What’s in a Name? Paşaeli 6\N: More Precious Than Gold
Have you ever wondered how some wines get their name and what that name means? A lot of the bottles crowding store shelves don’t have what we call a fantasy name. They’re labeled simply with the grape or blend used to craft the wine.
In Turkey, I think more wines than not are labeled only with the grape(s). A number of wineries do use fantasy names though. Pretty much all of 7Bilgeler’s wines have a name, some of Corvus’ wines do, as do a number of Chamlija’s, like the Kara Sevda. There’s also: Vino Dessera Vin Amoris, Vino Dessera 190 blend, Arcadia’s Mahiada and the 333, Gürbüz’s Hieron Oros, the Arda Gala series, Lermonos Rindera, etc.
Map courtesy of Paşaeli
There’s another fantasy label floating around (internationally too!) you might have seen: Paşaeli’s 6\N. Ever wondered what that’s all about?
Lessons in How to Use Your Platform for Good
First, while you might understandably think so, the wine’s name isn’t Six Slash N. It’s shorthand for a protest against gold strip mining. You might also understandably be confused about the connection between wine and strip mining.
The Kaz Dağları (Mount Ida in English) in Çanakkale is where Paşaeli sources Karasakız grapes. The mountain’s slops in Bayramıç are dotted with small parcels of bush vines, some quite old. This is, in fact, where most people source Karasakız. The Kaz Dağları hold a huge amount of natural resources. Among other things, it’s the main water source for all of Çanakkale province. It also holds quite a lot of gold and silver.
In 2019, Doğu Biga Madencilik—the Turkish subsidiary of the Canadian company Alamos Gold—began felling thousands of trees on the mountain ahead of a plan to strip mine for the precious metals. The following public outcry became a symbol of nationwide environmental struggles. It wasn’t just the destruction of the local environment that outraged people so. The planned mines would have been built in close proximity to the Atikhisar Dam, a significant source for the region, providing 38.7% irrigation, 50.7% flood control, and 10.6% drinking water.
The movement has, for a time, stopped the mining project, but it’s not completely dead. While the company’s operating license wasn’t renewed, in 2025, the project was transferred to a different company, meaning Kaz Dağları is still under threat.
Paşaeli is really good about using its labels to send messages. While not all the wines have fantasy names, a lot of them address nature conservation issues. We see this in the rarer grapes, like the labels for the Kolorko, Sıdalan, and Yapıncak. For Turkish speakers, particularly after learning the mining connection, the 6\N probably makes sense. The rest of us need a bit more of an explanation. 
It’s a word play. The Turkish word for gold is altın. The word for six is altı, so the name of the wine becomes No Altı N (No Gold). Clever.
Paşaeli 6\N Karasakız Rosé
Paşaeli does quite a lot of work with this favorite grape of mine and the 6\N Karasakız Rosé is the newest iteration. The winery works closely with growers in Bayramıç, in the Gedik district of Çanakkale with different plots dedicated to different wines. The grapes for this rosé came from vines aged 25-35 years old. These bush vines dig their roots deep into the sandy clay soils, clinging to the slopes of the Kaz Dağları at 450-500 meters elevation.
A flick of the wrist sent the airy pink wine swirling to release aromas of cornelian cherries, raspberry, and mountain strawberry, accompanied by a suggestion of bubble gum. One sip sent acidity racing across the tongue, chased by vibrant red fruits and the tang of pink grapefruit which lingered long after the wine had gone.
You would probably pull this wine out of the fridge, pour, and get to sipping immediately, right? That’s what most of us would do with an ethereally pale rosé like this. That’s exactly what I did do. That was a mistake. This one wants to be just a touch less cold before it fully reveals itself.
As I said, this is just the latest in Paşaeli’s 6\N line. If you’re curious about the other wines in this series, check out some of my previous reviews of their wines.
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