According to mythology, Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, entrusted the residents of Attica with the art of viticulture and wine-drinking. They didn’t only protect the vine, but promoted and spread its cultivation throughout Greece.
In Attica the vine played a leading role in the economic, social and cultural life of the inhabitants, from antiquity to the present day.
Today, despite the major interventions and changes that took place in the landscape of Attica, both in the residential and the industrial sector, especially after the establishment of the airport in the region of Spata and the soaring land prices, the vineyard of Attica remains one of the most important vineyards in Greece. Its overall surface reaches the 6,500 hectares, 80% of which are monopolized by white varieties and the 4/5 of the vineyard (12.10 acres) to be in Eastern Attica, in the region of Mesogheia.
Main feature of the vineyard in Attica is the Mediterranean climate, which is characterized by intense sunshine, high temperatures during the summer months and mild winters, conditions that place the vineyard among the driest in our country. Under these warm climate conditions, the beneficial presence of the sea breeze that literally embraces Attica contributes along with the meltemi wind and the cool winds that descend from mountains such as Hymettus, Penteli, Parnitha, Patera or from the Kithairon and the Geraneia range to the vineyard’s survival.
All of these elements formed the ideal conditions for maintaining the vines for centuries, allowing rightly the vineyard of Attica to be considered the oldest vineyard in Greece.
The soils of Attica are characterized by a wide variation in their composition and a low concentration in organic matter. The composition differs from region to region and as a result clay compositions prevail in the region of Eastern Mesogaia, while calciferous elements dominate in the West.