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Sobran Bağları Creating a New Home for Emir

 

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I first learned about the Sobran Bağları Emir at one of the Gusto Bar wine events in Istanbul. It’s appearance at the event was remarkable for several reasons but the most eye-catching was the wine’s color. It appeared a very pale pink!

With the intention of both drinking it myself and using it in wine tastings, I contacted the winery and ordered half a case. The wine duly arrived but, when I opened the box, I did not see the pale pink wine I remembered. The wine shone a bright yellow. I reached out to ask if there had been a mistake and if they had two different Emirs and maybe I ordered the wrong one. The answer I got back was that, no, there’s only the one Emir. The color “fell out”. 

Insert blank face emoji. 

Okie dokie then. 

 

Sobran Bağları Emir, 2021

The other reason this wine stands out from other Emirs is because of where it’s grown. Many producers not located in Cappadocia still produce Emir wines. But they do it with fruit bought in from Cappadocia. Not so Sobran which grows the grapes in its own inner-Aegean vineyards in Manisa! 

For a grape that likes volcanic soils, high altitudes, and cool temperatures, Manisa must feel like a very foreign country. Sobran’s vineyards sit in a basin in alluvial soils with the Aegean Sea (145 km away) and the nearerby Avşar Dam mitigating the temperature. 

Despite no longer being pink, the wine macerated for roughly 10 hours on the skin and was fermented in stainless steel tanks. Unlike any other Emir I’ve had, bready aromas accompanied tangerine, ripe peach, and a note of tropical fruit. Almost effervescent acidity sparkled on the tongue followed by a broad palate carrying flavors of quince jam and pomelo with delicate flower petals. Not surprising high alcohol (14%) happily balanced pretty well with the fruit and acidity.

Not at all what we know of as a typical Emir. It reminds me in many ways of comparing Santorini Assyrtiko with that from mainland Greece.

Not pink anymore apparently but still enjoyable!

 

Don’t forget to get a copy of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine for the wine/travel/adventure lovers in your life (or for yourself!) before Christmas! The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine is available globally from Amazon and in Istanbul from TheQuirkyCork.com, La Cave, Comedus, Mahzen 26, Santé Wine & More, Mensis Mahzen, Dekante, Wayana, Homer Kitap Evi, Minoa, and Mephisto.