01Climate, Topography, Geography
Attiki is a peninsula with a large coastline from the Corinthian Gulf in the west, Saronic Gulf in the south-southwest and along the Southern Evoikos Gulf in the east. All Attiki's borders with other regions are essentially natural geographical boundaries imposed by mountains, including Mt Gerania in the west and Mt Kithaironas, Mt Pateras and Mt Parnitha in the north. The mountains of Pendeli and Ymitos define Athen's borders. The city takes up a large part of the total region. The mountains protect the vineyards from the prevailing cool-north winds.
The climate can be broadly described as typical Mediterranean even though there are climate variations between the different sub-regions. The winters are mild and the summers warm and dry. Summer heat is usually moderated by sea breezes and wind, particularly along the coast. Sunshine is ample throughout the year and overall the average temperature in Attiki are among the highest in Greece (18° C)
Attica soils are quite diverse. Limestone and calcareous-clay soils are predominantly found. These are relatively poor and tend to restrict yields, thus providing higher quality fruit.
The region of Attiki can be broadly divided into the following 4 groupings based on geography and climate:
02Megara
Megara is located on the western side of the region in the middle of two gulfs. The soils are relatively fertile and favor the production of higher yields. Most vineyards are located on the slopes of Mount Gerania at an altitude reaching 700m. above sea level. The climate is typically Mediterranean, but there is a constant breeze that results from the proximity to the Corinthian and Saronic Gulfs, as well as from the surrounding mountains that have a cooling effect on the area. The vineyard is planted with a combination of indigenous and international grape varieties.
03Slopes of Kithaironas
The mountain of Kithaironas lies in the northwest of Attiki and forms the boundary with the Boeotia regional unit. The vineyards are planted in gently rolling slopes and the climate is Mediterranean with a continental influence. Winters can be long, relatively cold, with ample snow-fall. The higher altitude, up to 400 m, results in large diurnal temperature range during the summer, resulting in a slow maturation of the grapes. The soils are clay loam and sandy loam and are quite fertile. The best vineyards are located on gentle slopes with good drainage. International varieties perform particularly well here.
04Northern Attiki
This area includes Mt Parnitha and much of the Pendeli Mountain. It is the coolest part of Attiki and in places like Stamata or Kapandriti altitudes can reach 400m above sea-level. Cold nights and cool days arrive early in the autumn. Savatiano grape bears a distinct character here. It is lower in alcohol, with higher acidity and leaner on the palate, than the wines produced in the region of Mesogaia.
05The four sub-regions, in the glass
The four groupings above are drawn from geography and climate. It is worth translating them into what a taster actually finds in the bottle, because that is the level at which most readers will use this page.
- Megara — fertile soils and higher yields, cooled from two directions by the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs, with vineyards climbing Mount Gerania. A broader mix of indigenous and international varieties than the east.
- Slopes of Kithaironas — the continental outlier. Snow in winter, a wide diurnal range in summer, slow ripening. The one part of Attiki where red wine, and international red varieties in particular, is the point rather than the exception.
- Northern Attiki — the coolest of the four, with autumn arriving early on the slopes at Stamata and Kapandriti. Savatiano from here is lower in alcohol, higher in acidity and leaner than the same variety grown twenty kilometers to the south-east.
The last of those is the most useful thing on this page for a professional reader: it means Savatiano is not one wine. The same variety, farmed the same way, gives a fleshy, saline wine in the Mesogaia and a taut, lower-alcohol one in the north. That is the definition of a region worth mapping.
06Viticulture
The vineyard of Attiki is fractured into a multitude of small vineyard holdings which average about 0.9ha in size. The total area under vines is slightly more than 6,200 ha (Greek National Statistics – 2020) and is split among 7,000 small growers. PGI wines account for the overwhelming majority of the total production. The winegrowing area of Attiki can be divided into four major sub-regions. However, most of the vineyards (over 75%) are largely concentrated in the eastern part of the region. Due to the small-scaled size of vineyard holdings, working the land can be demanding and quite expensive. However, traditionally this fragmentation over several different plots helped secure the harvest for local growers, even in difficult years, as a result of dividing the land into smaller plots among the heirs of each family.
Attiki has built its reputation on Savatiano which accounts for 89% of the total vineyard, with almost 5,500ha under production. But it is also home to a number of other grapes varieties such as Roditis, which is the second most-planted grape variety (at 2.5%). Assyrtiko is gaining popularity, however, but still accounts for only a small proportion of the plantings (at 2%), followed by Malagousia (at 1.3%). In relation to red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon is first with 1% of the total vineyard, followed by Merlot, Syrah and Agiorgitiko.
Although there is some diversity found in Attiki, in actuality, 95% of the total plantings are represented by white grapes, with most of that Savatiano.
A key attribute of Savatiano is its prolific character, especially when planted in flat, fertile and heavily irrigated soils. However, quality-minded producers are trying to restrict the yields in order to turn a simple, refreshing, easy drinking wine into a fine wine with ageing potential.
Old vines, manually worked vineyards and small viticultural zones are among the key characteristics of Attiki. The climate is hot and dry, with minimal rainfall, especially during the growing season. This kind of climate provides healthy grapes, at low risk from disease which minimizes the need for chemical spraying. The vineyard of Attiki is suitable for organic cultivation.
Old vines are extremely important in Attiki. Most of them are gobelet-trained in order to overcome the dry and hot climatic conditions. These plants are extremely resistant and perfectly adapted to the local terroir. In areas such as Mesogaia, there are still many post phylloxera plantings still in production. These grapes were initially planted in the late 1950s. They represent the unique ampelographic heritage for the region. The lack of water and the poor limestone soils force the roots of these vines to go deep into the subsoil in order to cover their needs in water and nutrients. Although, the yields are restricted to 28-35hl/ha, the resulting wines are concentrated, full of minerals, with great ageing potential.
On the other hand, the PGI Slopes of Kithaironas (ΠΓΕ Πλαγιές Κιθαιρώνα) includes a very different landscape. Here someone can find large vineyard plots of younger vines. Cultivation is easier and more economically viable, than in Mesogaia. In the northern part of the region of Attiki, there is a combination of old bush vines as well as linear trained plantings.
07What fragmentation actually means
Seven thousand growers on 6,200 hectares works out at just under a hectare each. Numbers like that usually appear in a wine text as a problem, and the page above is right that they make the land expensive and demanding to work. But they also explain two things about Attiki that are otherwise puzzling.
The first is why the regional name does so much work. A single winery may draw fruit from parcels several kilometers and several soil types apart, because that is how the land came to it. PGI Attiki is not a fallback for wine that could not qualify for something narrower; very often it is the only name that covers the blend honestly.
The second is why the old vines survived at all. Fragmentation meant that no single owner ever had enough at stake to justify clearing and replanting a whole block. Parcels were divided among heirs, worked by hand, and left in place. The bush vines of the Mesogaia are still standing partly because nobody could afford to pull them out — which is an unromantic explanation for a genuinely rare asset.
08Vinification
The new generation of winemakers are making their mark by producing a fascinating array of styles, based on local grapes such as Savatiano and other indigenous and international varieties. It's a fascinating blend of both tradition and innovation. Attiki today has a brand new identity on national stage, widely acclaimed across Greece as the go-to-region for pure, lovely, well priced white wines. Ambitious producers are perfecting their styles and are keen to push the boundaries even further. They are pioneering modern viticulture, experimenting with different techniques, using alternative fermentation vessels, all while keeping an eye on their long-standing traditions. This powerhouse of winemaking talent has resulted in an inspiring range of new styles: Pet-Nats, use of skin contact, and low-intervention wines with no added sulphites are just a few examples of the continuous research taking place in the winery.
