Greece · Santorini

Domaine Sigalas

Domaine Sigalas is a Santorini producer in Baxedes, Oia, making Assyrtiko wines from volcanic ground where own-rooted vines grow in kouloura baskets.

The producer

Domaine Sigalas began in 1991 with Paris Sigalas's first Santorini vintage and was founded with Christos Markozane and Yiannis Toundas. The winery sits among vineyards in Baxedes, on the Oia plain in northern Santorini, where Assyrtiko is grown alongside Aidani, Athiri, Mandilaria and Mavrotragano. The current Santorini bottling is 100% Assyrtiko, linking the producer's main white wine directly to the island's dry, windy conditions and volcanic ground.

The range includes Santorini, Santorini Barrel, Kavalieros, Epta and Nychteri. Santorini gathers fruit from selected island blocks, while Kavalieros comes from one block in Imerovigli. The 2024 Santorini opens with bergamot and white peach, carries freshness through the palate and finishes with a tangy, salty savoury note. It is a direct introduction to the grape, the island and the producer's range.

Known for

Santorini Assyrtiko, with a broad island bottling alongside Santorini Barrel, Kavalieros, Epta and Nychteri.

Notable facts

The story

The First Sigalas Santorini

In 1991, Paris Sigalas made his maiden Santorini vintage, the wine that marked the start of Domaine Sigalas. The early work took place in the traditional underground canava of the Sigalas family, where the grapes were turned into wine before the estate had a separate production building. That first Santorini was presented as the first wine to carry the Protected Designation of Origin label. Seven years later, the estate moved vinification, bottling and ageing into a new facility built on privately owned land. The opening vintage began in a family cellar, then the winery gained a dedicated address for the work that followed.

The First Sigalas Santorini

In 1991, Paris Sigalas made his maiden Santorini vintage, the wine that marked the start of Domaine Sigalas. The early work took place in the traditional underground canava of the Sigalas family, where the grapes were turned into wine before the estate had a separate production building. That first Santorini was presented as the first wine to carry the Protected Designation of Origin label. Seven years later, the estate moved vinification, bottling and ageing into a new facility built on privately owned land. The opening vintage began in a family cellar, then the winery gained a dedicated address for the work that followed.

From the atlas

Domaine Sigalas

At A Glance

Domaine Sigalas began in 1991 with Paris Sigalas's first Santorini vintage. Based in Baxedes on the Oia plain in northern Santorini, the estate works chiefly with Assyrtiko, alongside Aidani, Athiri, Mandilaria and Mavrotragano. Its range moves from a broad Santorini bottling made from selected island blocks to Kavalieros, a wine from one block in Imerovigli.

The current Santorini bottling is 100% Assyrtiko. Volcanic ground, own-rooted vines and the low woven kouloura basket system place the island directly in the bottle's shape and taste.

The Producer

Domaine Sigalas is a Santorini estate founded by Paris Sigalas, Christos Markozane and Yiannis Toundas. Its first vintage was Paris Sigalas's 1991 Santorini, presented as the first wine to carry the Protected Designation of Origin label. That beginning links the producer to the island's move from family cellar wine into clearly labelled bottled wine.

The early wines were made in the traditional underground canava of the Sigalas family. In 1998, vinification, bottling and ageing moved into a new facility. The producer now works across a broader range of Assyrtiko wines, with the standard Santorini bottling carrying the widest view of the island and Kavalieros narrowing the focus to one block.

Place

The winery sits among vineyards in Baxedes, on the Oia plain in northern Santorini. Oia is therefore more than a name on a map: it locates the estate inside the northern part of an island where Assyrtiko is the central white grape and where vineyard work must account for aridity, intense sunshine and strong seasonal winds.

That setting shapes the range. Santorini gathers fruit from selected island blocks, while Kavalieros comes from one block in Imerovigli. The label changes from a broad island address to a defined hillside source, and the bottle becomes a closer comparison of place within Santorini.

Soil And Site

Santorini's vineyards sit in a white volcanic layer formed from lava, ash and pumice. Pumice is porous, so it holds moisture and releases it during the hottest hours. In a dry island climate, that water movement helps vines continue through heat without turning the wine into a heavy expression of ripeness.

The island's young volcanic ground also spared its vines from phylloxera. Many vines remain on their own roots, with the plant growing directly into the island soil. Vines are trained low in woven kouloura baskets, which shelter the grape bunches from sun, aridity and Etesian winds. The method protects fruit before harvest, while Assyrtiko carries the site's freshness and salty finish into the glass.

Story

The estate's first physical home was the family canava. Seven years after the opening vintage, a dedicated facility took over vinification, bottling and ageing. The change moved production from an underground family cellar into a purpose-built winery while keeping the wines tied to the vineyards around Oia.

Domaine Sigalas describes continuing experimentation in both vineyard and cellar. In November 2025, KIR-YIANNI announced the acquisition of the estate after taking full ownership from a company owned by Thanassis Martinos. The announcement also placed Domaine Sigalas inside a pilot grey-water reuse project involving university, municipal-water and winemaker-association partners.

Vineyards And Cellar

The surrounding vineyards are cultivated sustainably. The dated 2025 estate announcement records 45 cultivated hectares, including 17 newly planted hectares. Santorini's basket training keeps bunches low and enclosed, a practical response to wind, sun and aridity that protects the fruit before it reaches the winery.

The estate's stated annual production is 200,000 bottles, while its vinification, bottling and ageing infrastructure can process about 300,000 bottles per year. Those figures describe current output and working capacity separately. The cellar's stated approach is one of ongoing experimentation, with the effect of each decision carried into different Assyrtiko bottlings.

Wines

The official range lists five distinct Assyrtiko wines: Santorini, Santorini Barrel, Kavalieros, Epta and Nychteri. Santorini is the broad island bottling, assembled from selected island blocks. It is the widest view of the estate's source material and carries the 100% Assyrtiko designation.

Santorini Barrel is a separate bottling within the line-up, while Kavalieros comes from one block in Imerovigli. The first wine gathers island fruit into one bottle; the second holds the place more narrowly. Epta and Nychteri complete the Assyrtiko range as distinct bottlings, giving the estate several ways to present the same principal grape through different wine choices.

The 2024 Santorini carries bergamot and white peach, followed by freshness and a tangy, salty finish. A savoury note joins the salt at the close. These cues give the broad bottling direct wine character, so the range can be understood through aroma, fruit, acidity and finish as well as vineyard names.

In The Glass

The wine opens with bergamot, a bitter-citrus perfume, then moves toward white peach as the glass warms. Across the palate, freshness keeps the fruit lifted and carries the wine through the middle rather than letting it settle into a broad, soft impression. The finish turns tangy and salty, with a savoury edge that remains after the fruit has faded. Assyrtiko supplies the grape framework, while Santorini's dry, volcanic setting supplies the conditions in which that freshness can remain vivid.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Santorini, the 100% Assyrtiko bottling assembled from selected island blocks. The 2024 vintage offers bergamot, white peach, lively freshness and a tangy, salty finish, so the wine puts grape and island in the same glass without narrowing the source to one parcel. It is the right first bottle because it gives the broadest view of Domaine Sigalas before a move to Kavalieros and its single block in Imerovigli.

Anecdote

In 1991, Paris Sigalas put his first Santorini vintage into bottle. The wine was made in the traditional underground canava of his family, a cellar that belonged to the household before the estate had a separate facility. That vintage marked the start of Domaine Sigalas operations and was presented as the first wine to carry the Protected Designation of Origin label. Seven years later, vinification, bottling and ageing moved into a new building. The opening vintage sits at the beginning of two histories at once: a family cellar becoming a named estate, and Santorini wine entering a new labelled category. The date, the canava and the first label remain attached to the same bottle.

Final Word

Domaine Sigalas begins with Santorini's volcanic ground, own-rooted vines and basket-trained Assyrtiko. Its range then moves from selected island blocks to a single block in Imerovigli, giving the wines a clear change of scale from broad island expression to narrower vineyard source.

Sources

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