Grape Variety #97 - Savatiano

Have you ever had wine from Greece? Aren't they the ones who came up with this whole crazy idea of fermenting grapes? I had the opportunity to try the "wine of the gods" or at least that's what the Greeks call Retsina. I found a bottle for 8 dollars and I decided to take a chance. If the word retsina reminds you of the word resin, you are close to the origin of this wine. Here is the label:


Quick history. The ancient Greeks would store their wine in ceramic vessels and seal them with tree resin. The resin would give the wine some flavor. The Greeks grew to love this taste and has been recreated since then. So yes, the wine tastes a bit like resin but I ended up liking it.

We had it with a spicy beef and scallion dish from our local Chinese place. It definitely helped cool down the mouth plus the low acidity level made it an easy sipper.

I am now three grapes away from 100 and it's getting very tough to find new grapes. I will get there though so stay posted for that 100th grape.