On the last day of the 9th Thessaloniki International Wine Competition wwwwineroadsgr my Canadian friend and cojudge Tony Aspler asked me to taste a retsina Luckily one of the finest addresses of modern made far from lacklustre retsina is close by There are dozens of cheaper labels on the market None though as intriguing and different as To Dakri tou Pefkou the tear of the pine So before going to lunch we tasted it His comment It is elegant That it is There is more to this upmarket handcrafted retsina Bear with me putting things into context Retsina resinated wine is usually made with the Savatiano grape Its historic homeland is around Athens in the villages of Markopoulo and Spata not far from the airport Thessaloniki is another retsina town mainly due to the huge Malamatina concern Very little is actually made elsewhere How is it made In short after fermentation kicks off in your stainless steel tank one adds the pine resin Presto your menthollike freshness You either love it or cannot stand it There is opinion but no dogma in these pages No one is asking to like our heritage To me retsina is above all a summer wine Alfresco dining Barefoot twirling tows in sand or lukewarm moist pebbles It makes a great spritzer long glass ice and soda Grilled sardines Here the usually ultrafood friendly Chardonnay fails the test Frankly retsina does not often feature on my winter shortlists Yet one has to remain open minded On a whim and with rather high curiosity stakes I recently gambled by pairing it with a mediumhot perfumed curry Delicious It works a lot better than lager beer Back to this topend vintagedated resinated wine Two influential factors have been changed from the above outlined recipe The grape Upgraded if you wish to Assyrtiko Noted for its structure mineral sympathies and high acidity It is then fermented not in stainless steel tanks in which most good commercial largevolume retsina is now made Our Dakri Tear is fermented in new oak casks After fermentation has ceased it is left on its fine lees for some time Just as aspiring to greatness Chardonnays the lees are stirred to broaden flavour So this is Kechris winning recipe Start with the most striking white grape of the eastern Mediterranean Add Halepensis pine resin and after fermentation has run its course let autolysis oak and nature to do the rest Its aroma is delicate Not your heavyhanded well turpentine burst of a comainducing resin mega dosage In fact its aroma almost behaves like any other fine wine Nuanced constantly changing A whiff of lavender A broad layered spectrum of fascinating flavours Freshly grated ginger and Chios mastic Crisp clean lemony tasting with persistence on the finish Lets face it no other wine jolts your senses like good retsina Serve chilled but not cold Otherwise you will miss out on most of the action The best is yet to come Does not wine have the last word Go ahead and astonish yourself enjoy it again in intervals of 6 12 even 18 months Natures greatness is infinitely instructive It is humbling too How did this wine do in the competition It won a Gold medal Three years ago it scooped up Double Gold which is the most coveted gong of all This time neither Tony or I judged retsina There is always next year
Wine: To Dakri tou Pefkou 2008 Stelios Kechris and Daughters
Year: 2008
Link: http://www.kechri.gr/home.htm
Score: 17.5
Type: White
Variety: Assyrtiko
Area: Macedonia