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August 2019

Home2019 (Page 5)

By 1Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  In high school one of my favorite songs was Aerosmith's Pink. And while pink anything, let along wine, is not my obsession, I'm no longer so obsessed with hating it. In my previous post about Turkish rosé, I covered a handful of pink wines I've had here which have helped (slowly) change my mind about rosé. As winemakers respond to the global trend that has popularized rosé as serious wine so too has the quality increased. There's still more than enough plonk available. However, one can find a few gems out there ranging from the fruity and simple to more complex and savory. Maybe the next time you reach

By 0European Wines, Sweet Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Recently I took a break from all things Turkey and, as an early birthday present to myself, spent five days in Hungary to learn about their wines. However, where to start? I've had enough of driving myself around Turkey so I knew I wanted a tour. That's how I found Taste Hungary. Making arrangements through Taste Hungary was the best decision. They arranged two private wine tours for me, one to Tokaj and one to Somló. I also spent some time at their Tasting Table in Budapest attending their Hungarian Wine Crash Course and [caption id="attachment_13133" align="alignright" width="300"] Tokaj town[/caption] generally tasting. And shopping! More on the Tasting Table and Somló later

By 1Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  As it has elsewhere in the world; pink wine has caught on in Turkey. Some winemakers make it grudgingly to satisfy market demand while others do so for the joy. I have my own very decided opinions about pink wine which I hold forth openly and somewhat bombastically. But I have set myself the goal of trying all the wine Turkey produces. Which, given the relatively diminutive size of the industry is frustratingly difficult to do. My self-appointed mission also includes all the pink wines. While I think many might dismiss rosé as being "sweet", my main issue with Turkish rosé is that it often tastes like

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I've never been entirely sure how my parents became a couple. Of course I've heard the story of how they met. But do I understand how it went further? Not so much. My mother's family are almost all slightly hippy musicians and artists. She's a classically trained singer and some of my earliest memories are of sitting in the theatre while she rehearsed. For about 15 years every summer her family held their own version of Woodstock. An all day food and music fest featuring any band a family member was in, the house band (i.e. my mom, aunts, and uncles), and culminated in a display of illegal

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

  Despite a winemaking history that some scholars say extends back even further in history than the Republic of Georgia's (renown for claiming to have 8,000 vintages of history), modern day Turkey has little to no domestic wine culture. Under Ottoman rule, Muslims were prohibited from making and drinking of wine. Combine that with the loss of the Greek and Armenian populations (i.e. those who could make and drink wine) in the early Twentieth Century, it's no surprise that today's Turks are just at the beginning of their wine discovery. While a small handful of wineries have operated here since the 40s, the winemaking boom only really began around the turn

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Şen Vineyards is a little-known winery tucked away in Balıkesir in Turkey's Marmara region. Better known for its harbor Bandırma (second only to Istanbul in commercial importance), than it is its wine, Balıkesir nonetheless has a long history of viticulture. So when Feyzi Şen decided to establish a vineyard he felt drawn to the inland village of Ilica in Balıkesir. The winery here produces three wines. Its top tier Hiera Germa, a series of varietal reds called Assuva, and its entry wine, a red blend called Kybele. Şen Vineyards cultivates only international varieties Cabernet Sauvingon, Merlot, and Syrah. While each level wine features one or a combination of these

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

  A negociant wine company started by friends Avto Kobakhidze, Givi Apakidze, and Zaza Asatiani, Wine Thieves claims to be “The finest quality Georgian wine ‘stolen’ exclusively for you". Of course not actually stolen, the trio purchase wine from small, family winemaker and market it under their own label. Beyond selling quality wine to the thirst fans, their goal is to help these small family wineries market and sell wine on their own. The families they work with all grow grapes organically and age their wine in the traditional qvevri (large clay amphora). Contracts with the individual families never last long so in a way all of Wine Thieves' wines

By 0Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Producing some 10 million liters of a wine a year, Kayra is not only one of the largest, but most recognized wine companies in Turkey. Between two production facilities, one in Turkey's Thrace in the European side of the country and the other in Elazığ deep in Anatolia, Kayra offers a wide diversity of flavors and price ranges across 11 labels: Kayra Imperial, Kayra Prestige, Kayra Versus, Kayra Vintage, Buzbağ Rezerv, Kayra, Terra, Allure, Leona, Buzbağ, and Tilsim. The Allure line includes simple whites and a rosé. Simple but quaffable, these food friendly wines also make great aperitifs. Kayra Allure "Beyaz" Kalecik Karası Rosé Kayra bills this particular wine as a

By 0Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I had this 2015 Paşaeli Karalahna Rose at a tasting with Şarap Atölyesi. Not being a fan of rose wines I wasn’t terribly excited to be tasting this one but it really wasn’t all that bad. For a rose. Before we get into this one a little about the grape. Karalahna is a native Turkish grape grown largely on Bozcaada and in spots around Tekirdağ. It is a thin skinned, dark purple grape capable of producing dark red wines with pronounced acidity and tannins. Only recently have a few producers like Paşaeli made varietal wines with Karalahna grapes. It was recently thought that wines made from this grape would be commercial unsuccessful and it was