In 2015, Vassiliki Akriotou created her first range of wines from a micro-winery in the heart of Greece. The vineyards are situated among the snow-capped mountains at altitudes of 280 to 380 metres above sea level. The wine is packaged under the brand name of Ορειβάτης, which translates as the ‘Mountaineer’. This sublime Savatiano, made from 45 year old vines, is a true expression of this fresh mountainous terroir.
The grapes are sourced from a single vineyard called ‘Plataies’, located in Plataea, a small village at the foot of the Kitheronas Mountain, in Central Greece. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of 250 to 320 metres elevation and during the autumn and winter months cool air masses blow down from the mountains, carrying dew which refreshes the vineyard with crucial humidity. Cold winters, hot summers and long, dry autumns combine with long periods of sunshine to enable the grapes to reach excellent maturity and complexity. The Savatiano variety is suited to the hot, dry climate as it has excellent drought resistant properties. The grapes for this wine come from old vines of 40 to 60 years, which are pruned according to the traditional Gobelet style and produce low yields of concentrated fruit
Made from the native Savatiano grape, this offers a complex and aromatic bouquet of ripe peach, quince, creamy vanilla and an intriguing hint of Turkish delight. Dry with perfectly balanced freshness, intense notes of grapefruit, pepper, ginger and wild mint lead to a long and spicy finish.
The Orivatis Savatiano 2018 was selected from the famous English wine distributor Hallgarten & Novum Wines to represent the Greek native variety to their portfolio.
