Usually I get Greek wine from my friends who live in Athens. But in December they gave me three wines from
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It's monthly wine bar review time! This month's wine bar: Foxy Nişantaşı. Much like my last review about Beyoğlu Şaraphanesi, I have had a contentious relationship with Foxy
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I first learned about Chatzivaritis Estate from one of Moshe Cohen's In the Vineyard With podcast episodes, A Greek Wine Odyssey. It sounded like the winery did some pretty cool things so I made a note to track down some wine on my next trip to Athens. Happily, shopping for wine online in Greece is very easy. I hopped on my favorite website, Greece and Grapes, which had several bottles from Chatzivaritis Estate. I was particularly interested in the Pét-Nat. The blanc de noirs never seems to be in stock (very sad) but I snagged the rosé! Κτήμα Χατζηβαρύτη / Chatzivaritis Estate Chatzivaritis Estate, founded by Vagelis Chatzivaritis and his wife Olga
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Many are shocked to discover the high percentage of women who work in the Turkish wine industry. Something like 65% are women including winery owners, viticulturalists, winemakers and oenologists, and especially, harvest technicians. Last March, I wrote a piece for The Vintner Project about women in the Turkish wine industry. My friend and colleague in wine, if you will, Tûba de Wilde has gone beyond just writing and takes a different approach to highlighting women in the industry. Vinatuu Wine Explorer & Event Maker After completing her bachelor of Tourism and Event Management in Bruges, Belgium, Tûba worked in tourism and communications around Europe while continuously training via courses and seminars
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I've posted several reviews semi-recently from the Pamukkale Nodus line including the Nodus Fumé Blanc and Nodus Cabernet Sauvignon. The sudden frequency of the posts has more to do with trying to clear out old notes than it does a suddenly discovered love for the series. Pamukkale has never been a favorite winery of mine. However, even I must admit (and not even grudgingly) that the Nodus line's price and quality find a fair balance. Well, before the recent inflation-driven price hikes they did anyway. Now it's anyone's guess. And, based on my experience, none of the Nodus wines get overwhelmed with oak. Particularly vital in this case for
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After recently talking about Gamay as an emerging popular grape, let's take a look at Semillon, specifically, the Arda Rezerv Semillon. Like Gamay, Semillon isn't new, but seems as if many have newly rediscovered it. Last year, Arda joined Melen, Saranta, Suvla, and Sevilen, as a Semillon producer. I haven't written about it before now
Read MoreA few months ago I finally got a chance to go back to Michigan. I want to say it's been about four years since I've been back. Eek. My trip started out a little rocky when I got to my parents to discover that the bottle of pomegranate syrup I'd brought had shattered in one of my suitcases. I've never lot a bottle of wine in transit (knock on wood) but apparently I have no luck with thick, sticky, red syrup. Before I even went into the house I had to unpack my suitcase in the garage then take the case and hose to to front lawn and clean
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Nothing can stop my love for Assyrtiko. Much as I love exploring other and new grapes in Greece, I always buy a couple few Assyrtikos when I'm there. Not usually the same wines though. I like to look for producers I haven't tried before. On my last trip to Athens, the colorful Dougos Winery Meth'Imon Acacia label caught my eye. Dougos Winery Located in Thessaly at the foot of Mount Olympus, Dougos Winery was founded in 1991 by the Dougos family. Still a young winery, it's already in the hands of the second generation with son Thanos as the agriculturalist and daughter Louiza, the chemist and oenologist. The Dougos family vineyards
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Akın Gürbüz has built a name for himself in Turkey as a talented winemaker and wine consultant and his latest wine, the Akın Gürbüz Hieron Oros, only solidifies that reputation. In October, 2020 I visited his winery with a friend and we were privileged to take part in a massive barrel tasting with Akın of his 2019 vintage. We did not try literally every barrel, but we tried every kind of wine in the barrels. Different plots of Cabernet and Merlot, different barrel toast levels, a few experimental grapes he had going on at the time
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Did you participate in dry January? I surely did not! If you did though, I'll be you're really ready for a little tipple! In which case, I've got you covered. What does your horoscope say you should try drinking in February? Read on and find out! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) When was the last time you felt entirely like yourself? Do you even remember what that feels like? Use this month to try to reconnect to that feeling. Maybe it means changing up your style, hunting down a friend you haven't seen in years, or resurrecting a childhood dream. You may also find this month that you're having difficulty finding
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