Visiting Edrine Winery
In February at the Sommelier’s Selection Turkey event I discovered several wineries of which I was previously unaware. One of those was the Edrine Winery. I was lucky enough to meet one of the family, Demir, and their brand ambassador Ali who invited my friend K and me to visit.
Edrine Winery
Located in the village of Havsa outside Edirne, Edrine (not to be confused with Edirne!) is a family run winery. Founded in 2007 their first vintage came out in 2010. What started as a boutique winery has expanded rapidly and Edrine now produces some 2 million liters of wine annually. The owners, the Öktem family, concentrate on creating quality and affordable wines. Affordable they are! The average price per bottle is 20 TL. Quality? We shall see.
Unfortunately it was raining heavily the day we visited so we weren’t able to visit the vineyards. Instead we were treated to an amazing paired tasting at the Edrine restaurant. They have their own butcher and raise their own animals. They make the best sucuk (Turkish sausage) I have ever had. Ever.
Edrine produces several lines. The main label is the vineyard name: Edrine. Under this label they make two whites: Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and four reds: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Papazkarası. It was the latter, a native Turkish varietal, that originally caught my attention at the Sommelier’s Selection. Very few producers bother with this ancient Thracian grape. Chamlija makes four (two blanc de noirs, a Papazkarası, and a reserve) and Melen and Paşaeli also make a Papazkarası.
When we finished tasting our way through their main six wines (notes below!) it was time for the winery tour. Because at Edrine they believe strongly in the flavor of the “naked” grape they use very little oak. In fact they have one oak barrique but it sits sadly in the corner. There is no Patrick Swayze here to dance with Baby. At most they add oak chips for a few days. Otherwise everything is aged in steel.
After the generous pours in the formal tasting we tasted all the wines again; this time directly from the tank. Everything we tried was from Edrine’s 2016 vintage; they have nothing left from 2015 or earlier.
Then it was up to the slightly damp and chilly deck for more wine. This time Ali broke out the good glasses from Zalto. I have never held a glass more perfect and delicate than these. I was terrified that just by holding it would I snap the stem. These need to be in my life. Although at about 45 Euro per glass this is not an investment to make willy nilly.
Edrine Tasting Notes (the reds)
Edrine 2016 Merlot: Fresh and fruity with slightly rough tannins, elevated acid, and a short finish. This 14% abv wine has seen no 
oak so the black fruit flavors of blueberry and mulberry are completely grape-driven.
Edrine 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon: The Cabernet was oddly sweet even though the wine has less than 1 gram of sugar per liter. Treated with oak chips for just five days there is a slight influence in the flavor. However the black currant/cassis flavors typical of Cabernet grapes were very much at the forefront with some cedar and cocoa in the back. Tannins were quite grippy. The odd sweetness of this Cabernet makes it an excellent pairing for lamb though.
Edrine 2016 Papazkarası: Loved. Edrine’s Papazkarası is a very special wine. A friend of mine said that you can’t really say what is a “typical” Papazkarası because no one really knows. But of those I’ve had in Turkey Edrine’s is how I’m setting my standard now. It was surprisingly tannic, although not on the same level as the Merlot or Cabernet. Compared however to other Papazkarası wines I’ve had I wasn’t expecting the tannin. It was also very pepper in both the nose and on the palate with a light, juicy finish.
Edrine 2016 Shiraz: The Shiraz had 10 days of oak chip treatment giving it a slightly sweet flavor of baking spices. However like the Merlot and Cabernet it was very fruit driven, particularly blue fruits. The tannins were pretty chewy and therefore right up my alley. This they paired for us with their own sucuk and it was a match made in Heaven.
Final notes: Edrine should be pretty proud of what they’re doing here. Each of the wines we tried (more reviews about those later!) was easy and enjoyable to drink. And if you can get these for the vineyard price they’ll set you back a whole 20-22 TL (+VAT).