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Amphora

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By 1Amphora, European Wines, Red Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  My first introduction to Oenops was a few years ago at Athens' Oenorama. My friend, Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine and Chania Wine Tours (who knows everyone in Greek wine) told me that, while not Cretan, Oenops makes the best Vidiano. Nikos Karatzas founded Oenops Wines in 2015. While his winery sits in Drama in the eastern part of Macedonia, his grapes come from everywhere. Karatzas tours Greece looking for high-quality, native grapes like Xinomavro, Limniona, Malagousia, Assyrtiko, Roditis, and of course, Vidiano. Once he's found a grower, he works almost like a micro-négociant creating partnerships with growers who share his ideals. In the winery, Karatzas strives to make low

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, Orange Wine, Rest of the World, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  If you've had only a few Georgian white wines, chances are pretty good that it was Rkatsiteli, that most ubiquitous of Georgian white grapes. I've never particularly enjoyed it, myself, and actively avoid it. Even through my infrequent trips to Georgia though, I've seen a rise in less common grapes (both white and red) and find many of them so much more enjoyable. Like Chinuri. Chinuri The Chinuri grape seems to originate in Kartli, which is very near Tbilisi. Greenish-yellow to amber when fully ripe, it is fairly disease resistant even to phylloxera and can often be found planted on its own roots. Berries are fleshy, juicy, and sweet with

By 3Amphora, European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  With woman still being marginalized in the wine world (although oddly enough not in Turkey which you can read about here!), it continues to be important to lift up those who are in the industry. So, I'm celebrating International Women's Day with a wine made by a woman at the winery she owns: Csetvei Pincészet Ezerjó Amphora. I'm a great fan of Hungarian wine but rarely let myself open one. Once it's drunk, it's gone and who knows when I'll be able to get another one! [caption id="" align="alignright" width="351"] Krisztina Csetvei - photo from Csetvei Pincészet[/caption] And yet, if any day is a good day to enjoy one of

By 1Amphora, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  While 2020 was straight-up awful, 2021 had a few more ups. Certainly there were downs! But the slowly slowly back to normal life certainly made the downs more bearable. Oh and my book finally came out! So that was a huge highlight for me! Of course I drank a ton of wine in 2021! I haven't actually posted reviews of all of them yet (I drink faster than I write); so just a quick look at some of my favorite wines from 2021. The Whites I won't lie, I vastly prefer white wine to red wine. Sadly for me, Turkey seems to think that it's a red wine country so there

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, Articles, Orange Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine

  Hasandede is one of those grapes that doesn't get a lot love. According to 'Wine Grapes', Hasandede makes "very basic-quality white wine." Maybe that was true when the book was copywritten in 2012. But it's far from true now. And while it may not be true (any longer) that the grape makes only basic-quality wines, what sadly is true is how little we know about the grape itself. Hasandede (has-an-de-day), literally the ‘grandfather Hasan’, likely originated in Kırıkkale near Turkey’s capital Ankara. The medium-sized berries have thin-skins. They start out bright green but reach a golden green-yellow color with brown freckles by full ripeness. Prior to Vinkara making the first

By 1Amber Wine, Amphora, Orange Wine, Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  For August's #WinePW event, host Gwendolyn from The Wine Predator, has invited us to explore amphora aged wines from around the world. You can view her invitation here. If you're reading this early enough, whether you write about amphora-aged wines or not, please feel free to join our Twitter discussion on August 14 at 8am CST / 11am EST / 6pm GMT+3. Based on every archeological and history museum I've ever visited, pottery is the most commonly found, left behind by previous civilizations item. It's the old museum bait and switch

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, European Wines, Orange Wine, Rest of the World, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  In Georgian white wine, Rkatsiteli reigns supreme. If you've had Georgian white (or amber) wine you've likely had this grape. Or maybe a Mtsvane. But, while the most common, these are not the only white grapes in Georgia's winemaking arsenal. While I do like Mtsvane wines, Rkatsiteli has never been my favorite. I tend to seek out wines from some of the less well-known grapes when I'm in Georgia. In particular I've long been a fan of Kisi. Because I do hunt them down, my last trip netted me wines made from not only the Kisi I like so well but also Tsitska, Tsolikouri, and Krakhuna. Lagvinari Tsitska, 2015 After a

By 1Amber Wine, Amphora, Orange Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  The Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine since the Hittites ruled Anatolia." This isolation is not of the industry's making or desire but has been imposed on it. Bans against advertising mean most wineries don't have websites. Wine tourism remains very much on the down low. Winemakers have difficulty exporting. The tax burden on alcohol (to both producer and consumer) increases every year. And the climate the current government has created does no favors for the industry. And yet; Turkish wineries and winemakers are paying attention. Trends may arrive here a

By 1Amber Wine, Amphora, European Wines, Orange Wine, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Sweet Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  [caption id="attachment_14489" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chreli Abano sulfur baths[/caption] Georgia is a perennial favorite destination of mine. I like to go at least once every other year or so. Past trips have been to visit wine regions like Kakheti; once to see the Pope and meet the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church; another time for a wine festival. My last trip was a whirlwind three and a half days in Tbilisi for an eating and drinking extravaganza. When I'm in Tbilisi I'm generally pretty lazy about where I go. I already have a handful of favored restaurants and wine bars (Vino Underground, g.Vino, Pastorali, Azarphesha to name a few) so I

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, European Wines, Orange Wine, Red Wine, Rest of the World, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  My foray so far into Slovenian wine has been limited but highly rewarding. I first visited Ljubljana with a dual purpose in mind: Christmas market and, of course, wine. Accompanied by Istanbites, we met up with friends E&M to spend a few days shivering in a proper winter environment while delighting in the Christmas atmosphere and museums, and imbibing to my heart's content.  We found Ljubljana to be utterly charming. A city made easy for walking, we wandered from cafe to church to castle to museum to wine bar. We didn't make it out of the city on this trip but I hope to do so on a future