Grape

Savatiano

Savatiano is the most cultivated white grape variety of Greece, the grape associated with the historic Attican vineyard and very closely with the unique Greek wine style of Retsina (wine flavoured with pine resin). Savatiano’s name derives from the Greek word Σάββατο which defines Saturday or the seventh day of the week and this in turns comes from the Hebrew word שבת or Shabbat. The word was adopted by the Greek populations of Orthodox faith and in variations by other Orthodox Christian populations in the early Byzantine times and it could be that the grape has a similarly long history. It is planted mostly in central Greece, though recently there are plantings also in Northern Greece and the Aegean islands. Other local names of the grape include Dombrena or Doumpraina Aspri, Tsoumprena, Perachoritis, Sakeiko and Kountoura Aspri.

So far it has been used as a staple grape, often in blends, though the grape has an interesting character of its own and can produce refreshing and sometimes substantial mono-varietal wines. The good body and acidity of the grape, though not extreme, together with its summer fruit flavours and distinct botanical notes are the building bricks of truly pleasant and overall food friendly wines. They range in style from fresh and unoaked to low intervention, skin contact and further on to oaked. Tasting and getting to know the grape is a must for anyone that considers a visit or even more a journey into Greek wine.