In fact Greek literature is full ofwine references. It's even written that while the gods drank nectar, the Greek people drank wine. The climate of Greece is extreme with some of the hottest vineyards on Earth. The climate not only dictates what grape varieties will be grown across the country, it also dictates the kind of wine the Greek people will want to drink. The Greek palate looks for light, easy drinking wines that are thirst quenching and refreshing.
White wines dominate, but some reds and dessert style wines are also produced.
Of all the Greek white wines the most famous, or infamous, is Retsina. This wine has the distinct flavour of pine, which comes from the pine resin that is added to the must before fermentation. There are numerous stories why this was done, but the most logical is that before wooden barrels earthenware jugs were used for storing wine. These jugs often leaked so the wine makers would layer the inside of the jugs with pine tar. The pine tar not only made the jugs waterproof, it also acted as a preservative.