One of the world of wine's "everything old is new again" biggest topics must be skin-contact white wine. Call it skin-contact white wine, amber wine, or orange wine
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Last summer, Istanbites and I visited Garova Vineyards and I wrote about a couple of the red wines the winery produces. Now it's time to tackle the Garova Öküzgözü blush. Nestled in a bowl-like cradle in mountainous Bodrum and nearly lost in the riotous greenery of the surrounding agriculture grow vines of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, and Zinfandel. This is Garova Vineyards. While winery owner Mehmet Vuran grows the four aforementioned grapes onsite; he brings in Öküzgözü from the Denizli district of Izmir. He believes the more moderate climate there a better for Öküzgözü than the heat of Bodrum. I very much enjoy the Bodrum-grown Öküzgözü wines I've had.
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[caption id="" align="alignright" width="302"] From oesterreichwein.at[/caption] Whether you call it Welschriesling, Laški Rizling, Olaszrizling, Graševina, Riesling Italico, or anything else, what does not change is how enjoyable the wines are. Despite its name, this grape bears no relation to Riesling. Welschriesling grows largely in Austria but also Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Northern Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Turkey (sort of-we'll get to that). According to Wine Searcher, the grape is "relatively easy to grow, although it does have a preference for dry climates and warm soils. Welschriesling is productive and retains its acidity in warmer climates, making it a reliable grape for growers. In most cases this will
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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
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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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
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