retsina [reht-SEE-nah]
Made for more than 3,000 years, this traditional Greek wine is resinated—treated with pine-tree resin. This process gives the wine a distinctively sappy, turpentine-like flavor, which, according to most non-Greeks, is an acquired taste. In Greece, the word retsina (Greek for “resin”) is synonymous with wine. Retsinas can be either white (labeled “Retsina”) or rosé (labeled “Kokineli”); both should be served very cold. The Savatiano grape is the main variety used in retsina, although it’s usually blended with either Rhoditis or Assyrtiko grapes.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.