Advent Wine Suvla Tatlı Tatlı Solaris
Much like I couldn’t not include a sparkling wine in the Advent boxes ‘o wine; I had to also include a sweet wine. I have stacks of sweet wine. As greatly as I love it; I treat it far too preciously and need an ‘occasion’ for which to open one. The occasion ought to be simply that I want one!
Perhaps I will make doing that my new year’s resolution! Along with buckling down to study for my Italian Wine Scholar exam, studying my Greek homework more, finding a publisher for my book. Sigh. The new year is starting to look overwhelming!
Of all the sweet wines I have, I decided to include a new one from a Turkish producer.
Suvla Tatlı Tatlı Solaris, 2018
Suvla also makes a red Tatlı Tatlı from the Karasakız grape. I like it very much. I believe this is the first year Suvla’s released a white Tatlı Tatlı, this time not from a Turkish grape but from Solaris. This grape, developed in Germany in the 1960s, is a hardy grape popular in some of Europes more extreme climate countries. In addition to Baden (Freiburg), where it was developed, plantings of Solaris can be found in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. And, Turkey.
In fact, this is not the first Solaris we’ve seen. Nif Bağları in the eastern Aegean has used it for years as a blending grape. And while I’ve heard a rumor of a varietal wine; I’ve yet to see it on the market. Which makes Suvla’s sweet wine not the first Solaris but the first varietal thereof in Turkey.
Appearance: consistent, medium deep lemon
Alcohol: 14% abv
Nose: Really quite faint and delicate on the nose. I had to search for the apricot, white flowers, perfume, and white peach I sensed. Mostly is had the aroma of general “sweet”.
Palate: Silky, round, and mildly viscous (but not unctuous) the delicacy from the nose followed through to the palate. Clean and easy, almost refreshing, what flavors there were reflected the nose. However, it completely lacked the depth or intensity one usually finds in sweet wines. Not bad. Not stupendous. But not what I’m hoping for in my sweet wines.