Retsina

Retsina (Greek Ρετσίνα, retsina, the Greek female) is a dry white table wine from Greece, which is mixed with resin. According to EU directives of retsina counts despite the resin addition to the wines and not to the wine-based drinks.

Production

In ancient Greece, wine was stored in tubes made ​​of goat skin or in amphorae, which were sealed with resin. The effect not only on the flavor of the wine, but also made ​​him more durable. Today the Retsina is added during the fermentation resin into small pieces in order to achieve a similar result by taste. While previously a resin content of about 5 % (up to 7.5%) was common, Retsina is since the 1960s, increasingly to be found with a lower resin content of 1 to 2%. The resin is removed only at the first racking. To Retsinaherstellung the resin of the native tree species Calabrian pine ( Pinus brutia ) and Aleppo pine is (Pinus halepensis ), but also imported Sandarak.

Origin

The main production areas are Attica, Euboea and Boeotia, all in the southern Central Greece near Athens. The main grape variety of white Retsina is Savatiano, often blended with Assyrtiko or Roditi. On the island of Lemnos, a muscatel Retsina is produced. Outside of Greece, Retsina is produced only in Cyprus. Known Retsinamarken are Kourtaki and Malamatina.

Varieties

In addition to the most commonly produced and consumed white Retsina there are also pink and red retsina wines. The resinated rosé is called Kokkineli and made ​​from the vines of Savatiano and Mandilaria. The very rare red Retsina is produced only from the Mandilaria vines.

Others

Retsina can be also mixed with cola for a long drink.