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April 2020

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By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Gordias winery, located outside Turkey's capital Ankara, is mostly known for its red wines. However, Canan, the one woman show runner there, does make white wine as well. Her Nana Narince ranks as one of my absolute favorite Narinces. Unfortunately, it, and her other whites, have proven very difficult to find. So, if you find one, buy three. In addition to the Nana Narince, Canan's white wine collection also includes the Gordias Sauvignon Blanc.  This part of Central Anatolia, around Ankara, tends to lend itself more towards black grape cultivation. The main native grape from this area being Kalecik Karası (which Gordias also produces). However, just because red wine reigns

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

  Last year, Kırklareli-based winery Vino Dessera debuted a new line of wines. The Vino Dessera Entrika line up includes three wines: a red, rosé, and a white. Following the winery's principal that wine should be an "affordable luxury," none of the wines are pricey. Prices range from around 50 to 75 TL ($8-12). Also true to form for Vino Dessera, some very nice wines lie under the modest sticker price. Vino Dessera Entrika Red 2017 Tasting Notes During a previous visit to the winery I learned that Doğan Dönmez, in charge of the family winery, was experimenting with the Italian grape, Barbera. If his experiments proved successful, he would be

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I've been digging through older tasting notes, trying to pull out wines from wineries I've neglected, and stumbled across notes for the Kastro Tireli Peri. Based in Akhısar in the drier area of Turkey's Aegean, Kastro Tireli has built a reputation as a high-quality red wine powerhouse. A well-deserved reputation at that. The award-winning wines include blends of both native and international grapes. It is also one of the few wineries in Turkey giving focus to Mourvedre; a grape that seems to really like the hot, semi-arid conditions of Akhısar. Yes, some of the wineries top tier wines might price in as a little rich for some. But happily,

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Located in Turkey’s Thrace, just a stone’s throw from several other wineries on the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thracian Wine Route), Saranta produces quality wines under two labels: Saranta and Chateau Murou. The winery possess several features that set it apart; one such is the Saranta Öküzgözü. Saranta sources grapes from its own vineyards in Kırklareli as well as from other growers in the Thracian region. The origin of grapes used in member wines has been a point of contention among several of the Trakya Bağ Rotası member wineries. Some of the members feel that you cannot call a wine "Thracian" if the grapes do not come from Thrace. A

By 1Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Hidden away in the unwelcoming landscape of Turkey's north-eastern Aegean are the organic vineyards of Selendi Şarapları. The arid heat of Akhısar is not where one would expect to find the native Narince grape. This thin-skinned, delicate white grape hails from Turkey's Black Sea region where it thrives in the area's 1500+ meter elevations and mild, oceanic climate. And yet, it is exactly in this dry heat where the winery grows the grapes for its Selendi Moralı Narince. A combination of stony, loamy clay, and limestone soils make up Selendi's Moralı vineyard where they grow Narince at 850 meters. Narince may have its roots buried more deeply in the wet

By 1European Wines, Rest of the World, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  These are odd times. You don't need me to tell you that. Social distancing, self-isolation, working from home etc have all led to an explosion of online activities. My two bbfs in Istanbul and I have a weekly happy hour on House Party. Wine tastings have gone virtual on YouTube, Zoom, Instagram, and other platforms. For me, life hasn't change a great deal since all this began. I already work from home. I have an abiding dislike of people generally and really only leave my apartment a few times a week anyway. What I do miss, is Mass. My church has discovered Zoom (and don't get me started

By 2American Wines, Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  For this month's Wine Pairing Weekend, Nicole at Somm's Table invited us to write about wines from the ancient world. People often forget to include Turkey, which in fact is the home of the vitis vinifera grape, when talking about ancient and old world wine cultures. In fact though, it has one of the most ancient of wine cultures. When Christians hear the name, Antioch, it evokes images if Saints Peter and Paul preaching the Good News to early Christians. Historians may muse on the lives of early civilizations like the Hittites and those that came before. Modern Turks (and the rest of us who live here!) think of

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

  Located over a two and a half hour drive from Lebanon's storied Bekaa Valley, Gaston Hochar established Chateau Musar in 1930. While the winery may not be in the Bekaa Valley, the vineyards are. Organic since 2006, Musar vineyards are managed with minimal human interference and all the wines are made naturally. Chateau Musar creates three series of wine. The top series, Chateau Musar, includes a red, rosé, and white. Next comes the Hochar Père et Fils Red, and finally the Musar Jeune series (red, rosé, and white). The Hochar Père et Fils Red, from which I somehow got my hands on, is sometimes referred to as the ‘second wine’

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Akın Gürbüz grew up among grape vines. In his childhood he worked the harvest in his family's vineyards. They did not make wine but sold the grapes to some of Turkey's larger wineries. It was not until later in life that Gürbüz developed a love for wine. It was an introduction that not only began a love affair with wine but that would put him on his path. After studying at UC Davis, working in California and News Zealand-based wineries, Tekirdağ-based winery Barbare brought him back to Turkey. Working at Barbare opened a new chapter for Gürbüz. He became a winemaking consultant for some of Turkey’s premiere boutique and small

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, Articles, Orange Wine, Red Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  The twenty-first century may still be fairly young but the wine world has already been rocked by a movement as big as it is controversial. Natural wine. While winemakers in several countries could argue that this is hardly new; much of the west treats it like a spanking new phenomenon. As we see natural wines popping up all over it seems to be a case of ‘better late than never.’ And now, the latest country to jump on the bandwagon is one of the oldest winemaking countries: Turkey. Where then, does Turkey enter this picture? Over the last 15 years in particular the wine industry in Turkey has leapt