Savatiano is Greece's most planted grape variety, covering large tracts of land in Central Greece and in particular Attica. The variety is best known for its role in the country's infamous Retsina wines, although technological advances in modern winemaking have led to an upsurge in well-made, dry Savatiano wines.

Savatiano's resistance to drought and disease, both issues in the Mediterranean, has made it an obvious choice for the region, and it has been cultivated here for hundreds of years. It is also planted in smaller quantities as a workhorse variety in Peloponnese, Greek Macedonia, and in the Aegean Islands. The variety's name probably refers to the Greek word for "Sabbath".

Savatiano grapes are typically medium to large in size and pale yellow to white in color. When vinified, the wine may take on varying shades of yellow, usually at the deeper end of the spectrum. When kept to low yields and harvested earlier, Savatiano is capable of producing intense, dry wines that show herbaceous characteristics of citrus and white flowers.

Historically, Savatiano has been used as a key ingredient in the production of Retsina, Greece's famous resinous wine. Due to Savatiano's low acidity it is also commonly blended with Roditis and Assyrtico, but modern viticultural methods have resulted in more complete expressions of Savatiano, and more varietal Savatiano wines are becoming available each vintage.

Despite changing attitudes toward Savatiano, most wines are produced for early consumption and are unlikely to rival Assyrtico from Santorini as the country's most famous wine style.