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A Vertical Tasting of Vinkara’s Yaşasın #WinePW

 

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Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about sparkling wine? I could take a few guesses. But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that none of those things are: Turkey, Central Anatolia, or Kalecik Karası. Unless you happen to be a fan of my blog. In which case, hi mom! Whether or not these are things that pop into your mind when you think about sparkling wine, all three things are related to it. And for this month’s #WinePW Bubbles From Around the World conversation, they’re what I’m talking about.

If anyone thought of those three things, it was Ardıç Gürsel, founder of Vinkara Winery. When she started learning to love wine, her number one question was: Where are all the Turkish grapes? So, in 2003, she established Vinkara Winery outside of Turkey’s capitol, Ankara. Her first goal: focus on making quality wines with native grapes. Done. Vinkara makes wine with several Turkish grapes including Boğazkere, Hasandede, Narince, Öküzgözü, and of course, the regional grape Kalecik Karası. 

That accomplished, Gürsel moved onto goal number two: make Turkey’s first traditional method wine from a native grape. Thus was born Yaşasın. Made in both a blanc de noir and rosé style, these are traditional method sparkling wines made with 100% Kalecik Karası. I’ve been collecting different vintages of this for ages now and was finally able to put together a vertical tasting with a group of friends. 

Vinkara Yaşasın Blanc de Noir

The majority of the blanc de noir Yaşasın wines rest an average 24 to 30 months on the less. But there are a few exceptions. They are all finished brut.

2014: 10.2 g/l residual sugar, 13% abv, ~30 mo sur lie
Deep gold in the glass with honey, quince, melon, grilled pineapple, and walnut skins on the nose. Creamy, mouth-filling mousse. Honeyed tropical fruit flavors, daisies, and a musky floral back breath. Wow.

2015: 10.6 g/l RS, 13% abv, ~24-30 mo sur lie
Pale lemon shot through with green highlights. Fresh pineapple, melon, pomelo, and a whiff of honeysuckle. Crisp & lively. The longer it lived in the glass the more notes of honey joined the fruit but the difference between the 14 & 15 was astounding.

2016: 10 g/l RS, 12% abv, 46 mo sur lie
Platinum lemon. Lemon blossoms and jasmine over a tropical core with raw hazelnut and saline detail. Lively and clean, notes of preserved lemon, pear, and honey joined the flavors carried through from the nose.

2017: 11.1 g/l RS, 13% abv, ~24-30 mo sur lie
Pale straw in the glass. Aroma and flavors very different from the previous vintages with a more citrus-forward profile. Green apple, pear, citrus zest, and white blossoms. Crisp, but I could feel the weight from the residual sugar on the back palate. Apple, kumquat, pomelo, and stone.

2018: 9.8 g/l RS, 12% abv, ~24-30 mo sur lie
Pale lemon on the pour with aromas of honeysuckle buds, lemongrass, kumquat, and loquat. Fresh with citrus acidity, almond blossom, pomegranate leaf, and a pleasant pith bitterness highlighting the kumquat and loquat fruit.

Vinkara Yaşasın Rosé

Like the blanc de noir, the rosé Yaşasıns are all 100% Kalecik Karası, traditional method, and brut. They average 24 months on the lees. The Yaşasın rosés start life as pale rosé and get a small addition if still rosé wine with the dosage.

I was only able to find three vintages of the rosé: 2045, 2016, and 2018. The 2018 incidentally, is the most recent vintage available for either style.

2015: 10 g/l Residual Sugar, 13% abv
Pale copper with lots of brown sugar, caramel, and bananas foster aromas. Very lively and mouthwatering! Cranberries and sour cherry come through on the palate.

2016: 10 g/l RS, 11.5% abv
Again pale copper and touches of brown sugar but the nose here showed more red fruit. Sweet cherries and citrus. Lively, charming with crunchy red fruits and red lemon on the palate.

2018: 10.8 g/l RS, 12% abv
Comparatively much pinker in the glass though still pale. This one practically shouted red fruits with wild strawberry and under-ripe raspberry. The overwhelming favorite.

There’s not much available, largely because a couple of my friends have bought it all already! But there are a few shops in the US that do or have carried this wine if you want to try it!

MacArthur Beverages

Toast Wines by Taste

Potomac Wines

And if you’re wondering about the name, Yaşasın … it essentially means “yay! hurrah!” in Turkish!

I sort of did a food pairing…

Instead of going for anything specific, I put together a little buffet of foods that should more or less pair well with traditional method sparkling wines. Several cheeseboards of course. We had a variety of cheeses but the one that was the real star was a patmol amber from local producer Tangala Paynirleri.

Deviled eggs, potato chips, and a leek-bacon-camembert mac & cheese all did very well with the wines. The surprise of the night though was how well candied dried cherry tomatoes paired! We get these delightful things at the dried foods and spice shops here. They taste like candy. You’d never know they were tomatoes.

Pop Those Corks!

Don’t forget to read about the sparkling wines the other members of the Wine Pairing Weekend crowd have cracked open for this!

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm bubbles over about Celebrating Little Christmas in Michigan with a Local Bubbly
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla sabers open Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar with Pannekoeke + Boschendal Brut Rosé
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass cracks open Cava: Because everybody needs a go-to bubbly
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog pops the cork on Sparkling Wine from Chablis? Oui! Val de Mer Brut Nature Rosé
• Anna Maria of Unraveling Wine toasts us with 10 Best Greek Sparkling Wines with Pairings #WinePW
• David at Cooking Chat Food disgorges Baked Fiesta Dip with Mexican Bubbly
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles riddles with Bubbles by any other name…Sparkling wines from all over the globe
• Jennifer of Vino Travels charms with Upcoming the Game with Asolo Prosecco
• Lisa at The Wine Chef adds dosage with Dive Into the OG Bubbly With Blanquette de Limoux #WinePW
• Nicole at Somm’s Table gets cagey with Re-introducing Cava!
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator adds the crown with A Dozen Sparkling Wine Secrets from Around the World
• Susannah from Avvinare sparkles with Brazilian sparklers come of age 
• Terri at Our Good Life shares Favorite Bubbles from Around the World
• Andrea from The Quirky Cork celebrates with A Vertical Tasting of Vinkara’s Yaşasın