Ρετσίνα Σπάτων (Retsina Spaton)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Flat zone with gently rolling topography; vineyards extend up to 200 m elevation, close to the sea.
• Soils: light-coloured Attic μάργες and red-brown earths of medium mechanical composition (SL, SCL), neutral pH, locally elevated CaCO₃.
• Dry Mediterranean μεσογειακό κλίμα: mean summer temperature 29.4 °C, January minimum 7.3 °C.
• Rainfall 380–400 mm/year, concentrated from October to April; evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation during the growing season.
• Prevailing winds: N–NE in winter; light to moderate winds in spring and summer.

• Winemaking with resin in Κρήτη as early as 2200 BC, according to archaeological analyses of clay vessels.
• Pine resin was originally added to seal amphorae and preserve their contents, and later also to aromatise the must.

• The uniqueness of Ρετσίνα Σπάτων is explicitly attributed to the combination of soil, climate, and summer winds.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — ypaat
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-GR-A1594
• Official trade body site — Wines of Greece (EDOAO)