run between the main villages, but Exo Gonia is not a major bus terminus, so plan the last leg to a stop near the winery rather than expecting a bus to drop you at the door. If you choose a tour, compare group and private formats and look at the itinerary to see which wineries are included.
Whoever drives should not taste; use the spittoons, a designated driver or a tour so the day stays safe. The same advice applies if you link Art Space with the Santorini Wine Museum or other stops, where a driver waiting outside is a wasted seat.
Independent Visit or Wine Tour
Going independently gives you control over timing and lets you linger in the gallery, but it puts the transport problem on you and limits how many wineries you can cover. A tour removes the driving question and often bundles two or three stops, at the cost of a fixed schedule and less time at any one counter. Decide which matters more before you book: flexibility or coverage.
One middle path is a private driver for a half day, which works well if your group wants Art Space plus one or two other wineries. If you are comparing producers, look at what a smaller estate such as Artemis Karamolegos Winery offers as a counterpoint to Art Space's gallery format before you fix the route.
Pairing Art Space With the Rest of a Half Day
A sensible half day runs Pyrgos first for the village and lunch, then Art Space in Exo Gonia, then Kamari or the south coast if you still have energy. Keep the number of wineries to two, since a third stop turns the day into a dash and leaves no room for the gallery. The routing is short in distance but slow on island roads, so build in slack.
If you are choosing which wineries to include, weight Art Space for atmosphere and history and other estates for a more conventional seated tasting. That contrast is what makes a two-stop day work.
Who Art Space Suits and Who Should Skip It
Art Space suits travelers who want a place with history, art and a small-production wine story, and who are happy with a brief tasting and small pours. It rewards curiosity about the island's older winemaking life more than it rewards a checklist of scores. If you want long seated flights and a polished visitor center, book elsewhere.
Skip it if your priority is volume tasting across many producers, or if a non-tasting driver in your group would be left waiting with nothing to do. In that case, a tour that covers several wineries is the more efficient use of the day.
Plan Your Visit
Book Art Space as a compact, atmospheric stop in Exo Gonia rather than a full afternoon, and pair it with Pyrgos or Kamari to make the drive worthwhile. Ask the winery directly for the current tasting fee, the number of wines poured and the booking procedure, since none of these appear in a stable published form.
Budget separately for bottles, since the wines are sold only on site and the prices visitors report have been high. If you are not driving, arrange a taxi, a bus plus short transfer, or a tour, and leave the driving to someone who is not tasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Art Space Santorini a winery or an art gallery?
It is both. Wine is still made on the premises, while former production rooms and stables hold a gallery of mostly local art, so the visit combines a walk-through of the old complex with a short tasting.
How much does a tasting at Art Space Santorini cost?
The winery has not published a standing tasting fee. Visitors have reported paying a modest per-person charge, but the amount should be confirmed with the winery at the time of booking, and bottles are sold separately on site.
Do you need to book Art Space Santorini in advance?
Santorini wineries generally work on appointments, and Art Space is a small operation, so it is sensible to contact the winery before you go. Ask about party size, timing and whether the tasting comes before or after the walk-through.
What wines can you taste at Art Space Santorini?
Expect Assyrtiko, an Assyrtiko and Aidani blend, Mavrotragano and a semi-sweet Mezzo style, according to a visitor report. The wines are described as unfiltered and organic, but the winery has not published a fixed tasting list.
Can you visit Art Space Santorini without a car?
Yes, with planning. Take a taxi from Fira or Kamari, or a bus toward Messaria or Pyrgos followed by a short taxi, or join a wine tour that includes transport. Exo Gonia is not a major bus terminus, so arrange the last leg.
Is Art Space Santorini worth visiting compared with other Santorini wineries?
It is worth it if you want history, art and a small-production story in one stop. If you prefer long seated flights and a polished visitor center, another estate may suit you better.
Where is Art Space Santorini located on the island?
It is in Exo Gonia, on the Messaria to Pyrgos side of the island, inland from Kamari. That makes it easy to pair with Pyrgos for lunch and Kamari or the south coast in the same half day.
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