Papagiannakos Winery

The family that proved Savatiano could be world-class. For decades, this grape made only retsina; Papagiannakos showed its potential for elegant, mineral whites. The estate near ancient Brauron combines modern winemaking with respect for Attica's 3,000-year wine heritage. Their old-vine Savatiano is revelatory.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Hunt the Vine That Athens Wrote Off Wine · Free

   Walk the 50-year-old Savatiano vine rows before you taste a drop.

   These are the vines that EMBARRASSED Greece. For decades, Savatiano was dismissed as fit only for Retsina — the pine-resin wine Greeks made so foreigners couldn't steal it during Ottoman occupation. The world wrote Savatiano off entirely. Vassilis Papagiannakos refused. He found 50-year-old, unirrigated vines on north-facing limestone slopes at 100m altitude and bet everything that Savatiano could be something magnificent. In the vineyard blocks outside the winery building, look for the gnarly, low-pruned, bush-trained vines — no irrigation drip lines, no trellising wires. Count how few grape clusters hang from each vine. Low yield = concentration. Crouch down and find the exposed limestone. That's where the minerality comes from.

   Backup: If the vineyard blocks aren't accessible, ask your host: "Which parcels are the 50-year-old vines and which direction do they face?" The limestone soil story is the same told from the tasting room window.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Taste Greece's First Bioclimatic Winery's Obsession Wine · Price: moderate

   The 2-hour tour + 5-wine tasting that proves Savatiano deserves a seat at the world's table.

   This is Greece's FIRST bioclimatic winery — built and run with environmental design principles before sustainable wine became fashionable. At the tasting room (Papagiannakos Winery, Markopoulo — book via visit@papagiannakos.gr or +30 2299025206, open weekdays and Saturdays 9am-4pm, Sundays by appointment), the tour runs 2 hours and includes 5 wines with cheese and paximadi bread rusks. The flagship is the Savatiano Old Vines: fermented cold at 17°C for 20 days in stainless steel to preserve every atom of aromatics. The result is a white with structure, citrus, and limestone minerality that no one believes comes from a grape once considered worthless. When the Savatiano Old Vines is poured, smell it before tasting. Look for apricot, green apple, subtle herbs. Then ask: "What did this grape smell like when it was used for Retsina?" The contrast in what respect for terroir achieves is the entire point of this winery.

   Backup: If the full tour is unavailable, a simple tasting of 4 wines with snacks is also offered. Request the Old Vines specifically — it's the one that changed Greece's mind about Savatiano.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Ask Vassilis Why He Chose a Grape the World Rejected History · Free

   The 3rd-generation story that connects 1919 to the future of Greek wine.

   The winery was founded in 1919. Vassilis Papagiannakos is the third generation. He inherited vineyards, a family name, and a grape that the entire Greek wine industry had written off. He could have planted Chardonnay and sold to tourists. Instead he doubled down on Savatiano, built Greece's first bioclimatic winery, and spent years proving what 50-year-old vines on limestone can do. The Markopoulo PGI appellation that now protects this wine exists partly because of his persistence. Ask any staff member: "When did the family decide Savatiano deserved serious treatment?" or "What did other Attica producers think when you stopped making Retsina?" You're looking for the moment of decision — 3rd generation risks the family legacy on an unfashionable grape.

   Backup: The winery website and any printed material in the tasting room tells part of this story. The founding date 1919 is always displayed — use it as an anchor: "Three generations, one grape — what changed between your grandfather and Vassilis?"

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• The old-vine Savatiano is the must-try

• Ask about their amphora experiments

• The vineyard is next to ancient Brauron

• Combine with Brauron archaeological site