Retsina: a classic reborn - Falstaff (2023)

FAQs

Why is retsina so cheap? ›

So, it was understandable that Retsina became synonymous with low-priced wines of poor quality. Much of these wines were sold in bulk, with resin added in order to mask any flaws from poor grape quality and dreadful winemaking, full of oenological “no-nos”.

Retsina is the best known traditional Greek wine. Its reputation, not always positive, had long overshadowed that of other distinguished Greek wines and appellations.

Greek retsina is a dry white wine made and drunk all over Greece with a distinctive pine and resin flavour that people usually either love or hate. For us, when we visit Greece, our first meal is very often kalamari (squid) and a bottle of retsina, perhaps preceded by an ouzo and some meze.

The flavor of retsina, a wine infused with the resin of Aleppo pine trees, has often been likened to turpentine, even by people who like the stuff.

Retsina is far stronger, far worse than oak, especially since it's not meant to be absorbed in a long aging process. The wines are rarely intended to age, actually. At the so-called "high end," some suggest the wine can age for five years.

The most expensive Greek wine, LΛPO , is a Rose that you can find at the price of 1200.00 Euro / bottle, produced in very small quantity, about 700 bottles per year . LΛΡΟ dry rose wine, is an outstanding member of the wine club, created with true passion for wine trips, modern winemaking, beautiful aromas and nature.

Ambrosia was the drink of choice for the Greek Gods: a sweet and ethereal wine so magical that merely tasting it could make you immortal. Ambrosia appears often in classical Greek poetry, but the origins of the word are obscure.

Assyrtiko. Assyrtiko is one of the most popular Greek products and recognized wine varieties in Greece and can be found all across the country since its production is not limited to one specific region but rather covers the majority of the land.

Red, white, orange and rosé wines are made across Greece, in both still and sparkling format and at various levels of dryness or sweetness. Greece is also known for retsina, a traditional wine flavored with pine resin.

The general recommendation with Retsina is to drink it very cold and from a wide-open glass. This helps to temper the aroma of pine which can sometimes be overpowering. In a more acute glass, the odor will be trapped and can completely subdue the other elements of the wine.

Should retsina be chilled? ›

Retsina has an alcohol content of 12 to 12.5 percent and is best served chilled at 10C.

Retsina is produced and bottled at specific locations in Central Greece: Attica (mainly the area of Mesogia), Boeotia and Evia. It is a traditional Greek wine, which has been considered for many decades as a cheap popular choice.

When brett appears in a wine, it creates earthy organic aromas and flavors that don't sound appetizing. The aroma of brett-afflicted wines may range from leathery to mousey, wet-fur, or "barnyard" aromas like chicken manure or horse sweat.

Limniona (“lim-nee-ona”) is Greece's answer to Pinot Noir, producing wines with fragrant aromas of red-berries and rose petals, over delicate, rounded, silky texture.

When stored properly and kept unopened, white wines can often outlive their recommended drinking window by 1-2 years, red wines by 2-3 years, and cooking wines by 3-5 years. Fine wine — as you may have guessed — can typically be consumed for decades.

The South-West German city is home to the world's oldest wine bottle and, if experts are to be believed, it's actually drinkable. The Historical Museum of Palatinate, Speyer, is home to the 'Speyer Wine Bottle', a 1,700-year-old bottle of wine that was discovered in 1867.

Retsina (Greek: ρετσίνα) is a Greek white (or rosé) resinated wine, which has been made for at least 2,000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo pine resin in ancient times.

The oldest Greek wine (2,000 years old) served today is the famous white wine, Retsina. The very same wine that the ancient Greeks drank can be tasted today.

Ouzo is considered the national drink of Greece. In technical terms, it is either produced by partial distillation or the admixture of plain alcohol with aromatic herbs.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru

The Burgundy producer Domaine Romanée-Conti, known as "DRC" to collectors, consistently commands the highest prices in the world of wine. Its top vineyard, Romanée-Conti, encompasses just 4.5 acres.

What kind of wine was Jesus blood? ›

Red wine is often used to represent the Blood of Christ, but churches started leaning towards white wine to avoid stains on the altar cloth!

For many fine wine lovers, Burgundy is the “holy grail,” the ultimate reference point by which all other great wine regions are measured. Almost all Burgundy ('Bourgogne') wines are either reds made from Pinot Noir or whites made from Chardonnay.

Wine is the most common alcoholic beverage mentioned in biblical literature, where it is a source of symbolism, and was an important part of daily life in biblical times.

All Fino Sherry are made with flor and are highly prized. Based on the frequency of mentions in ancient texts written in Linear B, both sweet and dry wines were the most common wines of Ancient Greece.

Greek Red is a catch-all category of traditional Greek red varieties. Examples of these wines include Agiorgitiko, Mavrodaphne, Xinomavro, St. George and Moschomavro.

Retsina and Assyrtiko, for example, are very well-known wines for Greek food pairing. Malagousia and Spilitsa Argolida are other popular wines that taste great and pair well with traditional Greek dishes. All these wines are great options to sip on wine while enjoying your meal.

The official legal drinking age in Greece is 18 in public and you also have to be 18 to buy alcohol. In reality, these laws are not strictly enforced and in many tourist zones, they're not enforced at all.

Ouzo is a clear liquid. However, when water or ice is added, ouzo turns a milky-white colour. This is because anethole, the essential oil of anise, is completely soluble in alcohol at approximately 38% ABV and above, but not in water.

Considered Greece's national spirit, ouzo (the anise-flavored liqueur) is a fairly boozy drink that is typically served neat in small skinny glasses. (Yes, it's the stuff you see in the infamous drinking scene in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where they raise their glasses and say OPA!)

Does retsina contain sulfites? ›

Retsina Black Label is the purest expression of the most ancient Greek winemaking tradition, in a natural Savatiano vinification, with no sulfites or any additives, from biodynamic grapes.

As you'd expect from a Mediterranean cuisine, wine is the usual accompaniment to a meal in a Greek restaurant. Greece has been a centre of wine-making for its entire history and though there are few big name wines produced here, there are many very palatable wines perfectly suited to Greek food.

Be prepared to always have your cup runneth over when having dinner with Greeks. Wine, Saltiel says, "always was and still is" served at every dinner.

Ouzo is a delicious anise-flavored drink from Greece. The spirit is generally consumed as an aperitif after dinner and undergoes a rigorous distillation process.

Moschofilero. If you prefer sweeter, more aromatic Pinot Grigios, look no further than this Greek white wine. Moschofilero is found on the Peloponnese peninsula and is another great option for light-bodied, high acid, refreshing wines.

Since 1940 Retsina has been a traditional trade name and is only produced in Greece and Cyprus. This well-known, dry Restina white wine is a quality product.

: a resin-flavored Greek wine.

The national drink of Greece is, of course, 'ouzo'! Ouzo is an alcoholic beverage with anise that is produced exclusively in Greece. Thanks to its essential oils of anise, anise, and fennel seeds, it creates a pleasant feeling of refreshment able to soothe even the hottest Greek summer.

Mastika or mastiha is a liqueur seasoned with mastic, a resin with a slightly pine or cedar-like flavor gathered from the mastic tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region.

What are 3 smells of bad wine? ›

Some smells technically aren't just weird – they're downright wrong and can indicate a faulty wine. Casassa says the three main ones are smoke taint, Brettanomyces, and cork taint. So, if you smell something burnt or ashy, horse manure, or wet cardboard, you've got a wine that's been compromised.

According to Schmitt, if you're smelling burned match, skunk, bandages or cooked cabbage, that wine is flawed. Here are the five most common wine problems — and what your nose should know.

That distinctive sniff of petrol (some call it paraffin) that's usually found in Alsatian whites or riesling is actually due to a chemical compound called TDN (1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene), which typically forms as a byproduct of aging wine.

Muscat- The king of sweet wine

The Muscat Blanc is cultivated in six CDO (controlled appellation of origin) areas; three of them are in the Aegean Sea: Samos, Lemnos, and Rhodes Islands. The other three are Patras, Rio of Patras, and Cephalonia Island in the Ionian Sea.

Moschofilero. Found all over Greece, the Moschofilero (maw-sko-FEEL-ero) grape produces bold, spicy white wines. Many sommeliers compare Moschofilero wine to a Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier. Although the purple-skinned grape has been grown in Greece for centuries, it's quite delicate and is sensitive to bad weather.

In the 4th century BC, the most expensive wine sold in Athens was that from Chios, which sold for between a quarter of a drachma and 2 drachma for a chous worth—about the equivalent of four standard 750 ml wine bottles today.

In Greece, drinking alcohol is a low-budget habit. You can enjoy your favourite music in one of the numerable Greek bars without having to worry about the cost. You can drink a prim cocktail with only 9€, ouzo and raki with 4€, wine and beer with 3–5€ and all alcoholic beverages, such as gin or vodka with 6–7€.

History. Ouzo has its roots in tsipouro, which is said to have been the work of a group of 14th-century monks on Mount Athos. One version of it was flavored with anise. This version eventually came to be called ouzo.

Retsina (Greek: ρετσίνα) is a Greek white (or rosé) resinated wine, which has been made for at least 2,000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo pine resin in ancient times.

What is the oldest Greek wine? ›

The oldest Greek wine (2,000 years old) served today is the famous white wine, Retsina. The very same wine that the ancient Greeks drank can be tasted today.

Most people can safely consume the sulfites found in wine with minimal risk of adverse side effects. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an estimated 1% of the population is sensitive to sulfites, and about 5% of those individuals have asthma as well (7).

Absolut Vodka and most gins are free of sulphites due to the distillation process, and the safest option for anyone with sulphite sensitivity. Sulphites naturally occur in a range of drinks, wine included.

All wines contain naturally-occurring sulfites. All of our wines either have no added sulfites or minimal added sulfites. The EU is also much more strict than the USA about additives, so Italian wines tend to have far fewer sulfites and additives than New World wines.

Originally Dionysus was the Greek god of fertility. Later, he came to be known chiefly as the god of wine and pleasure.

Ouzo. Ouzo is considered the national drink of Greece. In technical terms, it is either produced by partial distillation or the admixture of plain alcohol with aromatic herbs.

What time is dinner in Greece? In a country that never sleeps, no time is "too late" for dinner. You will find most eateries open until past 12 at midnight. Regardless, traditionally, dinner in Greek homes is served at around 8-9 pm.

There are no set rules when it comes to tipping in Greece. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong by leaving a small tip for each service. When in doubt, a 10% is generally fine. If you had very good service, you could consider leaving 15 or even 20 percent.