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By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  One of Turkey’s most popular culinary traditions is that of rakı balık. Literally translated as rakı fish, this is the great tradition that comes from the Turkish meyhane, or tavern. Rakı is a grape spirit-based, anise-infused liquor similar to Greece’s ouzo and Lebanon’s arak. In Turkey, this drink, served over ice and diluted with water, accompanies traditional fish and small bite meze. While a modern tradition, and no offense to those who love the rakı balık, the heavy anise flavor of rakı doesn’t really go with a lot of foods. It’s time to make room on the meze table for wine. In my last article, Pairing Turkish Wines with

By 0Articles, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine

  Some Turkish grape names are very straightforward. Kalecik Karası, for example, means “black from Kalecik.” Very little to argue about there. Others, like Gök, have unknown origins. A few, like Karalahna, have hotly contested translations. Papazkarası (pa-paz-ka-rah-sih) is the only grape with a spelling dispute! Wineries seem to be split down the middle on whether they spell it Papazkarası, with a ‘z’, or Papaskarası, with an ‘s’.  However it gets spelled, one thing everyone agrees on is that this Thracian variety makes darn good wine.  The name means  “black of the pope” or “pope’s black” which allegedly goes back to the Byzantine era when wines made from this grape were

By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  I started my wine bar reviews with the most recent wine bar I'd visited, Carafe Istanbul. Now, we go back to the beginning with Istanbul's best and, in my opinion, only true wine bar. Solera. Tucked into a narrow storefront on Yeni Çarşı, Solera’s small sign and deeply recessed space is are easy to miss if you’re not looking for them. This wine bar offers an intimate and cozy setting with squat tables, cushy low stools, and a retro playlist. The food menu is limited but eclectic, offering Turkish mezes, pizza, pasta and steak. But you didn’t come here for a meal, you came to drink your way through

By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  Many of us have heard the old adage to pair white wine with chicken and fish and red wine with red meat (like beef and lamb). Happily, that advice has pretty much gone out the window over the last years. For one thing…where does pork live in this configuration? What happens when you put a cream sauce on red meat? White wine with delicate fish and seafood sure…but what about heavier (dare I say “meaty”) fish like swordfish or tuna steak? It’s called a “tuna steak” for a reason after all! The best pairing advice has nothing to do with your protein (or vegetable if you swing that way).

By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  I recently took a quick little holiday on the Urla Bağ Yolu with a friend. I've been before; frankly I cannot even remember how many times at this point. This time was less about business and getting information for the book (coming soon!) and more about just enjoying. So, I thought I would share a few observations and tips for anyone planning their own Urla trip (bağ yolu or no bağ yolu).  [caption id="attachment_11796" align="alignright" width="300"] Mozaik[/caption] Places worth the visit Let me start with the hotel. There are plenty of hotels in Urla itself and more and more wineries are opening hotels and/or guest rooms. Urla Bağ Evi, while not a

By 0Articles, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine

  If Turkey has a workhorse grape, this is it. Grown in the abundant vineyards of Denizli in Turkey's Aegean region, Çalkarası (chal-car-as-ser) has often been used to support red blends. In blends, it lends some acidity to flabby grapes and fills out a wine if the preferred grapes didn't do so well that year. Meaning the "black from Çal" this grape prefers the clay loam and chalky soils of, you guessed it, Çal (a district in the Denizli province). The dark purple have a slightly elongated shape, are small to medium in size, and don't have especially thin skins. They retain acidity well and when vinified as a red wine,

By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  While I list places to drink wine on my Istanbul Wine Guide page, I realized that I've never done proper reviews of any of these places. Rather than beginning at the beginning (which to me is Solera); I shall start with the place I most recently visited. Carafe Istanbul Wine & Bistro. The busy Barbaros Bulvari in chaotic, university area Beşiktaş is the last place I would look for a place like Carafe Istanbul. And yet. Immediately Carafe Istanbul sets itself apart from the coffee houses and cheap burger and kebab places around it with its bright, royal blue deck walls. Colorful glass panels separate inside from outside and

By 0Articles, Turkish Wine

  “Body” strikes one as a strange word to use to describe a liquid. One thinks of a body as something solid. However, one [of the many!] definition describes it as the “consistency, denseness, or richness” of a substance. And it is that definition we mean when we talk about the “body” of a wine. Body is how wine feels in your mouth. Okay, so now we know what body in wine is. How do we know where the various Turkish grapes fall in this light, medium, full-bodied spectrum? There is one aspect of body that we have not discussed yet and that is the grape variety itself. By their

By 0Articles, European Wines

  While Turkish wine is my raison d'etre, over the last few years I have developed deep love, enthusiasm, and respect for wines from other counties as well. I prefer white wine to red and find that I gravitate towards white wines with tightly strung energy. Their verve is electric and exciting. I've been very lucky to experience a lot of Greek wine over the last few years. Two of my best friends live in Athens, always have a couch for me, and indulge my need to explore the wine scene. Given my zeal for zesty, racy wines, it's little wonder that in Greece I lean towards wines from Santorini.