Vitis vinifera Attika

The 'Attika' table grape is a fairly early variety, vigorous, with seedless black grapes. It produces large clusters, cylindrical to conical in shape, moderately tight, weighing between 600 and 900 grams. They are composed of medium-sized grapes, oval in shape, dark navy blue in colour. The grape is firm and crunchy, the flesh is juicy, with a lot of sugar and little acidity (5 to 6 g/l), very tasty, and seedless. This variety is moderately susceptible to diseases and quite frost resistant. Refreshing, grapes can be consumed fresh when ripe or transformed into fruit juice, jam, jelly, pastries, and fruit salads.

The wine grape, in Latin Vitis vinifera, belongs to the Vitaceae family, just like the Virginia creeper. It has been cultivated for thousands of years in North Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Europe. Between 1000 and 500 BC, it was introduced by the Romans to Italy, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and the south of France. During this ancient period, wines were diluted with water and flavored with herbs and spices. It was not until the Middle Ages that wine was found as we know it today. In the 17th century, winemaking turned towards the search for higher quality wines, but at the end of the 19th century, phylloxera destroyed a large part of the French vineyards, and it was in the 20th century that the science of wine, oenology, emerged. This species is cultivated for its clustered fruits called grapes, which can be consumed fresh as table grapes, fermented as wine, or dried as raisins.

The Attika variety was obtained in Greece by Michos Vassilos in 1979. It is the result of a cross between 'Alfonse Lavalle' x 'Kiszmisz Czarny'. It forms a plant with long, woody climbing stems called canes, which can reach a height of 3.50 meters (11 feet). The shoots are the young stems that bear the leaves, fruits, and tendrils that allow the vine to cling to a support. Very aesthetic, the shoots are carried by a twisting trunk with bark that flakes off in strips with age. With remarkable longevity, the vine can live for several centuries. Its deciduous foliage consists of large leaves, 8 to 16 cm (3 to 6in) in diameter, alternate, with 5 or 7 lobes, toothed on the edge, attached to the shoots by a long petiole. They change from light green during budburst to medium green during the season, and in autumn, they take on shades ranging from golden yellow to orange to reddish-purple, offering a very colourful spectacle. The very discreet flowering occurs in May-June. Opposite the leaves, it appears in the form of a 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in) long cluster composed of small insignificant yellowish-green flowers with 5 prominent stamens. As a self-fertile variety, the hermaphroditic flowers self-pollinate. To form the cluster, the fleshy, round berries are attached to the stalk by small pedicels. The flower buds freeze at -2°C (28.4°F), but the late flowering of this variety avoids spring frosts. This hardy plant can withstand negative temperatures between -15 and -20°C (5 and -4°F) but dislikes summer humidity, which promotes the appearance of spots on the leaves and fruits (powdery mildew, downy mildew of the leaf and fruits). This variety can be grown anywhere in central Europe, in sunny and warm locations, in a well-drained, deep soil, even poor, dry, and limestone.

The Attika table grape is a productive and vigorous variety. To achieve a beautiful fruit coloration, light leaf removal can be practiced. The harvest, homogeneous and abundant, extends over the month of September, depending on the region and climate. It is important to only pick the fruits when they are ripe, as they do not ripen any further afterwards, and to gently pick the cluster by its peduncle using pruning shears. One vine can produce a quantity of 20 to 30 kg per year, variable depending on vine management. Grapes can only be stored for a few days in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

Seedless, firm, juicy, and sweet, this table grape is delicious to eat raw. It is also an ideal fruit for making jam, jelly, and fruit juice; for making clafoutis, cakes, flans, or bread; for making salads with other fruits; or for accompanying savory dishes based on poultry. It pairs perfectly with cheese, endives, walnuts, and cured ham. Rich in carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) from 16 to 18 g per 100 g, grapes are a calorie-rich fruit (approx. 80 Cal/100 g). Its content of vitamins B (B2, B6) and C, phenolic antioxidants, and dietary fibres, as well as manganese, potassium, calcium, magnesium, with a significant amount of iron, make grapes a healthy choice.

In addition to its fruit-bearing capabilities, the Attika table grape can highlight its ornamental qualities when trained on an arbor, pergola, or wall. To offer a tasting of table grapes from August to October, it can be interesting to associate it with other earlier varieties, such as 'Chasselat doré', 'Chasselat rose', 'Roi des précoces', 'Centennial Seedless', 'Perlette', 'Madeleine Royal', or later varieties such as 'Alphonse Lavallée', 'Exalta', 'Muscat d'Alexandrie', 'Muscat de Hambourg', and 'Sultanica bianca'. But in any case, among a wide range of vines, it is easy to find the one that best suits your desires.

For a more urban use, it is entirely possible to grow a vine in a pot on a balcony or terrace, trained in a warm location and pruned. In this configuration, the vine will be very ornamental.