Retsina is one of the most ancient wine’s existing. It is a resonated wine that is a specialty of Greece for more than 2000 years. The taste is nothing less than unusual and unique. Some say it started when Greeks used Pine resin to seal the wine vessels in ancient times. The resin solved two problems, it kept the air out and infused the wine with an interesting resin flavour. Once barrels were commonly used there was no need for the resin but since the flavour was so popular, it has remained today one of the most popular wines to sip on a sunny Greek afternoon in Athens.
The main grape used to make Retsina is Savatiano, sometimes blended with Assyrtiko or Rhoditis. You’ll find Retsina at almost every Taverna in Athens, its is one of the most popular white wines. You can sometimes find it as a Rosé as well. It’s still quite common to find restaurants that make their own wine in Greece, so if you spot barrels stacked along a wall, chances are they do.
Traditionally, as late as the 1800s, Athens was filled with tavernas, all making and producing their own wine. Juice would be brought into the city by horse-drawn buggy and the taverna owners would add their own resin and ferment the juice, calling the shots when the wine was ready. It wasn’t until the 1960s that bottled Retsina became widely available outside of Athens in the countryside. Retsina, because of its unique flavour, is one of those hit or miss wines. Not every barrel is good. The best way to check is to watch the other people in the restaurant. If you can spot a raucous group of Greeks with empty or half empty glasses you have a good chance that it’s a good barrel.
You won’t find too much Retsina outside of Greece unless you visit a specialty Greek shop or you’re able to bribe a friend to bring you back a bottle. You could also try it for yourself. Find cheap flights to Athens year round from all of Europe’s major cities. Athens is not an expensive city so you can definitely count on being able to spend countless nights around a lively table at a Greek taverna in Athens or along Greece’s coast. Seek out the cheapest hotels in all of Greece, you’ll be surprised to find a lot of them in the capital city. Greece is a destination for wine lovers and food lovers.
Have you tried Retsina? Leave your comments below!
