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August 2023

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  Really, what is the obsession some of the upper Thracian wineries seem to have with making blanc de noir wines with Papazkarası? Sure, some of them are pretty nice. My personal favorites being those from Chamlija and Arcadia. And yes, it's great to see experimentation with the native grapes. Especially as this seems to be the only Thracian native grape going. Why do I have such a viscerally negative reaction, then, when I see a new blanc de noir Papazkarası? Even I can't answer that. I like to see a new blanc de noir Çal Karası. Maybe it's because I feel sure that there must be a native white

  Even though I finally made it to Slovenia a few years ago, I barely got a taste of the wine! Despite the fact that taste wine was mostly all I did for the few days I was there! So when I had the chance to make a big wine order from the US, Slovenian wine was one of the things I looked for. Not only did I find some, I was thrilled that what I found was sparkling! This wine had a crazy journey. From Slovenia to the US to Turkey with how many stops and what kind of conditions along the way. I felt a little trepidatious about

  Of all the grapes in Turkey, Boğazkere remains one of (if not the) most tannic and full-bodied varieties. So why am I talked about this wine, literally called "throat scratcher" in summer?? Because Heraki has pulled off a much lighter style that you can enjoy even in this hot, summer weather. I've been crushing hard on Heraki, as you can tell from my posts about their Akuarela Sultaniye and Akuarela Çal Karası. This wine only makes me love them more! Even when I started drinking Turkish wine 10 years ago, finding a decent Boğazkere was difficult. When made clumsily, the wine presents harsh, tannic, bitter or goes the other

  Some time ago, Midin sent me several of the wines from their new vintage. I previously posted about the white wines so let's crack on now with the rosés! We all know that I have mixed thoughts about rosé wines. While I don't universally love them, I have come around them more over the years. I tend to prefer those with lighter colors, not necessarily because I like a lighter, Provence-style rosé, but because in Turkey, those are the "safer" ones. Many rosés here come in neon or otherwise impossibly pink colors.  Midin's rosés fall into a deeper, but impossible, color category. Let's see how they do otherwise.  Midin Pembehi, 2022 The

  Jennifer from Vino Travels has invited the #ItalianFWT group to discover the wines of Emilia Romagna and/or Liguria this August! I've been waiting for this one since I saw the year's event calendar because I LOVE Lambrusco!! My very fist sip of Lambrusco happened over 20 years ago but I still remember it. I can picture the restaurant so clearly in my head. It was 2000 and I was in Tübingen for the summer to study German (incidentally, the stupidest place to send German language students). There was an Italian restaurant across bridge over the Neckar and immediately to the left along the Neckarfront. I was not legal drinking

  My first introduction to Oenops was a few years ago at Athens' Oenorama. My friend, Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine and Chania Wine Tours (who knows everyone in Greek wine) told me that, while not Cretan, Oenops makes the best Vidiano. Nikos Karatzas founded Oenops Wines in 2015. While his winery sits in Drama in the eastern part of Macedonia, his grapes come from everywhere. Karatzas tours Greece looking for high-quality, native grapes like Xinomavro, Limniona, Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Roditis, and of course, Vidiano. Once he's found a grower, he works almost like a micro-négociant creating partnerships with growers who share his ideals. In the winery, Karatzas strives to make low

  Holy cats July was miserable! Horrible, hot weather including the hottest day Istanbul has had in years. During which, no less, my precious wines and I were without power for almost 48 hours! That was not in my horoscope. Here's to hoping that August will be a little milder.  I don't know about you, but all I want to do these days is crush some nice, light white wine. Let's see if the future has any of that in store for us! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Strap on your seatbelt and be prepared this month to steer your life into a new direction - emotionally speaking. You'll come to