Yiannis Kessopoulos, the Journalist

A new student coming from Serres gets to know the "independent" student life in Thessaloniki for the first time. And yes: the retsina was present in this experience of his, supporting every urban myth(?) about her relationship with student youth.

"In my first photo as a student, now 'independent' in the student house in Thessaloniki, I am with a glass of retsina in my hand. At the time, in the early 1990s, retsina was very popular. It has always been the popular wine, the wine of the people."

RETURN TO THE YEARS OF INNOCENCE.

A large portion of today's Thessalonicans got their first "taste" of Thessaloniki as students. They found themselves in the city for their studies, here they received the "baptism of fire" in adult life, away from the parental home. They lived here the first "autonomous" experiences, were introduced to student life in the best, perhaps, city in the country to study. And, of course, this process of "initiation" into student life "a la Thessaloniki" could not but include retsina, Greece's "trademark" wine. One of them was the journalist Yannis Kessopoulos.

"Retsina is connected to my student years," he explains. "In my first photo as a student, now 'independent' in the student house in Thessaloniki, I am with a glass of retsina in my hand. At the time, in the early 1990s, retsina was very popular. It was always the popular wine, the wine of the people. It cost little compared to label wines, which – just imagine – then did not yet know the glamor and elitism that they were to know later, until today. I have it connected with the student taverns around the Rotunda, with Toumba, but also with other places in the city. And with the family Easter tables in Thermi, around which many people sat. It also reminds me of my first drunkenness, at a relative's wedding, when I was sixteen, when I still didn't know what retsina meant. It reminds me of 'Hatzikyriakeio' and 'Saint Nile', which 'has a cool retsina and beautiful girls'. It also reminds me of Retsina, Murcella's hero in 'Dyed Red Hair', a figure who, among other things, refers to simplicity and populism. Just like retsina".

"WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?"

Retsina is one of the most characteristic Greek wines - if not the most characteristic, as it is produced exclusively in our country, combining two of its emblematic elements: the vine and the pine. However, over the course of recent years its image has been distorted, with some preferring it for its quintessentially Greek character and others snubbing it – a situation that, fortunately, thanks to some charismatic Greek winemakers, is changing in recent years. Does Yannis Kessopoulos have the same opinion as those who had excluded it from their preferences?

"Nothing to do with! It is a very tasty drink, accessible to everyone. As far as I'm concerned, I have it directly connected to nature - it's not an 'artificial' drink, if that's a valid term... In general, I don't drink drinks. I don't like cocktails. I prefer them naturally. Wine and raki. And retsina, of course."

We return to retsina as a synonym of Thessaloniki. With what elements of the city has the well-known journalist associated his favorite wine? "Experientially, with the students – I've said it before", he replies. "In my mind, with the common people, whether in the center or the suburbs. However, if one is looking for pleasure, there is no problem with retsina. He chooses it regardless of social class. And since we are living in a historical juncture, which takes us back to pre-consumer times and in which we will relive things that my own generation has relived, I want to say that retsina is always here to 'make' friends. loosely...".

OF THE ERA.

The moment is indeed special, the challenges are not lacking, the reasons to feel pressured and stressed are quite more than in the past. Could wine, always consumed sparingly and in moderation, help us see the bright side of life? "Wine has been playing its role since ancient times, thousands of years now - I won't say that it 'makes the heart of man happy'," answers Yannis Kessopoulos. "Personally, I consider wine a fruit of the earth and as such it fascinates me. It's brave and has a soul, that's why it's company through thick and thin. For many people. You 'talk' to wine - not every day, but you do. A glass of wine in its simplest form, that of red wine, is for me a pleasure, sometimes also an inspiration".

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