Advent Wine Blind Tasting Attempt Two!
This morning I pulled out from my Advent boxes o’ wine another disguised bottle. Probably in punishment for how poorly I did at guessing yesterday’s wine! But, part of super enforceable and binding agreement I made with myself included having to drink whichever wine I selected. No putting anything back to try my luck again. So let’s see if my blind tasting skills improved at all since yesterday!
Once again I had reasonable assurance that I’d pulled a Turkish wine based on the tax label on the capsule. I did include a number of wines from other countries in this calendar. However, the majority are Turkish so it’s not a huge surprise that I’ve got four Turkish wines in a row.
My guess: a youthful, cheap and cheerful Kalecik Karası with moderate alcohol from a moderate climate.
Küp Şarap Thia Kalecik Karası, 2018
I did much better today with my guess! Huzzah.
If there is a grape equivalent of a breadbasket, then it is Denizli in Turkey’s Aegean. Even for a Turkish wine enthusiast the sight of vineyard after vineyard after vineyard stretching across the plateau can be startling. Of course the vast majority of these grapes go into products that are not wine. Table grapes, raisins (which are exported), and molasses come from these vineyards. However, a few of these vineyards do belong to wineries. Küp Şarap has made wine here since 1959.
I really was torn about this one. My guess waivered between Kalecik Karası and Öküzgözü. Kalecik Karası has a distinctive cotton candy aromas which I did not detect in this wine. Perhaps because the grapes grew in Denizli rather than the grape’s home in Central Anatolia. Anyway, Küp Şarap’s Thia line is very reasonably priced around50-55 TL (about $7). Red wines in this line usually don’t age in oak (indeed this Thia Kalecik Karası did not) so if you’re looking for a cheerful and quaffable wine, these are a good bet.
Appearance: medium opaque, jewel-like ruby
Alcohol: 12.5% abv
Nose: Black berry fruit like well, blackberries, black mulberry, plum, red cherries, violets, mint, a hint of forest. Rather like standing in a forest clearing carpeted with flowers tangled with wild berry bushes.
Palate: Medium-bodied with low tannins and a silky texture. Mouthwatering acidity, tree bark, black tea leaves, and black raspberry flavors with a finish of bitter, green almonds.