- Retsina
Retsina ("Ρετσίνα" in Greek) is a Greek
resin ated white (orrosé )wine that has been made for at least 2000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularlyamphora e, withAleppo Pine resin in ancient times. Before the invention of impermeable glassbottle s,oxygen caused many wines to spoil within the year. Pine resin helped keep air out, while at the same time infusing the wine with resin aroma. The Romans began to use barrels in the 3rd century AD, removing any enological necessity for resin, but the flavor itself was so popular that the style is still widespread today.History
The earliest recorded mentioning of using resin with wine amphorae was in the writings of
Columella who detailed in his work "De Re Rustica" (13.20-14) the different type of resin that could be used to seal a container or be mixed into the wine. He recommended that for the very best wines, though, they should not be mixed with resin because many people do not like the taste. His contemporary,Pliny the Elder , does recommend the use of adding resin to the fermenting winemust in his work "Naturalis Historia" (14.124) with the resin from mountainous areas having a better aroma than those that come from lower lands (16.60). J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 568-569 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906 ]The Roman settlements in
Illyria ,Cisalpine Gaul andGallia Narbonensis did not use resin coated amphorae due to the lack of suitable local pine trees and began to develop solid, less leak prone wooden barrels in the 1st century AD. By the 3rd century, barrel making was prevalent throughout theRoman Empire . The exception was the eastern empire regions of Byzantium which had developed a taste for the strong, pungent wine and continued to produce resinated wine long after the western Roman empire stopped. The difference in taste between the two empires took center stage in the work of the historianLiutprand of Cremona work "Relatio de Legatione Constantinopolitana". In 968, Liutprand was sent toConstantinople to arrange a marriage between the daughter of the late EmperorRomanos II and the future Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. According to Liutprand, he was treated very rudely and undignified by the court ofNikephoros II being served goat stuffed withonion and served infish sauce and "undrinkable" wine mixed with resin, pitch andgypsum -very offensive to his western tastes.Pilgrims and
Crusaders to theHoly Land during theMiddle Ages would record their experiences with the strong, resin wines of the Greek islands.Pietro Casola , an Italian noble who traveled toJerusalem in 1494, wrote about the wines and cuisines of the places he stopped at along the way. In one of his entries, about his visit toModone onPeloponnese , he wrote about the bounty of good quality wines made fromMalmsey ,Muscatel and Rumney. Everything he tried was pleasing, except the strong, resin with an unpleasant odor.Anecdotal history
Popular
anecdote s about the evolution of retsina stem from the Roman conquest of Greece. Stories claim that the Romansplunder ed the wines of Greece, angering the citizens who turned to pine resin as a way of extending their store of wine and as a deterrent to their thirsty conquerors. The harsh flavor was said to put off the Romans, who refused to drink the bitter ferment. Another anecdote claims that an excess of undiluted retsina was lethal for KingEric I of Denmark andSigurd I of Norway . [Christopher Tyerman, "God's War" pg 251 Belknap Press 2006 ISBN 0674023870]Wine regions
In Greece, local Retsina "(retsina iszalso)" is produced throughout the country. Major production centers around
Attica ,Boeotia andEuboea . TheEuropean Union treats the name "Retsina" as aprotected designation of origin and traditionalappellation for Greece and parts of the southern regions ofCyprus . AnAustralian wine style made in South Australia can be called "resinated wine" but not "Retsina".Grapes and winemaking
Today the traditional grape for Retsina is
Savatiano with potentiallyAssyrtiko andRhoditis blended in. Local grape varieties are used for "retsina iszalso" throughout Greece. On the island ofRhodes ,Athiri is the main grape. Modern Retsina is made following the same winemaking techniques of white wine or rosé with the exception of small pieces ofAleppo Pine resin added to the must during fermentation. The pieces stay mixed with the must tillracking when the wine is clarified and the solids are removed from the finished wine.References
ee also
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Greek cuisine
*Greek food products
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