‘Tear of the Pine’ takes Greece’s Retsina Wine to New Levels

The age-old Greek favorite retsina wine came into the spotlight last week during a special event at the Varoulko Seaside restaurant with the Kechris Domaine celebrating a decade of one of its prized products.

Titled “10 Years of Tear of the Pine: From the Stereotype of Yesterday to Tomorrow’s Standard”, the event brought together guests from the world of gastronomy in order to highlight the progress made with regards to the process and quality of retsina.

A unique-to-Greece white wine, retsina is a resinated wine that has been made for at least 2,000 years and which involved pine resin to help keep air out of the vessels while infusing it with resin aroma.

Stelios Kechris, owner; Eleni Kechri, oenologist; and Konstantinos Lazarakis, Master of Wine.

Stelios Kechris envisioned the upgrade of the product, which was subject to controversy due to the resin. He believed that retsina could establish itself as a unique Greek product that could compete on equal ground with other wines. And so… Tear of the Pine was born 10 years ago winning over the crowds with its quality.

A highlight of the evening was a tasting of a decade full of retsina wines, each through to 2015.

Kechri family with Michelin Star chef Lefteris Lazarou.

The event included a presentation of the history and the wine-making process and was followed by a five-course food-pairing meal prepared by Michelin Star chef Lefteris Lazarou, with the aim to present retsina’s central role in the gastronomic experience.

The event was organized in collaboration with food and wine tours and events planners Trip2taste. Founded in 2013, Trip2taste was awarded Silver for Gastronomy Tourism at the annual Tourism Awards last year.