White wine flavoured with Aleppo pine resin, sharply aromatic and unlike anything else. Resin sealed amphorae in antiquity and flavoured the wine inside; when better seals arrived the taste was kept deliberately, and it now has its own appellation.
It is a wine made in a licensed cellar under a traditional appellation, and the resin dose is legally capped rather than judged by taste.
What goes into it
- Savatiano or Roditis grapes
- Aleppo pine resin
- yeast
How it is made
Pieces of Aleppo pine resin are added to the must at the start of fermentation and stay in it while the wine ferments, then are removed when it is racked off. The resin’s aromatic compounds dissolve into the wine and also act as a mild preservative. The quantity is regulated: too much and the wine is undrinkable.
How long it takes: one vintage a year; drunk young
How it is eaten
Cold, with grilled fish, fried courgettes and feta.
History
Pine resin sealed amphorae in antiquity and flavoured the wine inside; the taste was kept deliberately and now has its own appellation.
Frequently asked questions
What is Retsina?
Retsina is a wine & spirit from Greece: white wine flavoured with Aleppo pine resin, sharply aromatic. Pine resin sealed amphorae in antiquity and flavoured the wine inside; the taste was kept deliberately and now has its own appellation.
How is Retsina made?
Pieces of Aleppo pine resin are added to the must at the start of fermentation and stay in it while the wine ferments, then are removed when it is racked off. The resin’s aromatic compounds dissolve into the wine and also act as a mild preservative. The quantity is regulated: too much and the wine is undrinkable. It takes one vintage a year; drunk young.
Can I make Retsina at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a wine made in a licensed cellar under a traditional appellation, and the resin dose is legally capped rather than judged by taste.
What goes into Retsina?
Savatiano or Roditis grapes, aleppo pine resin, yeast.
How is Retsina eaten?
Cold, with grilled fish, fried courgettes and feta.
