History

Retsina (the retinite wine of the ancients) began its course during the Prehistoric Period with an image and role very different from what we know today. The use of resin (resin) in winemaking is much older than previously thought (from 5400 BC, about 7,500 years ago). The first samples of wine resinite coincide with the first samples of winemaking in the Fertile Crescent region , in the Middle East, where the cultivation of the vine began. The use of resin in winemaking is observed for the first time in Greece in the area of Crete (2200 BC). In addition to resin from the Halepia Pine, resins from various trees and shrubs were used in winemaking (turpentine, astyrakas, shinos, etc.). It was common to mix wine resinite with herbs, but also other drinks, such as beer. Long before the rising modern trend, resinite wines were the basis for the first wine "cocktails" during the Prehistoric Period. Retinite wines were considered luxury items and traded in the context of international trade, for consumption by the elites of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Retsina is a traditional Greek wine that has been produced continuously since 5400 BC. It is known that in ancient times the consumption of low-alcohol wine was an essential component of social gatherings and a means of strengthening bonds between members of a community. However, based on findings, it is well-founded that resinated wines, thanks to their special and exotic character and high value, must have been part of a ritual of welcoming and hosting dignitaries in both the Minoan and Mycenaean palaces. In addition, the consumption of resinated wine in palace centers also highlights the special role that this wine had as a means of expressing a higher caste. Indeed, since consumption of exotic products (and therefore valuable products), as well as access to them, was difficult, it is very likely that it functioned as a tool for social advancement or even as an element of display. This is reinforced by the fact that wine was never given as a ration to people of low social status. Therefore, retsina, as a special wine, should have been an indication of an even higher social status.

The revelation of the use of resinated wine in religious ceremonies, as already mentioned, is yet another indication of the use of this type of wine as a means of achieving social cohesion, yet always occupying a prominent position.

Another element concerning the use of resin in winemaking has to do with the healing properties of resins. This is a whole area that remains to be researched, along with research into the nutritional value and possible healing properties of pine resin in modern retsina.

Mixing and flavoring wine with herbs, resins, roots, and spices was a favorite way of enjoying wine in Ancient Greece. Also, a favorite habit of the ancient Greeks was the mixing of resinated wines (our well-known retsina) with herbs or even with beer, honey or mead.

Such drinks have been found both in Crete of the palace period and in the religious center of Mycenae. We could characterize these drinks as the first "cocktails" with wine, and mainly retsina, millennia before the current trend, which is becoming more and more established all over the world.

After the end of the second world war and in parallel with the rapid economic development that the country has been experiencing since the 1950s, the first developments in the production of retsina also took place. More specifically, at the end of this decade, the first wine bottlings took place, first in Alexandroupoli (Adamidis) and then in Chalkida (Malamatinas) and Mesogeia (Kourtakis). The new era for retsina holds enormous growth opportunities, but it also carries risks. Bottled wine is ready to travel again within and beyond borders, leaving behind the centuries that it was a product of regional production and local consumption.

Without first changing the image of a wine for mass consumption and low demands, producers fall into the trap of quick and easy profit. As sales increase, the reputation of the wine of questionable quality spreads in Greece and abroad. Of course, the improvement of technical methods allows the production of wines of low price, but at the same time of good quality, and so there is no shortage of good examples. However, retsina public is gradually being educated on a specific expression of this wine, which continues to strongly retain the retsina characteristics.

And this is how the retsina acquires the "retsinia" that follows it to this day. However, it is worth noting that the well-known expression "they stuck his resin" does not come from the infamy from which the wine in question cannot be easily rid, but from the leather patch smeared with resin that was used in the past and did not come off easily.

After the painful interlude of the seven-year dictatorship, the procedures for Greece's integration into the European Community begin. In this context and for retsina to be included in the Community's regulations for the wine sector, the first presidential decree (PD) is issued that exclusively regulates the production of retsina. This is PD 514/5.7.1979, which also defines more special retsina production zones with designation of origin (these are areas of the prefectures of Attica, Boeotia, and Evia). What is particularly important, however, is the fact that retsina is protected for the first time by European legislation as a product that can be produced exclusively in Greece. For this purpose, the special category "Retsina - Wine of Appellation by Tradition" is created, which also includes one more wine, Verdea, from the area of Zakynthos.