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.
Related Links:
Attica,
Greece
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc.
1995 based on THE WINE LOVER'S COMPANION,
by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst.