And do I serve it chilled? Thanks. If it matters, this is a very cheap bottle.

As opposed to an expensive Retsina?

Well, at least it's not bland.

Retsina...ok, I'll be the one here to appear stoopid....What's 'Retsina'?

Sometimes it's better not to know, TJ.

It's a Greek white wine famous for its [horrifying] resiny, sappy taste. The best compliment I've ever heard it paid was someone who called it "an acquired taste."

bernsen, if you must drink it, I think dolmades, homous, tzatziki, you know, the mainstream Greek stuff.

Bleeeech, yeeeech, bloooey. Best thing to do with that bottle is ignore it, but I suppose you want to know what it tastes like... So, be prepared to be disguested...

Actually, I really like Greek food, though we usually order a lighter Italian wine to accompany it in restaurants (Valpolicella, Soave, etc.).

Once at a Greek eatery when a waiter offered us a complimentary glass of Retsina with our appetizers, my witty friend told him that he preferred the other famous Greek beverage: hemlock.

Though I think Eric pretty much captured the spirit of it quite well.

I used to work in a BBQ restaurant for a Greek guy. What to do with the retsina: Go find a Greek priest, serve it to him, and ask him to bless you and your future wine purchases,. What ever you do don't drink it. Is it red or yellow?

TJ: I believe its wine, fortified with pine resin. Pine resin=think turpentine.

Do I detect a slight lack of enthusiasm for retsina? I have to try it now

E-gad! That sounds disgusting. I'd bet just smelling it in the glass might make me want to wretch. Oy-vey!

Actually, while an acquired taste, it does go well with some Greek food. try it with bread and greek olives. The pine resin taste comes from - ta da - pine resin. However, it should be chilled, and served in little glasses so you don't have to spend too much time admiring the nose.

I don't especially like it, but when in Greece, I drank a lot of it, along with ouzo (I didn't spell that right, but you know what I mean, that kick butt stuff that tastes like licorice). Amazing what you will drink when you are 19 yo.

Ouzo I think is correct, and the greek brandy is Metaxa, has a star rating...five stars, seven stars

do you have any enemies? give it to them.

I give mine to TBird.

Hey, I tried Retsina once...

Just once.

Stuff is definatly "an acquired taste".

I think Dolmades would be the best thing to pair with it. Minced lamb with rosemary wrapped in grape leaves.

That hemlock anecdote is hilarious, btw.

There is absolutely nothing you can do with a bottle or Retsina. It is illegal to dump in into the sewer system and it is much to fragile to use as a door stop. Maybe, like a fruit cake, you could gift it to someone.

I guess the obvious answer to this wonderful straightline will go unspoken.

Trade it with a Colombian for aguardiente

Sheesh...you guys just don't know how to pair Retsina correctly!

You've had Asti Spumanti, right? Ever had it with pancakes and syrup? Asti turns into a light, dry, delicate, subtle wine with pancakes and syrup.

So, it's getting cold and snow is coming. Isn't it about time for you to pull out your wooden cross-country skis to scrap and pine tar the bases? Sure it is. And when you slather the pine tar onto the ski bases...open a bottle of Retsina! See? Light, delicate, subtle wine.

Your killin' me EricL!

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