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Arcadia: Getting on the Doğal Fermentasyon Train

 

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Arcadia, based in upper Thrace in Kırklareli, has long prided itself on its winemaking techniques. Including a crazy looking machine that very gently filters the wines and then bottling them unfined. They’re now following the popular trend of spontaneous fermentation, or doğal fermentasyon in the Turkish.

This has become a growing trend over the last few years. Some wineries, like Kastro Tireli and Tomurcukbağ, have always allowed their wine to ferment spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Büyülübağ has made one or two “wild ferment” wines for years. When Claros opened, they did the same and Gürbüz, Paşaeli, and probably a handful of others all have at least a couple wines. And so, now, Arcadia does as well.

Arcadia Doğal Fermentasyon Öküzgözü Papaskarası, 2020

This wine came out some time ago … so long ago that I think Arcadia unfortunately doesn’t make it any more. In any case, I didn’t see any 2021 vintages. And yet, I only just drank it a few weeks ago because I kind of lost it. Twice. I need a better way to organize my wine…

It was worth the wait though!

The grapes in the this blend fermented whole bunch in oak barrels and spent another four months ageing in oak before bottling. Medium-opaque ruby and a little cloudy (it was unfiltered after all), aromas of earth, sour cherry, fir, and the tangy-sweet of balsamic vinegar unfolded from the glass. Smooth and silky on the palate with fresh acidity. Flavors reminiscent of plump, juicy black mulberry and red plum hit the palate first followed by a burst of black pepper. I found this very enjoyable.

270 bottles produced

Arcadia Doğal Fermentasyon Papaskarası, 2021

For the 2021 vintage, Arcadia dropped the Öküzgözü from the wine and went with a varietal Papazkarası that, similarly, spent four months in oak before bottling. I was especially excited to try this one as this particularly like this grape. 

It poured a bright ruby red slipper, also very clear for something with limited filtration. Initially, green bell pepper jumped out of the glass before freshly cracked black peppercorn, red fruit, and sprinkles of black tea leaves joined the party. While the nose in now way lacked any bravura, the palate took that attitude and amped it up with an explosion of red fruit flavors, black tea, and all the black pepper you could ever want, all lingering on a pleasingly long finish. A burst of acidity and low tannins gave the wine the feeling of silk as the wine slipped down the throat. 

Despite my anti “natural” wine rants, I am not at all anti wild fermentation, especially when it produces wines like this. So much goodness.

284 bottles produced

I’ve set myself a limit for the absolute highest price I’m willing to pay for wine here, barring anything extraordinary. While I desperately hope that the next vintage of these wines will not top (or even meet) my limit, I might actually pay for them.

Quick update: since writing the above, I saw these both at La Cave priced at 750 TL (give or take $40). That is just 50 TL under my new self-imposed spending limit. And while these were both pretty wow wines, they are not 750 Turkish Lira worth of wow.