Retsina is a unique wine product made almost exclusively in Greece. It is made with a base of white or rosé wine which is flavored with pine resin. The wine is quite pungent, and not to everyone's taste. However, the Greeks have been making and drinking retsina for over three thousand years, and people often find retsina more enjoyable when it is paired with Greek foods. Retsina also varies widely in quality, and an inferior retsina can taste suspiciously like turpentine. Consulting the staff at a Greek wine store may be the best way to find a good retsina.

The name for retsina is derived from a Latin word, resina. The official explanation for retsina has it roots in early wine making practices. Lacking airtight containers for fermentation, many early white wines soured as a result of exposure to oxygen. To stave off this problem, wine makers covered their wine jugs in pine pitch, the same material used to waterproof boats. The pitch effectively sealed the containers so that the wine did not spoil, and consumers developed a taste for the resulting resinous wine.

Only whites and rosés are used to make retsina, as red wines have a pungent flavor and mouthfeel all their own. The wine should be served extremely cold, and in wide, open glasses. Lipped glasses will tend to trap the resinous aroma, rather than dissipating it like a wide mouthed glass will. This is an undesirable result, even for diehard Greeks, because the concentrated flavor can be rather intense.

Retsina pairs best with strong, spicy, savory foods like those served as appetizers, or meze, in Greece. Many meze integrate pickled, salty, or garlicky ingredients, which counter the strong flavor of the retsina very favorably. Retsina could also be paired with spicy cuisines such as Indian or Chinese food, but should not be consumed with subtle foods such as many Japanese and French dishes.

To find retsina outside of Greece, you will probably have to go to a specialty import store. Retsina is an unusual item, and many stores do not carry it. Ask the staff at the store about the retsinas that they carry, or consider ordering it from an online retailer, if you can accept shipments of alcohol in your region. In the end, retsina is a highly acquired taste, and you may not find it to your liking, but at least you can say you tried!