Your March 2024 Turkish Wine Horoscope
We’ve still got a couple weeks until spring is official by the calendar, but it seems to have arrived in Istanbul early. Although if past winter/spring seasons are prologue, then we could well see snow in the city in March. I’m hoping that is not our future this month, but it’s difficult to know what the universe has in store!
Slightly less murky than our weather forecast is our drinking forecast! So, which wines will we all be hunting down this month? Read on to find out.
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
Aquarius, this month brings a possibly unique opportunity to turn your creative ideas into passive income streams. We all have hidden (or perhaps not so hidden) talents or passions into which we pour energy. Why not make yours profitable? Love taking pictures? Give selling your best shots a chance or hire yourself out as photographer. Have a great fashion or design eye? Make that a consulting gig!
Just don’t be giving wine tastings. That’s my thing.
The wine for you …
The folks at Akberg know about creativity. They went from being one of those dodgy fruit “wine” companies in Şirince to producing interesting wines with both well-known and new Turkish grapes. With winemaker Gülçin Akçay at the helm, one of their projects is the Akberg Emir-i Vaki Pét-Nat (review soon!).
Emir is an overlooked grape in the sparkling wine category. Kavaklidere makes Altın Köpük which is fine but could be better (especially at that price point) and there’s Sevilen’s Water (I love Sevilen but you can skip this one) but otherwise it’s largely ignored. And yet this high acidity grape is perfect for sparkling wine! Akberg has taken a different approach by using the ancestral method to make a semi-sparkling wine with delicious yeasty and tropical fruit flavors.
Look for it at places like Grand Cru and Solera.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
Carefully examine the opportunities coming at you this month, Pisces. They might all seem interesting or exciting, but unless you have a ton of extra bandwidth to throw at things, learn to say ‘no’ to those that don’t align with your long-term vision. Saying ‘no’ is important and will help you prioritize what’s important and stay focused on your end game. If you find saying ‘no’ difficult, find someone who can give you some lessons in being assertive.
The wine for you …
While you’re working on that assertiveness this month, enjoy a little sweetness elsewhere in life and sip on LA Wines Passito. Made with Bornova Misketi, this wine is a great example of what this grape can do when made in a sweet style. While LA Wine’s Passito is sold too young, it has really great ageing potential. If I recall, it’s not overly expensive, so go ahead and buy a bottle for this month and another to save!
Find it at places like Carrefour, La Cave, Mensis Mahzen, Metro, maybe Macro Center? It’s not overly difficult to source.
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
This month, you’ll feel like you’re being pulled in every direction. Really though, it’s two directions: going out (i.e. being social) and staying in. You do not need to be everywhere at once. And if you’re one of those people concerned by FOMO then you need to grow up and stop worrying about ‘missing out’ on something for missing out’s sake. Be sad that you’re missing out on something for a real reason. If you can’t find a real reason, then you can stay in and get some downtime without worrying that your Instagram feed is going to be light.
The wine for you …
If you feel you’re missing out on some good wine lately, you haven’t got in yet on the wines from Kuzubağ! A good place to start, Kuzubağ Kalecik Karası. A charming family-run winery, the folks behind Kuzubağ are one of the wineries working to change the reputation behind the wines coming out of Çal. And while not a regional grape, their Kalecik Karası displays a lot of the grape’s fruity and spicy character for which we know and love this grape.
Look for this at places like Mensis Mahzen, Grape Wine Spirits Boutique, Casa Botti, Iyi Sarap, Online Mahzen, etc.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Taurus, while you typically lean towards an outgoing and outward life-style, March is urging you to recognize the value of inward growth. Part of this recognition is realizing how your behavior has changed of late. You may notice that you’ve broken free from habitual patterns that once held you tightly, and you’re determined this month to not be dragged back down. 
The wine for you …
Have you heard of 502 Vineyards? You will soon. The couple behind 502 Vineyards broke free from their own stuck in the mud bonds to open the Black Sea’s newest winery in, wait for it, Amasya. Part of their focus is regional grapes which makes your wine for this month their Diakopa Merzifon Karası (review coming soon!).
At the moment, the only place I’ve seen their wine is Iyi Sarap but I’m sure it’s making the rounds elsewhere.
Gemini (May 20 – June 20)
What does it mean to dare to be exceptional? That is something for you to ponder this month, Gemini. You have been hiding your creativity and your vision lately and the time has come to step boldly into the spotlight. March will bring confidence to help boost you into showcasing your passions in a real way and to become visible in the real world. 
The wine for you …
One way to find the exceptional in your life is to drink an exceptional wine like the Arcadia 333. Easily one of the best wines coming out of Turkey, especially in the sweet category, this wine is made with a combination of late harvest and botrytised Sauvignon Blanc grapes. It has exotic citrus and floral flavors paired with honey and searing acidity. Enjoy it on its own, with creamy and/or blue cheeses, Asian foods with a heavy ginger influence, or with spicy foods!
Find it at Dekatne, İyi Şarap, La Cave, Macro Center, Mahzen 26, Mensis Mahzen, Rind, Santé Wine & More, etc.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Cancers, March may bring you one of two paths: career or philosophical introspection. Either way, a fresh wave of courage will help you meet your path head on.
If you’re on the career path, you may find yourself contemplating a shift in your career trajectory. Should that be the case, give yourself permission to say goodbye to the old. It’s not giving up or failing, it’s looking forward to a new adventure. On the other hand, if the month is not about career for you, be on the lookout for new insights capable of reshaping your worldview entirely.
The wine for you …
Boğazkere, the throat scratching grape that we all know and love from eastern Turkey, growing in … Urla?? Talk about reshaping one’s worldview! This month, try the Urla Şarapçılık Boğazkere. This wine has a completely different personality than other Boğazkere’s and shows plumper fruit flavors with a softer, plushier tannin structure.
Try finding it at Carrefour, Macro Center, ask Mensis Mahzen to order it, Savoy Tekel and La Cave sometimes carry it…it’s around somewhere!
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
Leo’s, take some time this month to identify areas where you’ve neglected the quiet whispers of curiosity within you. Especially if that curiosity extends towards your sense of adventure. You’ll be reminded that your passions are worthy of exploration—they are an integral part of your being, yearning to be embraced without labelling them as silly or pointless. 
The wine for you …
Passion helps people create all sorts of things, including wine. While Alp Törüner’s main passion is Cabernet Sauvignon, he still has a lot of love for the Ada Karası that grows in his Avşa vineyards. Sometimes experiencing the passion other people have for something can help us find our own, so, this month try the Büyülübağ İris rosé. Made with 100% Ada Karası, the İris has a pale pink color – which is the only pale thing about it! It’s an interesting, layered, and savory rosé you won’t regret tracking down.
So yeah, not easy to find but usually Comedus carries it and you might be able to find it at places like Dekante, Grape Wine Spirits Boutique, Vinus, possibly Mahzen 26…
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Your intuition is remarkably potent, but exercise caution against making impulsive decisions without careful consideration. Your instincts will be on hyper alert this month. It’s crucial that you not shut down the inner callings to which you feel drawn. 
The wine for you …
Not everyone pays attention to or even recognizes those inner callings. But when they do, magic can happen. Like with the Vino Dessera winery. What makes a lawyer turn his back on a lucrative, or at least stable, career to pour massive amounts of money and effort into a winery (especially in this country)? A calling. This month, try the Vino Dessera 190. A red wine with a blend that changes from year to year, this wine earned its name through an accident of fate. An actual real accident that saw Vino Dessera’s cellar flooded the first year they made this wine. The disaster left them with … you guessed it … 190 bottles. But they persisted!
Look for it at places like Carrefour, Macro Center, La Cave, Rind, Metro, tekels, and elsewhere.
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
This is a month of pivotal shifts for you, Libra. You may not immediately see these changes, as they can unfold slowly, but the kernels of internal transformation have been planted. While that germinates, it’s time for you to seize control in the pursuit of your life’s desires. A passive stance isn’t going to get the job done. You need to adopt a bull-headed approach to get what you want.
The wine for you …
Want to talk pursuit of life’s desires? Talk to Akın Gürbüz. He discovered wine while at university and learned very quickly that wine had to be his life. He started working at a high-end hotel to learn about wine, participated in tasting groups, attempted to make his own wine with friends, and eventually moved to the US to learn winemaking. Once there, he realized his English wasn’t strong enough to make it through the program so he deferred his university acceptance and moved to New York to work, earn money, and study to improve his language skills. Eventually, he managed to graduate from UC Davis’s well-respected winemaking program and began working internationally as a winemaker before coming home to Turkey. After all that, how can you not try his wine? This month, try the Gürbüz Cabernet Franc, a beautiful example of the result of pursuing one’s life’s desires.
Available from places like Mensis Mahzen, Iyi Sarap, sometimes Online Mahzen, Rind, and elsewhere.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 22)
Despite your sharp intellect, this month calls for a deep embodiment of your body, senses, and physicality. Mostly that means it’s time to channel some energy into your health. Been feeling restless lately? Get your butt moving with some high energy exercises. Taking care of yourself and getting some of that post workout serotonin will have the added benefit of encouraging greater creative flow in other areas of your life.
The wine for you …
Get that serotonin flowing with a wine that will make you happy! This month, drink the Paşaeli Çalkarası blanc de noir. This hard to miss wine with the adorable octopus label was the first such wine of its kind. One of the most forward-thinking and experimental wineries, Paşaeli’s delightful wine will not fail to make you smile.
Look for it at Mensis Mahzen, Dekante, maybe Santé Wine & More and Mahzen 26 have it…?
Sagittarius (November 23 – December 22)
Beneath your comedic façade lies a sincere and vulnerable part of you yearning for its own moments of visibility. You do not always have to be upbeat or funny around others. It’s okay to have down days, sideways days, or days when you’re just not feeling ‘it’. March will prompt you to gather your courage and step out from behind the façade you present to world and just be real with people. Stop hiding behind humor. Even if you don’t know how people will react to the real you, you might even be pleasantly surprised. You deserve to be you, and to only have to put on the funny guy costume when you want.
The wine for you …
Drink a wine this month that’s (mostly) as honest as you’re trying to be: Selefkia ‘natural’ Patkara. While it might not fully live up to it’s ‘natural’ name, it is another in the line up of wild fermented wines that have become popular in Turkey over the last years. It has a nice, juicy character with lots of fruit, high but almost unnoticeable alcohol, and will make you happy enough to be at least as honest as the wine it.
Get it at La Cave, Solera, you might get lucky at Mensis Mahzen, Mahzen 26, Casa Botti, etc.
Capricorn (December 23 – January 19)
Capricorns, March will ask some tough questions of you about your career and life direction. Be prepared to examine with honesty if you’re steering yourself in a direction that truly aligns with your soul’s calling, or if you’re merely pursuing goals that appear impressive on the outside. Ask yourself: are your aspirations rooted in your own truths, or are they shaped by what society deems desirable?
The wine for you …
What society deems desirable or acceptable has a lot to do with how wine is made. Some people buckle under peer pressure and make wine the way other people want it. Which is how we ended up with so many bad Bordeaux imitation blends here. Others buck the system and do what they want, and we get something different and interesting. Like the Nif Bornova Misketi. When the winery first got started, Gaye Özcan was told she had to plant Bordeaux varieties to be successful. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to plant Italian grapes. She also got started at the time when sweet and semi-sweet Bornova Misketi were the norm. She was one of the first to make a successful dry version.
Look for it at Casa Botti, Dekante, İyi Şarap, La Cave, Mensis Mahzen, etc.
Please Help Turkey and Syria!
Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:
- Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.
- Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds.
- Donate to the volunteer response being carried out in Turkey by the trusted, independent NGOs İhtiyaç Haritası (Needs Map) or Ahbap.
- Hayata Destek (Support to Life), is a Turkish NGO experienced in providing humanitarian relief and working with underserved communities.
- World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas.
- To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmets and SAMS.
- Field Ready Türkiye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”