Another variety of red scattered around the islands vineyards, most densely concentrated through the mountainous region of Paphos (Panayia, Ambelitis) and in Pitsillia, where the “Vamvakada” or “Vamvakia” synonym is used.

The vines propensity to bud loss, adversely affects the productivity, and as a result it’s expansion. In quality, it is by far the best of the indigenous varieties and can happily compete with any of the nobler imported cultivars, in principle, when its grapes are allowed to ripen adequately; it produces balanced, strong-bodied and coloured wines, with a distinctive, faintly fruity aroma of cherries and blackberries. There are cases when the high acidity of Maratheftiko wines demand oenological intervention to reduce it. Recently there is a trend to age wines produced from this variety in oak casks before bottling them.