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

August 2015

Home2015 (Page 3)

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Wine Reviews

  I brought home a number of bottles from my miserable week in Hungary. Which, to clarify, was miserable not because I was in Hungary but because of why I was there. What’s not entirely miserable is this 2012 Chateau Vazsonyi Zweigelt I picked up while there. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a Zweigelt wine before. Typically an Austrian grape (although apparently also cultivated in Hungary) the blue-black Zweigelt grape is used for both red and rose wines. A dark, opaque red, the Chateau Vazsonyi is very hot in the nose with cassis and maybe blueberry. It’s definitely a little hot. Not much for the tannins, nor is there a great

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Suvla has out a new series this year: Bigalı (running 19TL/bottle). I believe we’ve already covered the red so, in keeping with drinking more whites during the summer, it is time to discuss the Suvla Bigalı White. The Suvla Bigalı White is like a super blend combining Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Roussanne, and Marsanne. I’m not even sure where to begin with all of them especially as I am completely unfamiliar with the latter two. So with everything I don’t know in mind…here we go. The 2014 Suvla Bigalı White is straw gold in color.  The nose is very floral (unsurprising really with any of these grapes). On the palate it’s floral,

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Wine Reviews

  We’re trying something a little different today! I was stuck in the middle of nowhere Hungary for work for a 10-day staff retreat…so naturally I was drinking. I was drinking a lot. It’s been 12-ish years since I was in Hungary and I knew zero about wine then which means that Hungarian wine made no impression on me (sorry, dudes). However I was happy to learn on this trip! That was about the only ting I was happy to do on that trip… The village where we were sequestered had a festival of Hungarianness. Although (as one vendor explained to me) it was not Hungarianness that has always been

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I love the Suvla Sauvignon Blanc. Love. So when I was recommended the Suvla Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend I was only too happy to try it. I don’t know much about Semillons and learning with Suvla is usually a safe bet, especially at 43TL a bottle. Suvla’s blend is very, very pale, almost colorless; but what it lacks in color it makes up for in the nose. Floral, peach, and grapefruit. On the palate I got a lot of butter but also peach, citrus, and a little mango I think. Crisp, minerally, and with a long, clean finish make me think that this medium bodied white would pair nicely with medium

By 0Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I’ve been through Suvla’s Kabetepe red, white. and blush so I figured I should bookend the series and get the last one, the rose. I’m still a little resistant to pink wine but a) it’s only 15 TL and b) it’s Suvla so how bad could it be? Not very, I’m happy to say. In the glass the Suvla Kabetepe Rose was a bright rose, salmon color with a lot of berry and floral scents in the nose. It even smelled dry if that’s possible. On the palate it was low in tannin,  with medium acid, and a long dry finish. Crisp with berry flavors, it was refreshing and paired really well with

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Now is the time I try to switch to white or rose wines to beat the Istanbul summer heat. Since I am really enjoying this new winery, Gordias, it seemed a good place to start my summer trend. For one thing, I really like the minimalist goat-looking logo. More importantly though-the wines are killer. I’ve been a little on the fence about Narince wines; aside from the unicorn that is an unoaked Chardonnay, I’m just not really into dry whites. I am into Gordias though so when I found a bottle of Narince at Solera (55TL) I decided to give it a go. The Narince is not a big wine,

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I found a cork in one of my purses the other day and remembered that I got the cork at Solera some time back when E&M and I were there. We had a wine that night I liked a lot and kept the cork to remind myself. Unfortunately the cork was marked with only the maker’s name and not the exact wine so when I finally remembered to go back to buy a bottle I bought the only Yazgan on hand at the time-the 2013 Mahra Kalecik Karasi-Syrah blend. In the glass the Mahra is a nice clear red/garnet color. On the nose…red berries, cherries, maybe a little vanilla and

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Like the Urla, Nodus was another new discovery at Comedus. I chose this Nodus Cabernet Franc Merlot partially because Nodus was a new producer to me but mostly because I continue to search for a respectable Turkish Cabernet Franc. That this was a Cab Franc-Merlot blend didn’t thrill me a whole lot but I take what I can get. A very pretty garnet in the glass, I was getting a lot of green pepper in the nose which surprised me. I don’t usually look for either of these varietals to be bell peppery. Soft with low tannins and low acid, the mouth of the Nodus Cabernet Franc Merlot was full of lovely

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I went to Sensus wine bar a number of weeks ago and had a little bit of a shopping spree. Among the spoils of my trip was a Turkish Viognier. A Turkish Viognier!! I did not know that Turkey made Viognier and I was so freaking excited to see it I didn’t even flinch at the 95TL price tag on the Chamlija Viognier. If you’re going to spend 95TL on a bottle of wine though; this Chamlija Viognier is worth it. Golden straw colored with an aromatic floral, peach, and apple nose; I must admit that I just sat with the nose for a little while. Sometimes the nose ends up

By 2Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I must preface this by saying that I actually drank this Turasan Syrah before the Emir I recently both reviewed and enjoyed. So…grain of salt. Since I’ve had a couple bad experiences with Turasan wines I was pleasantly surprised by one M bought a while ago. Like the previously reviewed Emir, the 2013 Turasan Syrah may have changed my mind. And at 38TL won’t break the bank. A pretty purple and a spicy, plummy nose lead to a soft wine and a mouth full of blackberries. I thought I also tasted sour cherries but either the wine was a little too yeasty or I don’t know what a red currant tastes like. According