Skip to content
Retsina
EntityQ1310859· pop 25· linked from 296 articles

thumb|A bottle of retsina from the Greek producer Kourtaki thumb|Retsina Malamatina

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Anecdotal history
  • Wine regions
  • Grapes and winemaking
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

thumb|A bottle of retsina from the Greek producer Kourtaki thumb|Retsina Malamatina

Retsina () is a Greek white (or rosé or very rarely red) 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. Before the invention of impermeable glass bottles, oxygen caused many wines to spoil within a year. Pine resin helped keep air out, while infusing the wine with resin aroma. The Romans began to use barrels in the 3rd century AD, removing any oenological necessity for resin, but the flavor itself was so popular that the style is still widespread.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Retsina” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)