Maratheftiko is an ancient grape variety indigenous to Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

. It is also known locally as Vambakadha (Βαμβακάδα), Vambakina (Βαμβακίνα), Pampakia (Παμπακιά), Mavrospourtiko (Μαυροσπούρτικο), Aloupostaphylo (Αλουποστάφυλο).
It is grown in sparse quantities around the island but mostly in the Pitsilia region. In the 1980s, with the revival of small boutique wineries in Cyprus this variety was rediscovered and its cultivation is slowly on the increase again, as it offers a distinctive character to local wines. Keo

Keo

Keo may refer to:* Keo, another name for the Tho people.* The KEO satellite.* KEO , a brand of beer brewed in Cyprus.* KEO Ltd, the largest beverage company in Cyprus.* Keo, Estonia, a village in Estonia....

, the largest winery on the island has been one of the companies to encourage its growth. Maratheftiko does not have hermaphrodite flowers like many cultivated grape varieties and requires co-planting with other varieties in order to achive fertilisation and fruit development. As a result of poor fertilisation, bunches are often greatly affected by Millerandage

Millerandage

Millerandage or shot berries is a French term referring to an viticultural problem in which grape bunches contain berries of greatly different size and, most important, different levels of maturity. Its most common cause is too cold or otherwise bad weather during the flowering stage of the vines....

.

2004 statistics reveal that Marathefriko cultivation covers 125 hectares which represents less than 1% of cultivated vineyards on the island.