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Akberg Emir-i Vaki Pét-Nat, Fate in Action

 

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Emir is one of my favorite grapes in Turkey. My favorite white grape full stop. High acidity, distinct minerality, clean citrus and green fruit aromas, history…what’s not to love? I have often wondered tough, especially with all that acidity, why there no proper sparkling wines made with it. Turasan, that most well-known of Cappadocia producers, makes a sparkling wine that includes some Emir, but is a horrific artificially carbonized monstrosity that, more often than not, arrives to consumers completely oxidized. Kavaklidere has made a tank method sparkling wine with Emir (Altın Köpük) for years. I would like it to be better than it is. On the surface, tank method would be fine with this grape. However, the Altın Köpük shows too much bottle by bottle quality variation, sometimes tasting bitter and metallic.  

Pét-Nats have become increasingly popular in Turkey over the last four-ish years. Akberg, with its own pioneering spirit, created the first pét-nat with Emir. Why? They felt compelled to do so. Which is also the reasoning behind the wine’s unusual, if punny, name. Emir is not only the name of the grape. In Turkish, ‘emir‘ is a title, similar to ‘lord’ in English. It also means ‘command’ or ‘order’ (and various other synonyms thereof). Now we’re about to get into some Turkish linguistic grammar weeds so, if you’re not interested in the name’s inspiration, skip onto the tasting notes!

Okay, there’s a compound noun in Turkish, emri vaki which translates as ‘fait accompli’. You’ll notice the spelling looks slightly different. Words that have come to Turkish through Arabic do this (annoying from my perspective) thing in which a vowel moves from the middle to the end of the word when the noun is used in any case but the nominative. In this situation then, emIr becomes emrI. So as to not lose the importance of the grape’s role in the wine’s name, Akberg doubled up on the ‘i’ with Emir-i Vaki. Because much like something that is fait accompli, the wine virtually willed itself into existence and Akberg had no choice but to make it and fulfill fate.

And, fun fact! This is the first AI-generated label in Turkey.

Akberk Emir-i Vaki Pét-Nat, 2022

The winery, located in Selçuk, a short drive from the famous ruins of Ephesus, sourced its grapes from the Cappadocia region. Specifically, they came from vineyards that sit at 1276 meters in Gökek Köyü in Ürgüp. 

As the wine poured clear, I assume there was some filtering going on here. It was quite a deep straw color for the usually pale Emir and, since I’m already making assumptions, will go ahead and make another that the enclosed fermentation and lees ageing added that depth. 

A lightly effervescent wine full of fruit and floral characters. Lots of yellow fruit, from quince to bergamot candy surrounded by vines of honeysuckle and jasmine with hints of flaky pastry. Medium-bodied with lively acidity and a mere 12% abv, this highly perfumed bottle of bubbles will entice you back with each sip. 

I’ve had the Akberk Emir-i Vaki Pét-Nat several times now and I like more each time I drink it!

Vinous has been working on a traditional method Emir for some time now. While I’m sure, based on the price of the other traditional method wines here, it will be outrageously overpriced, I look forward to seeing what it’s like after they release it. Curious about other Emirs? You can read the other reviews I’ve posted about Emir wines here.