The Knack Project: Minimal Intervention Wines from Attica

The Knack Project is a small-scale winery in Attica, Greece, founded by winemaker Christos Koulouriotis DipWSET. Working with old, family-owned vineyards around Megara, at the foot of the Geraneia Mountains, Christos makes minimal-intervention wines that reflect both the character of Greece's indigenous grape varieties and the landscape they come from.

The wines are made in tiny quantities, with some bottlings limited to just a few hundred bottles. They are distinctive, energetic and completely unlike the more conventional Greek wines you might already know.

Natural wine from Attica

The Knack Project is inspired by the natural wine movement, with a low-intervention approach in both the vineyard and cellar.

Since 2023, the vineyards have been farmed using biodynamic principles, while spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts allows the wines to develop without relying heavily on intervention.

In the cellar, the approach is deliberately hands-off, with minimal sulphur and no fining, filtration or stabilisation.

The result is a collection of wines that are expressive, sometimes wild and always individual.

If you're new to natural wine, you can read more in my guide to Greek natural wines.

The vineyards of Megara

The Knack Project works with old, family-owned vineyards around Megara, in western Attica.

The vineyards sit at the foot of the Geraneia Mountains, where the landscape and Mediterranean climate provide a distinctive setting for the vines.

Rather than planting international varieties designed to perform everywhere, Christos works with grapes that have a strong connection to Greece, alongside a small number of international varieties.

This is one of the things I find most exciting about The Knack Project: the wines feel rooted in their place while still being playful and contemporary.

Indigenous Greek grapes

Greece is home to an extraordinary number of indigenous grape varieties, many of which remain relatively unknown outside the country.

The Knack Project is part of a new generation of Greek winemakers helping to bring these varieties to a wider audience. Among the grapes you'll find in the range are Savatiano, Assyrtiko and Mouchtaro, alongside other varieties and blends.

It's one of the reasons I love working with the winery - the wines offer a very different way into Greek wine.

You can explore more about Greece's native varieties in my guide to indigenous Greek grapes.

Longtail Savatiano

Savatiano is one of Greece's most widely planted indigenous white grapes, particularly associated with Attica.

The Knack Project's Longtail Savatiano shows the variety in a completely different light from the simple, inexpensive whites for which it has historically been known. Made with a minimal-intervention approach, it's a fresh, textured expression of Savatiano that demonstrates why this grape deserves a second look.

It's a particularly good starting point if you want to explore natural Greek white wine.

Rawlith Assyrtiko

Assyrtiko is probably Greece's most internationally recognised white grape, thanks largely to Santorini. But it doesn't only belong to the island.

The Knack Project's Rawlith Assyrtiko offers a very different expression of the variety, coming from Attica rather than Santorini.

This is exactly the kind of wine I love showing people who think they already know Assyrtiko.

Deus Ex Machina Orange

The Knack Project also produces Deus Ex Machina Orange, an orange wine made from Assyrtiko.

Orange wine is made using a technique more commonly associated with red wine - allowing white grapes to ferment with extended skin contact. This gives the finished wine additional colour, texture and tannin.

It's a great example of how the same indigenous grape can produce something completely different depending on where and how it is made.

For anyone curious about natural and orange wines from Greece, this is one of the bottles I'd recommend exploring.

Lulu: chilled red wine from Greece

One of my favourite things about The Knack Project is the way it refuses to take traditional categories too seriously.

Lulu Chilled Red is exactly what it sounds like - a red designed to be served chilled.

It's light, juicy and refreshing, making it perfect for warm weather, outdoor drinking and food that doesn't necessarily call for a big, structured red.

And yes, I absolutely think red wine can be chilled. In fact, some lighter, low-intervention reds are at their best slightly chilled.

Lulu Pét-Nat Red and Mouchtaro

The Lulu range also includes Lulu Pét-Nat Red, a naturally sparkling red made in the pét-nat style.

And then there's Mouchtaro 2020, made from one of Greece's rarest indigenous red grapes.

Mouchtaro is a variety traditionally associated with Boeotia in central Greece, and it's still incredibly uncommon. Seeing it used by a small natural producer like The Knack Project is exactly the sort of discovery that makes exploring Greek wine so rewarding.

Hippie Pét-Nat Rosé

The range also includes Hippie Pét-Nat Rosé, a naturally sparkling rosé that captures the playful side of The Knack Project.

It's fresh, lively and designed for drinking rather than overthinking - exactly the kind of wine that works beautifully when you're sitting outside with friends and don't want the occasion to become too serious.

Why The Knack Project?

For me, The Knack Project represents exactly what is so exciting about Greece's new generation of winemakers.

There is a respect for traditional grapes and vineyards, but also a willingness to experiment.

Savatiano becomes a textured natural white. Assyrtiko moves far beyond Santorini. Mouchtaro gets a new lease of life. Red wine gets chilled. Pét-nat can be red or rosé.

And because production is so small, these wines can feel like genuine discoveries rather than products designed for mass appeal.

That's exactly what I'm looking for when I choose wines for Pale Ruby Wine.

Discover The Knack Project in the UK

I'm proud to import The Knack Project to the UK, giving you the opportunity to discover these small-production wines without having to travel to Attica to find them.

Explore the full The Knack Project collection

Or explore the individual wines:

• Longtail Savatiano - minimal-intervention Attica white.

• Rawlith Assyrtiko - Assyrtiko with a very different sense of place.

• Deus Ex Machina Orange - skin-contact Assyrtiko.

• Lulu Chilled Red - light, juicy and made for chilling.

• Lulu Pét-Nat Red - naturally sparkling red.

• Hippie Pét-Nat Rosé - fresh, lively and playful.

• Mouchtaro 2020 - a rare indigenous Greek red grape.

  
  

If you're not sure which one to try, you can also explore my Greek natural wine selection.

Small vineyards. Indigenous grapes. Minimal intervention. Maximum personality.

Shop The Knack Project wines