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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Ática
White wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin, added to the must during fermentation. The Attica Region calls it an Attica specialty, where it is made mainly with the Savatiano grape, and the name is a traditional designation reserved for wines from Greece.
Traditional drink from Ática
Also known as: Ρετσίνα
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Retsina — Ática, Greece
Retsina is a white wine, sometimes rosé, to which pieces of Aleppo pine resin are added during fermentation. The resin stays in contact with the must and is removed when the wine is racked, leaving an aroma reminiscent of pine and herbs. In Attica the main grape is Savatiano, with Roditis in some blends.
The origin is explained by the old custom of sealing amphorae and wine jars with resin to keep air out. The wine absorbed some of the flavor, and the taste eventually became part of the drink. The Attica Region tells this story and calls retsina an Attica specialty.
According to the association Wines of Greece, retsina is a traditional designation that can only be used for wines made in Greece. The areas most associated with it are Attica—especially Mesogeia, the plain east of Athens—and the neighboring regions of Boeotia and Euboea.
Retsina is a tavern wine, served very cold, often in jugs or small bottles, with fried snacks, fish, salads and olive-oil–based dishes.
Ática
The Attica Region calls retsina an Attica specialty, where resin-flavored wine is made chiefly with the Savatiano grape, especially in Mesogeia, east of Athens.
Must from white grapes, mainly Savatiano, sometimes Roditis, and pieces of Aleppo pine resin added during fermentation.
Very cold, in simple glasses or cups, with fried snacks, small fish, salads, cheeses and olive-oil dishes.
A tavern and everyday meal wine, especially in summer (June to August).
Your questions
A white wine, sometimes rosé, flavored with Aleppo pine resin during fermentation. It is an Attica specialty, made mainly with the Savatiano grape.
Because pieces of resin are added to the must during fermentation. The traditional explanation is the old custom of sealing wine jars with resin, which left the flavor in the drink.
Very cold, as a tavern wine, with fried snacks, fish, salads and olive-oil–based dishes.
Flavors of Greece
Layered baked tart of thinly sliced zucchini and potato, with mizithra cheese and mint, sometimes topped with pastry. It is named for Chania, in western Crete, and is a summer dish (June to August), when zucchini are in season.
Rooster or veal slowly cooked in a tomato and wine sauce seasoned with cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg and other spices, served with thick pasta and grated cheese. It’s Corfu’s Sunday and festive dish, of Venetian heritage.
Thin slices of beef dredged in flour, browned and cooked in a light sauce of white wine or wine vinegar, with plenty of garlic, parsley and pepper. It is a Corfu dish of Venetian heritage, served with potatoes, rice or pasta.
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Grape marc brandy distilled in Crete after the harvest, without anise. It has a geographical indication as Tsikoudia of Crete, is served chilled in small glasses, and accompanies Cretan hospitality from the start to the end of a meal.
Fried patties made from chopped tomato, scallion, herbs and flour, served as a snack. They are a specialty of Santorini, made with the island’s small tomato, grown without irrigation in volcanic soil.
Sweet natural white wine from Santorini, made with Assyrtiko, Aidani and Athiri grapes dried in the sun and aged for a long time in barrel. It ranges in color from amber to dark brown and is part of the Protected Designation of Origin Santorini.
Sweet white wine from southern the Peloponnese, made from grapes sun-dried and barrel-aged. It revives the wine that merchants shipped from Monemvasia to Europe in the Middle Ages, when the port was known by its Frankish name, Malvasia.
Mykonos onion pie, filled with onion, the island’s fresh cheese tyrovolia, eggs and dill, between two layers of pastry. It is noted as one of the island’s oldest and most traditional recipes.
Sweet fortified red wine from the Patras region, made mainly from the Mavrodafni grape and aged in barrels until it develops notes of raisins, coffee and dried fruit. It has a protected designation of origin and is the dessert wine most associated with the city.
Toasted sesame and honey bar with almonds, orange peel and spices, cut into diamond shapes. It is Rhodes’ sweet offered at weddings and baptisms and has a Protected Geographical Indication from the European Union.
Pomace brandy (grape marc), with or without anise, served chilled in small bottles with snacks. It has geographical indications for Thessaly and for Tyrnavos, and in Volos it gives its name to the houses where each round arrives with a meze.
Pie made with very thin pastry, open and layered, filled with semolina custard and topped with sugar and cinnamon. It is also made savory, with cheese, ground meat or spinach. In Thessaloniki it is eaten in the morning with coffee and sold in pieces cut to order.
