What is the name of the Greek grape must syrup used in cooking?

The Greek grape-must syrup used in cooking is called petimezi. It is made by concentrating grape must—the fresh juice of pressed grapes—until it becomes thick, dark, and syrupy, with a sweet flavor and slight bitter undertones.

Petimezi is also known as epsima and is sometimes described in English as grape molasses or grapemust. Unlike wine, it is not fermented; the grape juice is cooked down, so the finished syrup contains no alcohol. Its color can range from light to dark depending on the grapes and the degree of reduction.

Before inexpensive cane sugar became widely available, petimezi was an important sweetener in Greek cooking, alongside honey and carob syrup. It remains useful in desserts, cakes, cookies, and as a topping, but it can also appear in savory preparations. A common mix-up is retsina, which is a fermented Greek wine, while grappa is a distilled spirit made from grape pomace.