An encounter with Retsina
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Last night I had dinner with a good friend. For whatever reason he was craving white wine to go with dinner, and finding his usual favorite out of stock at the liquor store, he opted to try something new. I'm all for trying something different or new. But as he showed me the bottle of choice, faint alarm bells were ringing out from a hazy memory that I couldn't quite place. I had never tried greek wine before, but as I read the label - and specifically the word 'traditional' I knew deep down this was not going to be like any other wine I have ever tried before. I just couldn't remember why I knew this would be an experience. I think I had read something about it years before when I had to come up with something Greek for a multicultural themed pot-luck.
I uncorked the bottle and inhaled. My eyebrows went straight up. This scent was comming from off the map in terms of my familiarity with wine. I grinned - this would definately be an eperience. The glassses were poured and tried. We both agreed that the wine was quite smooth and light. Pleasant, yes... but... What stopped us dead in our tracks was the taste of pine. It was not unpleasant, just shockingly different from what we were used to.
It turns out that historically, the greeks used pine resin to seal the amphora or wine jars. They did this because the jars were ceramic as opposed to impermaeble glass and the resin prevented oxygen from spoiling the wine. It also infused the wine with a pine flavour. There are some interesting anecdotes and information here.
Overall, I didn't mind it. I'm not certain that it pairs well with wasabi (we had sushi for dinner) and I think that it is more of an aquired taste. My friend tried turning it into a spritzer with the addition of soda and I will definately say that it is better in it's natural state. Pine infused wine tastes much better than pine infused water, of course that is only my opinion. He was rather gloomy at the prospect of still having one unopened bottle to contend with. But I figure it gives us a good excuse to spend an afternoon or evening with a fabulous selection of meze (a greek selection of small dishes not unlike the spanish tapas idea). Why not? Invite some friends to have a try and share the experience...
I uncorked the bottle and inhaled. My eyebrows went straight up. This scent was comming from off the map in terms of my familiarity with wine. I grinned - this would definately be an eperience. The glassses were poured and tried. We both agreed that the wine was quite smooth and light. Pleasant, yes... but... What stopped us dead in our tracks was the taste of pine. It was not unpleasant, just shockingly different from what we were used to.
It turns out that historically, the greeks used pine resin to seal the amphora or wine jars. They did this because the jars were ceramic as opposed to impermaeble glass and the resin prevented oxygen from spoiling the wine. It also infused the wine with a pine flavour. There are some interesting anecdotes and information here.
Overall, I didn't mind it. I'm not certain that it pairs well with wasabi (we had sushi for dinner) and I think that it is more of an aquired taste. My friend tried turning it into a spritzer with the addition of soda and I will definately say that it is better in it's natural state. Pine infused wine tastes much better than pine infused water, of course that is only my opinion. He was rather gloomy at the prospect of still having one unopened bottle to contend with. But I figure it gives us a good excuse to spend an afternoon or evening with a fabulous selection of meze (a greek selection of small dishes not unlike the spanish tapas idea). Why not? Invite some friends to have a try and share the experience...
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