Retsina, Aoton - 2019

Name: Retsina, Aoton
Brand: Aoton
SKU: 51736
Price: 18.96 USD
Availability: InStock

Item # 51736 750 mL

A dry white blend of Savatiano and Roditis, which are harvested at night to maintain a low temperature, from 25+ year-old vines. The wine sees 10 days skin contact, and Aleppo Pine Resin from Kouvaras is added. With its traditional pine aromas, medium body, and tannic structure, this will pair well with roast lamb and rosemary.

$18.96/ Single Bottle

$227.52 $204.77/ Case of 12

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Color

White

Vintage

2019

Country

Greece

Region

Central

Sub-Region

Attica

Producer

Aoton

Grape Variety

Savatiano

Roditis

Production Methods

Organic

Orange Wine (Skin Contact)

Organic

Certified Organic

Wine made from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides in the vineyard. Certified in the country of origin.

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Staff Pick Notes

We already know of the world-class mineral whites like Assyrtiko and the finely structured and perfumed reds like Xinomavro, but there has been a conspicuous absence of a native Greek staple: Retsina. For so long, this resinated style was an embarrassment for cosmopolitan Greeks and something served by the carafe at tourist traps to sunburned revelers who got lost on the way to Ibiza and decided Mykonos would have to do. But a new age for the formerly maligned style has come. Aoton Winery, located in Attica just outside of Athens, has made a tremendous example of this new look. The grapes, night harvested to retain freshness, are left on the skins for 10 days while .5 g/l of Aleppo pine resin is added during fermentation to give the wine the famous piney profile. Herbal and lifted and edgy, the food pairings here are many, & great alone.

- JA

Glossary

Roditis

A rosé colored grape used primarily to make the light white wines of Patra. Crisp and dry, with aromas of citrus and honeysuckle, this is a good grape to try in place of your daily Pinot Grigio. This varietal is frequently blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer to make richer, more full-bodied whites, and with Savatiano to make Retsina.

Savatiano

Pronounced "sa va tya NO", this is the single most common grape variety grown in Greece, with particularly prolific plantings in Attica. This light-skinned grape is exceptionally resistant to the frequent droughts of the region, and is the prime ingredient in the traditional pine-flavored Greek wine, Retsina.

Retsina

This is Greek history in a bottle! For years, Greek winemakers used pine resin to seal their winebarrels, and thus the resultant white and rosé wines took on the distinctive flavor of pine. Nowadays the wine is produced by adding small amounts of Aleppo pine resin to the fermenting grape juice. Immensely popular as the perfect accompaniment to Greek meze (or appetizers), this completely unique wine is more appreciable if considered more of an aperitif.

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