Nafsika Gkratziou, The Journalist

With a degree in law and a long career in the press, the Thessalonican journalist and flânerie stalwart recalls retsina as a "liquor" in her student memories, where the favorite wine was the "national drink" of the group at "Koubarakia", in "Domna», in "Bangladesh" in Kalochori and where the grace of the congregation arrived.

"Retsina is for me the eternal image of the smiling Greece that I love. It is the personification of Dionysus, the happiest god who expresses nature, love, freedom, joy. In my daily life (although there is no alcohol anymore, by choice), if I want to make a nice perspiration, I will do it with retsina, for its clarity and 'spiciness'".

IN THE BEGINNING WAS…

Some would describe the flâneur as a "dreamy philosopher". As the detached observer of an urban everyday life, who declares himself eternally in love with the essence of the city – its streets, its cafes and restaurants, its shops, its cinemas, its hotels, its museums. Perhaps Baudelaire describes him even better: “He is the type who comes out of isolation and mixes with the world. For the city dweller, the faceless crowd is not a competitor, but a love object. He who easily marries the crowd knows feverish pleasures, which the egoist will be eternally deprived of”.

One such urban walker is the journalist Nafsika Gkratziou– a restless spirit, a Thessalonican who loves to walk around her city, to know the unknown and to re-know the familiar. Such a personality certainly could not have overlooked the importance of Retsina in local historiography.

CLARITY AND "PIPERING".

"Retsina is for me the eternal image of the smiling Greece that I love" she explains. "It is the personification of Dionysus, the happiest god who expresses nature, love, freedom, joy. In my daily life (although there is no alcohol anymore, by choice), if I want to make a nice perspiration, I will do it with retsina, for its clarity and 'spiciness'. But also, as a libation to my student memories, where retsina was the 'national drink' of our group, in 'Koubarakia', in 'Domna', in 'Bangladesh' in Kalochori and wherever our grace reached. Generations and generations of Faculty of Law students have been nourished with retsina, that's why we can talk nicely".

ALWAYS PRESENT

"Retsina has always existed in the life of the family - and every family, I guess," adds the well-known journalist. "I have images of the bottles of 'Malamatina' and of the demijohnwith the bulk retsina, of family tables and feasts of our parents, where the elders drank andfelt happyand the little ones were bored and, to amuse our boredom, we made various mixes based on retsina, adding in mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper, trying to trick someone old into drinking our concoction – luckily, no one ever got stung... We also once mixed it with Coca Cola, creating – without knowing it then – the first cocktail, the 'Tumba-libre', a favorite drink of PAOK fans today. Light, clarity, joy of life: these come to mind when I think of retsina. Happy things. And taverns with ivy and big wine barrels on cool slopes. And the 'Retsinaof the king' by my beloved neighbor, Isidoros Zourgos. The first image I recall is the old fish tavern of 'Zampetoglou' in Kalamaria, a favorite haunt of my father and his friends. It had a large yard and a nice arbor. I don't know what is there at that point today".

THE LANDSCAPE OF RETSINA

In the course of the last decades, retsina became identified with Thessaloniki, which evolved into a center not only for the production of quality retsina, but also for its consumption. We askNafsikaGkratziouto share with us her feeling – with which part of the Thessaloniki culture does she associate her favorite wine?

“If I had to name a population group associated with retsina, it would be the tribe of happy people. No other distinctions" she replies. And it’s enough as an answer. We have solved the "who", but the "when" is pending. Really, when would it be the best time to enjoy a glass of cool retsina? NafsikaGkratziouhas a clear point of view: "So much has been said, written and sung about retsina and things related to it, from the ancient Anacreon to today, that I choose to use lyrics from an old retsina song sung by Orestes Makris when he was still a tenor, long before he was glorified with 'Bekri': 'With one sip, my retsina, I forget the world, my lady/ as if I taste you, my tchapina, you drive away my acefia'".

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