Kechris Winery – Tear of the Pine 2024

I didn't get this Retsina into my glass on its own in June 2026, but rather alongside the 2022 of the same line that same day – that Kechris Tear of the Pine which Decanter named Best in Show and honoured with 97 points, though I myself rated it only 91. This side-by-side tasting is the real touchstone for the 2024, and let me give away the result up front: for me, the 2024 is currently clearly ahead of the legendary 2022. Whether I perhaps simply tasted the 2022 two years too late, I can't rule out – but in direct comparison the decision comes easily.

The Tear of the Pine is a Retsina, classified as "Appellation by Tradition," and across the whole series with the same curiosity – the grapes come from Goumenissa, but the local PDO Goumenissa is a red Xinomavro-Negoska appellation in which a white Assyrtiko Retsina simply cannot be labelled. And that is precisely where the crux of my thesis lies: anyone with a bit of experience with Retsina, who isn't utterly floored that the base here is 100 percent Assyrtiko and not Savatiano, will have no real doubt as to which of the two wines is the better. Eleni Kechri treats the resin not as a preservative but like wood – as an aromatic-structural element, added during the barrel fermentation at around 15 degrees; on top of that cold maceration and six months on the fine lees with regular bâtonnage.

As a vintage, 2024 was an extreme year in Macedonia: the warmest, with the harshest drought and the earliest harvest ever. The whites in particular had a hard time of it, because the heat put pressure on acidity and freshness, and only very early picking could rescue the aromatics. All the more remarkable, then, that the 2024 holds 7.5 g/l total acidity, compared with 6.5 g/l in the 2023 – an achievement in such a hot year, and it tallies with my impression that the 2024 is currently clearly out in front.

On the nose the 2024 shines with ethereal but not heavy resin, reminiscent of the bright, resinous green of freshly sprouted pine shoots. At the same time the Assyrtiko is aromatically present, with plenty of fruit. This interplay, this dance – I can't call it anything else – carries on onto the palate: at times the Assyrtiko's acidity steps to the fore, at times the resin draws attention to itself with mint. Above all, though, in terms of texture, resin and wine complement and "play" with one another. And that is exactly what I missed in the 2022 – there I found texture, creaminess and fruit lacking, and it threatened to tip into wateriness. Here the opposite happens: the interplay carries the wine.

My high assessment is confirmed by the Thessaloniki Wine & Spirits Trophy 2026, where the 2024 was awarded Gold and 96 points and crowned category winner as "Best Retsina." (Not to be confused with the Decanter Best in Show – that was the 2022.) For me this is a truly great Retsina, and at around 20 euros it is very, very affordable for what it delivers. I award it 93 points.