Retsina

Retsina is a Greek wine, most often white though also made in rose and, rarely, red versions, distinguished by the addition of Aleppo pine resin, a practice documented for at least two thousand years. The flavor originates from the ancient custom of sealing wine amphorae with pine resin to keep out air before impermeable glass bottles existed, a use of resin recorded by the Roman writer Columella in the first century, and the taste remained popular even after wooden barrels made resin unnecessary for preservation by around the third century. It is produced throughout Greece, with major centers in Attica, Boeotia and Euboea, and holds a protected designation of origin covering Greece and parts of southern Cyprus. Modern retsina is typically made from Savatiano grapes, sometimes blended with Assyrtiko or Rhoditis, with small pieces of resin added during fermentation and removed during clarification, giving contemporary versions a lighter resin character than historical ones.