We had a pretty mild summer in Istanbul. Even so, the arrival of autumn felt abrupt and very definite. Significantly cooler temperatures, clouds, and rain, rain, rain. Hopefully this isn't what the whole season will bring. How utterly depressing if so. Perhaps our October horoscopes will give us a little glimpse into what we might expect this season
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Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm invited our wine writers group to explore any (wine) topics that tickle our interest for 2025. We know I like wine from underappreciated and often unexpected countries, so I decided to use some newly acquired wine and explore Albanian wine. I've yet to actually visit Albania, although it is pretty high on my list; and not just for wine! I spent years working on projects in Kosovo during which I visited Pristina many times and became rather enamored of Albanian music and literature. My Kosovar friends and colleagues tried to teach me some Albanian, all of which I've totally
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Many of us have heard the old adage to pair white wine with chicken and fish and red wine with red meat (like beef and lamb). That advice has pretty much gone out the window over the last years. For one thing…where does pork live in this configuration? What happens when you put a cream sauce on red meat? White wine with delicate fish and seafood sure…but what about heavier (dare I say “meaty”) fish like swordfish or tuna steak? It’s called a “tuna steak” for a reason after all! The best pairing advice has nothing to do with your protein (or vegetable if you swing that way). It’s
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It's been a while since I've done one of these Turkey versus Country X Taste Offs. As you can tell from the title though, this one's going to be a little different. This isn't really a taste-off, more of a 'reveal'. The Question of Kolorko Kolorko is a nearly extinct variety that hails from the shores of the Sea of Marmara. Small, disconnected plots of old bush (or goblet as they're called in Turkey) vines grow scattered around the villages of Hoşköy, Güzelköy, Kirazlı, Iğdebağları, and Şarköy. It's a low-yielding and late ripening grape that has thick skins containing high levels of catechins—an antioxidant phenol that requires gentle pressing to avoid bitter
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Everyone is going so crazy over the new Odyssey movie. Granted, I haven't seen it yet. I still can't forgive the people behind Troy for robbing me of two hours and 43 minutes of my life that I hesitate to jump into another Hollywoodized telling of Greek mythology. I am not, however, above taking advantage of all the hype. Especially given the real Turkish connection to Homer and his writings. Homer, Tenedos, and the Trouble You Get into Leaving an Island of Wine First, let's all get on the same page about about names. Tenedos is an Aegean island off the Turkish coast near Çanakkale. Tenedos was once upon a time
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Well. August sure was eventful. Advertising alcohol has been banned in Turkey for over 10 years. At the time of the initial ban, social media platforms like Instagram were still very new and not so popular. As such, the law really only accounted for websites as online platforms and for years now, Instagram has been a bit of a loophole. July saw that that language tightened specifically stating that alcohol producers and sales points (shops, bars, restaurants, etc) could no longer post images of branded alcohol as that would be considered "advertising." Beginning August first, that ban was extended to private individuals. Anyone reported violating the ban faces heavy
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This past Sunday, August 23 was Kalecik Karası Day. While I've written about Kalecik Karası—the grape and the wines—any number of times, I thought it would be nice to revisit this grape and what it, and the wine holiday, mean for the Turkish wine industry. Kalecik Karası There's been a push over the last handful of years to resurrect Turkey's native grapes. While this new movement is mainly led by a couple wineries (namely Paşaeli, Gelveri, Likya) more and more jump on the bandwagon every year. One might propose though, that the first winery to make a big impact in this campaign was Tomurcukbağ
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I've mentioned a fair few times that "natural" wine drives me crazy. So, I'd like to look at what natural wine is, what it isn't, why it annoys me, and natural wine in Turkey. But just to clarify before you get into the weeds of the below post: I do not actually dislike natural wine. What Is Natural Wine? Well that's a good question and it largely depends on whom you ask. Generally, though what most people agree on is: Grapes are farmed biodynamically, organically, and/or with sustainable practices Winemaking is carried out with little to no chemical or technological manipulation Wines are fermented spontaneously with native yeast No additives are
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My adventures with Turkish wine importer, Fine Turkish Wine, continue! Well at least the writing of them does, the adventures themselves ended in November. And it's taking ever so much longer to write about these visits than it took to make them! After two days in Trakya (aka Thrace), visiting first Arcadia, then Arda, and Gürbüz Winery. We next headed for the Aegean where our first stop was Kuzubağ, next to Heraki, then Kastro Tireli for a multi-winery tasting, and finally Akberg. Things weren't over just because we returned to Istanbul. We snagged a meeting with Alp Törüner, founder of Büyülübağ. Alp generously opened so many wines for us and
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It's August!! Why am I so excited for this typically hottest, most unbearable month of the year? It's my birthday! It's all about meeee!!!! While I won't be saying which birthday, I will be posting about the wines I'm so excited to drink on the day. Whether or not those are what my horoscope says I should be drinking remains to be seen. But forget about me for a nanosecond, what's going on with you this month? What will you be drinking? Read on to find out. And remember, if you're not somewhere with easy access to Turkish wine, don't hesitate to reach out (to me, the universe doesn't always respond
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