Papagiannakos Retsina 2025 75cl

Description

Domaine Papagiannakos Retsina Traditional Appellation is an extraordinarily elegant, authentic white wine produced in the historic Mesogaia plain of Attica, Greece. Established in 1919 and now run by the third generation of the Papagiannakos family, the estate is renowned for reinventing traditional Greek winemaking with modern precision. Crafted from ancient-vine Savatiano and infused with local pine resin, this bottling shatters old preconceptions, offering a refined, balanced, and food-friendly interpretation of Greece’s most famous historic wine style.

Why You’ll Love It

This wine offers a fresh, sophisticated take on Retsina that emphasizes harmony over heavy pine bitterness. By suspending carefully measured amounts of pine resin during fermentation rather than over-extracting, Papagiannakos achieves a delicate interplay between aromatic herbal lift and pristine, Old-World fruit. Grown on dry-farmed old vines in the sunny Attika region, it delivers a clean, textured, and deeply refreshing pour that bridges thousands of years of tradition with modern technical finesse.

Vineyard & Production

The grapes are harvested from old Savatiano vines in the Markopoulo region of Attica, where limestone soils and cooling Aegean breezes foster excellent structural balance. Following classic white wine vinification in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, high-quality Aleppo pine resin sourced from the nearby Kouvras forest is placed in cotton bags and suspended in the cooling must. Once the winemaker judges that the perfect balance of resin fragrance and natural fruit character has been achieved, the bags are removed, preserving the pure vitality of the base wine before bottling.

Tasting Notes

Glinting a bright, pale yellow hue in the glass, this wine opens with a fragrant and lifted bouquet of sweet pine, wild rosemary, and thyme, balanced by zesty notes of fresh lemon and yellow apple. On the palate, it is crisp, medium-bodied, and well-textured, delivering vibrant citrus flavours layered with soft herbal freshness and subtle pine resin accents. The natural weight of old-vine Savatiano provides a smooth mouthfeel leading to a clean, refreshing, and persistent finish.

Perfect Pairings

Thanks to its zesty acidity, herbal nuances, and palate-cleansing pine freshness, this Greek white is an outstanding partner for rich Mediterranean cuisine. It pairs magnificently with pan-fried fish, grilled octopus, calamari, braised fennel, and classic Greek mezze. It is also a brilliant match for hearty roasted meats such as grilled lamb chops, seasoned pork meatballs (keftedes), and garlic-rubbed flatbreads.

Grape Varieties

100% Savatiano