Likya Arkeo Fersun 2018
Early in the twentieth century Turkish winemakers looked to Europe for pretty much everything. Not only were machines, corks, barrels, and even bottles coming from Europe, but so were the vines. Especially for those who had no previous experience with winemaking, Europe was where they could visit established vineyards to learn and taste. So as the Turkish wine industry began to dust itself off from Ottoman imposed dormancy, many (if not most) winemakers emulated European wines.
French grapes and wines remain the most popular. One winery owner here told me that, while he himself had no interest in making Bordeaux-style wine, he knew making one was the best way to break into the Turkish market. The wine industry in Turkey has gone through periods of slumps and forward leaps. Two huge slumps being the dependency on French varieties and overly liberal use of new oak for aging. Luckily, both of these things are changing.
Likya Vineyards
Rescuing precious grapes
Renewed interest in Turkish varieties has soared over the last few years. Not only do we now get higher quality wines from the more well-known grapes like Narince, Kalecik Karası, Boğazkere, Öküzgözü, etc but more and more grapes are being rediscovered. In 2014 Likya released its first Acıkara, a rare grape native to the mountains above Elmalı. The success of their Acıkara has spurred Likya onto other rare varieties, prompting them to create a new label: Arkeo.
Likya’s Arkeo (archaeological) series now includes three wines; Acıkara, Merzifon Karası, and Fersun. I’m hopeful that they won’t stop there and that we’ll soon see a fourth or even fifth! wine under this label.
As a “new” grape, I know little about Fersun. In fact I reached out to one of the large agriculture research institutes here and they’d never heard of it. From what little I’ve gleaned, it seems that Fersun is a thin-skinned grape with a pale, purplish-red color. Likya has some very high vineyards, I think the Fersun grows at about 1,000-1,100 meters which contributes to the wine’s freshness.
Likya Arkeo Fersun 2018 Tasting Notes
While I may know next to nothing about the grape, the wine is a different story. I’ve had this a few times now but it didn’t take more than the first sip for me to really fall in love. For those who can get it, Fersun is going to be your new summer/transition weather red as it drinks fantastically when chilled. The depth of flavor make it not inappropriate for cool weather days either!
I first drank this with my wine-fographic partners in crime Istanbites and Empathia Creative. With so little information available about the grape we set ourselves down with an aroma kit, the wine, and our imagination. It’s possible we went overboard with the latter but truly the nose of this wine was just so many things.
Fruity and spicy upfront, breathing time allowed individual aromas to come to the fore and shine. Pomegranate and blackberry mingle with violets and black currant, bay, and tomato leaves. Black tea, cracked pepper, and cigar box add depth and savory aromas. Light-bodied with a mere 12% abv (low alcohol reds are unusual here). Vivid acidity made the wine sing with spicy flavors overlaying strawberry, pomegranate, and vegetal notes.