Greece - the cradle of the world's wine, has not kept pace, or do not want to keep up with the times, keeping a local flavor.Wine produces most of the old-fashioned, completely dismissing the modern wine-making schemes and retaining can be unproductive fodder, but especially local varieties of grapes.In ancient times, according to contemporaries, Greek wines were delicious.Especially prized wines from the islands of Chios and Tatosov.Over a thousand years of Greek wines in the Mediterranean were sold everywhere.
wine is stored in open containers - amphorae.Open to the air, wine amphorae perishable sour.For long-term storage of the beverage of Dionysus, in the wide open blood vessels on the surface of the wine poured into a mixture of oil and resin.Normally I used pine tar and mastic.In the carriage of wine inside of the ceramic vessels are also often covered with resin to protect the infiltration of wine outside.And the vessels themselves and stopped with wooden plugs of pine and fill them with resin for sealing.
was another option probkovaniya -gorlyshko amphora plastered with a mixture of plaster and resin.Furthermore, in the wine itself was added resin.While the mixing of the resin in the wine is not limited only to Greece, but was widespread from the Middle East to Western Europe.The resin is added to wine for the prevention of acidification, for flavor and for the good of the organism.Ancient it was considered curative.The Greek historian Plutarch (the end of I, the beginning of the II century BC. E.) Mentions in his writings that the resin used to enhance flavor and improve the taste of wine.
In 1997, Patrick McGovern and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania during the excavation of an ancient ship in Iran have found it with the remains of the container of wine, mixing with turpentine resin.The find, dated between 5400 and 5000 BC, the earliest evidence of the use of resin of ancient wine.
It turns out that the addition of the resin in the wine - one of the oldest wine trading traditions of the world - was prevalent in ancient times, if not universally, in most wine regions of Europe and Asia.At the same time, the resin produces wines exclusively Greece, a country of myths.They enjoy the respect and love of local people.
resin wine Why do not other countries?The main reason lies in the fact that these wines are quite far from the established international flavor of the wine style.Resin wines are not refined, they are daily and they are difficult to weave chain sequentially supplied drinks during dinner party.They are not compatible with other wines, either one or the other but not in pairs.Therefore, until recently, tar wine were out of commerce.Greece made them for domestic consumption.
Only in the last 20 years, the wine resin Greece became confident to conquer the world.Currently, 13 countries in Europe are imported from Greece every year about two million bottles of these wines, with half of this amount is consumed in Germany.The journal of the European Community from 22 July 1980 resin white wine is officially registered as a table.At the same time, the addition of resin to wine is allowed only Greek winemakers for wines from local grapes.Such a procedure with imported wine is forbidden.
What are they, tar wine?As well as the usual wine, they are white and red.Red wine with resin in Greece called "Kokineli."It is produced in small quantities.For the production of grapes used kokineli Mantilari that goes on preparation of conventional dry wine.Kokineli along with not very strong resinous odor and taste preserves the characteristic flavor of red wine.Based on the general concepts of conventional style taste wine is that wine should be the most popular among non-Greeks.However, the most popular in Greece and abroad enjoys resin white wine - Retsina.
word "retsina" in Greek means "pitch".And to add to the resin in the wine called "retsinorovanie."Fortress retsina is in most cases 11.5 degrees.This wine is not designed for optimal storage and his age should not exceed one or two years.The first experience of drinking retsina need to be prepared.First of all, it is not necessary to adjust himself to the comparison with another wine.Before the first sip, try to feel the soft woody fragrance, and after a pleasant sharp taste, gives a special poignancy spineless light white wines with a fruity character.If after the second sip retsina not seem disgusting, the third sip a pleasure and you will appreciate the freshness, sharpness, piquancy multilayer retsina.Sometimes Rezin jokingly referred to as "love at third sip."
Greece Rezin abundantly poured numerous local snacks - "tzatziki" and "tarama salad", "dolmades" or beans "Gigantes", roasted lamb and the small fish fried to a crisp "maridaki."By and large, combined with Rezin all but the other wines that do not contain resin.Serve chilled retsina is better to 7 - 10 degrees, like any ordinary white wine.When buying, choose the most bright retsina wine.Too sharp smell of resin - a sign of retsina is not very high quality.The good wine clearly expressed resinous aroma should not completely clog the bouquet of the wine.
So, if you are in Greece, be sure to try and retsina kokineli.These wines have become almost synonymous with the great ancient country, and their taste - the taste.
Articles Source: vinishko.com
