Turkey vs Australia Taste Off: Semillon

Turkey vs Australia Taste Off: Semillon

January 29, 2025ByAndrea Lemieux 0 Comments 0Rest of the World, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

I’ve oft lamented the extent of international grapes used in Turkey. And, while I will always prefer native grapes, the international varieties have their place here. Especially the heritage varieties. Since the Syrahs and Chardonnays aren’t going anywhere any time soon, I might as well start having fun with them. And so, welcome to the Taste Off!

In this new series, I will feature a Turkish wine made with an international grape and pit it against a wine made with the same grape from a foreign country, either the grape’s country of origin, or one well-known for its production. This week, I’m looking at Semillon. A heritage variety in Turkey, its challenger is well-known Semillon producer Australia.

In Turkey’s Corner: Paşaeli

While many of us know and love Paşaeli winery for its dedication to old and forgotten Turkish grape varieties as well as to its great innovation therewith, there is another side to the winery. Winery founder Seyit Karagözoğlu also gives his attention to the many heritage varieties found in Turkey. One of those being Semillon. In some ways, Seyit bey’s Semillon vines in Yağcı, Tekirdağ tell the story of the Republic. Planted some 100 years ago, around the time that Ataturk was founding the Republic and encouraging people to revive the wine industry here, these vines have seen some major changes in this country. More than simply surviving away from their French origin, Semillon has thrived in Turkey, particularly in the varied terroir of Thrace and the Marmara.

One of the things that makes Paşaeli such a remarkable company is its respect for the vine. Through responsible agriculture, its work with small local growers, and the deference it gives to a grape’s place of origin, Paşaeli strives always to reveal the purest expression of any given variety. Even the wine’s names reflect this. Atadan Asmalar means ‘ancestral vines,’ a nod not only to their heritage status but also to the fact that these are own-rooted vines that avoided the phylloxera plague.

Paşaeli Atadan Asmalar Semillon, 2022

Paşaeli seems to have a white and rosé winemaking formula that works for them and this wine did not deviate from it. Winemaker Işık Gülçubuk fermented the grapes for the Paşaeli Atadan Asmalar Semillon in stainless steel tanks then aged it in same on the lees for three months before bottling.

The wine glowed a brilliant, ripe lemon in the glass with aromas of yellow fruit and citrus. Notes of lemon oil and white flower petals added a perfumed elegance while an underlying note of marzipan gave the bouquet a round richness. Sipping revealed a slightly waxy mouthfeel and flavors of lemon, pear, and stone fruit detailed by honeysuckle and chamomile with a streak of salinity leading to a pleasing honeyed finish. Medium-bodied with 13.5% abv.

Very pleasant now, but I could see this developing well over the next couple years.

In Australia’s Corner: Good Intentions Wine Co.

Located in South Australia along the Limestone Coast in Mount Gambier is our Australian contender, Good Intentions Wine Co. Husband/wife team Andrew and Louise Burchell farm two sites organically, both located in Moorak on the outskirts of the Mount Gambier township. Both sites, one known as ‘Volcanic Lakes’ and the other as ‘Lake of Fire’ sit at the foot of Mount Gambier’s volcanic crater, one to the south and the other to the southwest. The area’s karstic landscape of limestone and underground caves with pockets of flint make for complex soils which, combined with their cool climate, give the Burchell’s amazing conditions for creating elegant wines.

Good Intentions Wine Co. Ridiculously White, 2022

This wine I got from a Melbourne-based friend who visits Istanbul frequently. Usually he comes with bottles of Shiraz in hand (so those will definitely feature in a future Taste Off!) but I have been able to get some white out of him. This particular bottle I actually ordered from a wine shop near his place and, I’m not going to lie, the fabulous label had a lot to do with my selection!

More than organic, the Burchells use certified biodynamic Sémillon for their Ridiculously White. Like the Paşaeli, winemaking was classic for white wine (i.e. stainless steel with no oak). Based on the slight cloudiness in the glass, I’m guessing it was not fined before bottling.

I found the nose initially gave a slight apple cider funk aroma, but as it breathed more enticing scents of young peach, yuzu, and lemongrass followed. On the palate big flavors of bergamot candy and peach Jolly Rancher along with sherbet and lemon verbena accompanied by spritzy acidity. Medium-bodied with 13% abv and a lovely, lingering finish.

Conclusions

Both wine demonstrated some typical Semillon characteristics but varied greatly in flavor thanks to very different terroir. Tekirdağ’s more fertile soils and sea breezes created a more classical Semillon wine; while Mount Gambier’s cooler climate and volcanic-limestone soils (and the lack of fining) gave the Ridiculously White a completely different edge.