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March 2018

Home2018 (Page 7)

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  In 1993 Güler Sabancı of the Sabancı Group, established Gülor Winery in the fertile soils of Tekirdağ, part of Turkey’s Thracian region. Upon founding the winery, Sabancı sought the assistance of Professor Nicolas Vivas from the University of Bordeaux. Vivas directed all phases of production and winemaking until 2012, when seventh-generation winemaker Antoine Bastide d’Izar took over the reins. Winemakers here often compare the terroir in this area of Thrace to that of Bordeaux. It is perhaps then not surprising that many of the vineyards here are planted with French varietals.  Combine that with their French winemakers, it is no great shock that Gülor also cultivates French varietals. The vineyards in Tekirdağ are dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot,

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Another February has come and gone, although you wouldn’t have known it were you in Istanbul. It’s been a few years since we experienced such a mild winter and while I’m sure there are huge negative environmental impacts resulting from it; for snow haters such as myself it was a delight. The Wines February brought more than unseasonably balmy weather and yet another Valentine’s Day spent with my cat…it also meant another Sommeliers’ Selection Turkey. Last year was the first year I attended and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t known about it before. One of (if not the) largest wine events in Turkey, Sommeliers’ Selection is a great place to

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  In my research into Turkish wineries I knew that there was one called Mozaik somewhere in Urla. It wasn’t until a wine tasting I attended though that I finally managed to have one of their wines. After that there was no stopping me and I got my hands on as many of their wines as I could.   Mozaik Winery Mozaik Winery’s vineyards and the Mahrem wines produced in its on-site winery are a family project. In 2006 they planted their vines in Urla, near Izmir, smack in the Urla Bağ Yolu.  Situated between Izmir and the famous resort town of Çeşme; Urla is the heart of Izmir-based vineyards. Long before the vineyards

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I had a chance to visit Chamlija’s tasting restaurant a while back. While there I learned that they produce so many more wines than those that make it to the Istanbul market, including the Chamlija Mavrud. Before our visit I had never heard of the Mavrud grape but I won’t forget it now. Bulgarian Roots in Turkey Mavrud is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines, indigenous to the region of Thrace in Bulgaria, particularly around the city of Plovdiv. The grape’s name is likely derived from the Greek word “mavro” which means black. However there’s a nice legend that goes with

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I have not explored Büyülübağ’s wines as much as I should have. My first introduction to them was with one of their Vedat Milor* wines. It wasn’t until one of my first all Turkish (language, not wines) tastings group that I really discovered these wines. It was Christmas Eve and Alp Törüner, founder of Büyülübağ, lead us through a vertical tasting of his Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Törüner’s family has had a huge French influence, two of his aunts are French and brought a lot of French culture to the family; including the practice of drinking wine with meals. This is why he decided to work largely with French varietals. Despite this, his goal is to

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Located in the village of Havsa outside Edirne, Edrine (not to be confused with the city Edirne!) is a family run winery. Founded in 2007 their first vintage came out in 2010. What started as a boutique winery has expanded rapidly and Edrine now produces some 2 million liters of wine annually. The owners, the Öktem family, concentrate on creating quality and affordable wines. At Edrine they believe strongly in the flavor of the “naked” grape they use very little oak. At most they add oak chips for a few days. Otherwise everything is aged in steel. The Winery produces under several labels: the eponymous Edrine, 22, and the Color

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Chateau Kalpak is the love child of Bülent Kalpaklıoğlu who began developing the vineyard in 2003. It was not until 2010 that he released his first vintage. His goal for Chateau Kalpak is to create a single chateau-style wine from a single vineyard. In order to achieve this, he picked the best root-stocks and clones of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot to match the vineyard terrior. Only two blends are released annually: Chateau Kalpak and BBK. They harvest, ferment, and age (30-36 months) each parcel (about 1 hectar) separately. At Chateau Kalpak they use Hungarian oak barriques made out of wood selected for their balance, bouquet, and character. This

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

  My Greek wine education began with my friends E&M. E’s family is Greek and her frequent trips to the country the last few years have netted many opportunities to sample wine that she brings back to Istanbul. One of the wines she brought home last year was this Ktima Palivou Nemea Agiorgitiko 2014. Palivou Estate Ktima Palivou (Palivou Estate) is one of the two largest wineries in Greece’s Nemea PDO (protected designation of origin). Its main effort is with the Agiorgitiko grape variety but the estate also cultivates  Rodites, Malagousia, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. In order to take advantage of the various microclimates and soils the estate has vineyards in various

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I have written about Chamlija’s Albariño twice now and will again with every new vintage they produce. This gem though is not the Albariño, but the Alvarinho Reserve. Before we talk about the wine, lets talk about the grape. Albariño and Alvarinho are the same grape. Like Syrah and Shiraz it simply has a different name depending on location. Albariño is the Spanish name and Alvarinho the Portuguese name. Generally quite aromatic, Albariño grapes make wines that are fruity and light with lively acidity. I have yet to drink a rendition of this wine that I don’t love; especially in the heat of summer when you want a refreshing and zippy wine! Albariño is also a perfect

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  It has been years since I’ve written about Chateau Gali. Granted Gali doesn’t have the output some of the other wineries here do but considering how much I enjoy both the eponymous blend and the Evreshe Bordeaux blend it is a little shameful. So let’s talk about the Chateau Gali Saros blend. Gali’s story began in 2005, when founder, Hakan Kavur, acquired 48 hectares of land in the Gallipoli Peninsula. The goal was to manufacture a single wine, ‘GALİ. They planted about 24 hectares of land with 78% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. In November 2011 they released their first wine, the Gali 2009 blend. The 24-hectare vineyard