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Greece's cherished Savatiano

Savatiano vine

Attica’s underappreciated variety is undergoing a quality revolution.

Though rarely talked about, Attica is one of the largest vineyard areas in Greece, extending 6,200 ha (15,320 acres) over the south-eastern part of Sterea Ellada, or Central Greece. Thanks to its warm, dry Mediterranean climate (average annual temperature 18 °C/64.4 °F) and abundance of flat, easy-to-manage vineyards, it was long the main source of bulk wine in Greece.

Three-quarters of the vineyards are in the east, with cooling breezes from the sea, and 89% of the vineyards are planted to Savatiano, the grape of choice post phylloxera as its high yields made it...