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European Wines

HomeEuropean Wines (Page 16)

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

  One of my friends here in Istanbul is a lovely Austrian woman, Su. Originally from Graz, she's been in Istanbul almost 10 years but goes back and forth to Austria relatively frequently. Su, bless her, is a great supporter of my goal to drink and learn about all the wines. She does her best to further my education by bringing back examples of Austrian wine. One she often brings is Welschriesling. Welschriesling, which is a completely separate grape from Riesling, is an important grape in Steiermark (also known as Styria). Many consider the wines to be uninteresting or at best neutral. Usually low in alcohol, fresh, and easy; I

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

  Last December I met up with several friends in Ljubljana. We were there for the Christmas market (I try to visit one every year) and so that I could tick Slovenia off my former Yugoslavia country list. But most importantly, we were there for wine. A whirl-wind trip lasting just a few days, I nonetheless managed to discover a variety of Slovenian wineries and grapes. Vina Colja was one of those wineries. Part of the Primorska wine region along the Italian border, Vina Colja sits in the Vipava Valley. Sixty percent of the winery's vineyards is planted to white grape varieties including Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Zelen, and Pinella. While

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  After an exciting day exploring Tokaj with Taste Hungary I fell into bed at my hotel. A good night's sleep was definitely in order to prepare me for the next day's tour. My Somló tour guide Sebastian greeted me bright and early the next morning with these amazing, buttery, savory pogácsa. Imagine a scone and a biscuit had a baby. And you ate the baby because it was delicious, buttery goodness. The day already off to a good start, we hopped in the car to head west to the Balaton region and Somló Hill. The Essence of Somló It might be Hungary's smallest wine district but lack of hectarage does not

By 0European Wines, Sweet Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Recently I took a break from all things Turkey and, as an early birthday present to myself, spent five days in Hungary to learn about their wines. However, where to start? I've had enough of driving myself around Turkey so I knew I wanted a tour. That's how I found Taste Hungary. Making arrangements through Taste Hungary was the best decision. They arranged two private wine tours for me, one to Tokaj and one to Somló. I also spent some time at their Tasting Table in Budapest attending their Hungarian Wine Crash Course and [caption id="attachment_13133" align="alignright" width="300"] Tokaj town[/caption] generally tasting. And shopping! More on the Tasting Table and Somló later

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

  A negociant wine company started by friends Avto Kobakhidze, Givi Apakidze, and Zaza Asatiani, Wine Thieves claims to be “The finest quality Georgian wine ‘stolen’ exclusively for you". Of course not actually stolen, the trio purchase wine from small, family winemaker and market it under their own label. Beyond selling quality wine to the thirst fans, their goal is to help these small family wineries market and sell wine on their own. The families they work with all grow grapes organically and age their wine in the traditional qvevri (large clay amphora). Contracts with the individual families never last long so in a way all of Wine Thieves' wines

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Rose Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  For something like 15 years I worked in DC and abroad on international development programs. My specialty was media development. While I focused the longest on the Balkans, shifts in funding priorities also had me working around the Middle East, Afghanistan, Cuba, and elsewhere. While I no longer do that work, it's because of it that I landed in Turkey. Where, after a fair few years of adulthood, I finally figured out what I want to be when I grown up. Hint: it's about wine. People haven't cornered the market on self reinvention. While it requires human intervention to do so, wine also goes through transformative periods. Take

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Wine Reviews

  Duty Free has long been my friend while living in Turkey. Often shopping in duty free is the only place I can find (non Turkish) wines at a fair price. After five and a half years of stopping for my allotted bottles on the way back into Turkey I've pretty much gone through their limited collection of Italian and Spanish wines. The Bodegas Montecillo DOC Gran Reserva 2008 was one of those I picked up. The Rioja Classifications I love Spanish wine. Rioja might be the most famous region but it's really not my favorite. However in the limited market here beggars can't be choosers! If I am going to be

By 0European Wines, Red Wine, Rest of the World, Wine Reviews

  While Turkish wine may be my raison d’être, that certainly doesn’t preclude enjoying wine from other countries. Greece in particular has captured me over the last couple years so I was thrilled to learn about the Oenorama event held every spring in Athens. So, with my cat being looked after by neighbor’s son I was able to take a quick flight to Greece for a lovely long weekend. Oenorama started in 1994. While there are many wine festivals in Greece that focus on specific regions (for example the Peleponnese Wine Festival that occurred in February), Oenorama brings together wineries from all over Greece. This year over 200 wineries and related businesses took

By 0European Wines, Rest of the World, Sparkling Wine, Wine Reviews

  I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying several wines now from Domaine Porto Carras. Their P.G.I. Halkidiki Malagouzia is one of my favorite examples of that grape. So when I went looking for a sparkling Greek wine to try, I knew I would be in safe hands with the Domaine Porto Carras Yliana. Domaine Porto Carras lays claim to being the largest single organic vineyard in Greece. It certainly has had a fairy tale history. In his book, The Wines of Greece, Konstantinos Lazarakis MW describes Porto Carras as being “One of the great stories of Greek wine…” In addition to championing organic agriculture, Porto Carras’s research into rare Greek grapes

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

  I have an excellent friend here in Istanbul who is Austrian. Through her generosity, I have learned a great deal about Austrian wine over the last two years. Even though she mocks (albeit gently) my pronunciation of “Grüner Veltliner“, she nonetheless is always on the look out for new wine to bring back from Austria to share with me. The König of Grapes [caption id="" align="alignright" width="275"] photo from AustrianWine.com[/caption] Grüner Veltliner is THE Austrian grape. A case could be made for the black variety Zweigelt, but in the end, Grüner Veltliner holds the title. The grape has been known in Austria since the 18th Century. In 2003 it became the only white grape