Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi eu nulla vehicula, sagittis tortor id, fermentum nunc. Donec gravida mi a condimentum rutrum. Praesent aliquet pellentesque nisi.
vino@elated-themes.com

December 2015

Home2015

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  A friend of mine was in town not too long ago and I met her at her hotel for a drink. Normally I’d have suggested Solera or one of the other wine places I like so much but she was staying at Soho House and I couldn’t not go. I am not that cool Soho House is a private club/luxury hotel with locations around the world. A new location was recently opened in Istanbul in what was the American Consulate here. Now the American Consulate is far outside the city it might as well be in Bulgaria. It’s a gorgeous building and Soho House has done a lot of expensive

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I had a while back at a Pop Up event.  At Pop Up you bring your own wine and, as I’ve seen this bottle around a lot but had yet to buy it myself I was happy to share my neighbor’s bottle. Unfortunately I was already in the bottle I’d brought so my notes from this are somewhat less than super helpful… The 2014 Arra Saranda (a sub label of Vino Dessera) blend is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and the “throat burning” Boğazkere I love so much. It’s ruby red color was a little clearer and brighter than I would expect from a blend of these particular grapes.

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  As sometimes happens when I’m not sure which new wine to buy, I purchased the Diren Les Muses based on how pretty the label is. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t. I think this time it was a bit of a half win. The 2009 Diren Les Muses is a Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice ruby red color. On the nose I got, of all things, chocolate covered cherries. While at first it seemed a little weird it really isn’t when you think that Cabernet Sauvignon is known for its black cherry and dark berry aromas and that cocoa nib aromas can result from the oaking. It’s the

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Recently, my favorite wine blog, Winefolly, posted 99 Reasons to Drink. As much as I revere Winefolly, I think she missed a few so I thought I’d add my 2 cents! 100. You got fun new wine glasses. 101. You got a new book about wine. 102. You actually read the new book about wine. 103. You have cheese. 104. You found a new winery. 105. Because it goes well with classic black & white films. 106. Because it improves the view. 107. Because you need space on your wine rack. 108. Because red is your favorite color. 109. Because white is your favorite color. 110. And lest we forget…because it’s scrummy! Yazgan Boğazkere 2013 Tasting Notes Unfortunately this is one of those wines

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  The Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc blend is not Prodom’s only red blend. There is also the Prodom Syrah Kalecik Karası blend (also 120TL at La Cave) and, thanks to my awesome neighbor who wanted to do a comparison of the two, I had a chance to try it. I’m not a huge fan of Syrah in general, or of blends that are majority Syrah, as I find that many of them are too tart for my liking. So I was pleasantly surprised to find enjoying this one from the first sip. The nose of the Prodom Syrah Kalecik Karası was spice, cherries, red fruit, and something sweet that I couldn’t quite

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  We know I love Suvla but I love Suvla even more now than before because they are now producing  a Boğazkere, an Öküzgöz, and a Boğazkere-Öküzgözü blend. I am so thrilled I’m practically dancing. While I can’t wait to try them all, this week we’re talking about the Boğazkere. Boğazkere grapes are dark and often produce purply-red wines and the Suvla followed form. In the nose I thought I detected liquorice, berries, clove, and maybe some eucalyptus. It’s a nice nose. I often find with good wines that I become so immersed enjoying the nose that it’s a little while before get own to drinking. Someone should be making

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I have so many fond memories of the Prodom Syrah Petit Verdot Cabernet Franc blend. It was the first truly beautiful Turkish wine I had. It was the wine that made me realize both that Turkish wine could be amazing and that (at 120 TL at La Cave) that I was probably going to have to pay for amazing wine. Why did I fall so hard in love with this wine? Well tannins for one thing. Every time I treat myself to a bottle of this I’m reminded again of the very niiiice tannins it has, and I loves me some tannins. But I get ahead of myself. The nose is

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Every time I visit the Suvla shop in Cihangir I inquire as to whether or not something new has come out. Last time I hit a jackpot. Suvla has a new Kirte. I’ve previously blogged about the 2011 Kirte and the 2010 so it’s time to see what’s going on with the 2012 Suvla Kirte! Suvla’s Kirtes are the same blend of wines as their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc blend which remains one of my absolute favorite Suvla wines. However, unlike the (unnamed) blend, the Kirtes are oaked. The extra attention also reflects in the price. Whereas the blend hovers around 28TL/bottle, the Kirtes are in the 40TL

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  During my buying spree at Sensus they gifted me with a half bottle of Yanık Ülke Strabon which is a Boğazkere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot blend. It’s like a personal bottle of wine! Well, who am I trying to kid? All bottles of wine, regardless of size, are personal sized for me! The dark, dark, dense red color matched the hot, spicy, smokey nose to perfection. And wow it’s got some legs. What are “legs” anyway? When I first started drinking wine I always looked for them during the swirl stage thinking, erroneously, that they were an indication of quality. Legs are actually an indication of the amount of

By 1Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I fell a little in love with Gordias wines previously after trying the Kalecik Karası and Narınce. Then one afternoon in Sensus Galata I found MORE. More Gordias wines! Including a Gordias Boğazkere (55TL) and the “throat burner” Turkish grape has long been a favorite. I really let the anticipation on this one build and took some time to enjoy the deep, purply red color. Then on to the nose; what is that? Seriously it took me about 10 minutes to figure out what I was smelling. It was so familiar but at the same time utterly elusive-until it hit me; pine forests and leather. The nose is replete with