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European Wines

HomeEuropean Wines (Page 17)

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

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

  I was really skeptical about the Cantine due Palme Tessuto Salento Primitivo when I bought it. Any imported wine that costs only 50 TL (give or take $10) likely is only a $5 wine wherever it calls home. Sometimes you have to take a chance though. I was pleased that I did. Canete due Palme Cantine Due Palme is a co-op wine company established in 1989. The company began with 15 growers. Today that number has expanded to include 1,000 growers cultivating 2,500 hectares of vine across Brindisi, Lecce, and Taranto. In addition to expanding its grower base, Cante due Palme also merged with four other large wineries: Produttori Agr.

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

  I first encountered Our Wine at the 2017 Zero Compromises wine festival in Tbilisi. The No Compromises festival features wines that are organic, biodynamic, and/or fall into that loosely defined “natural” category. As one of the first biodynamic producers in Georgia, it was no surprise to see Our Wine there. Our Wine Our Wine (initially called the Prince Makashvili Cellar) is a family run winery established in 2003 and led by winemaker Soliko Tsaishvili. Tsaishvili produces high quality natural wines using old Georgian viticulture and winemaking methods with the fermentation, maceration, and maturation taking place in qvevri (large clay amphora that are buried). As a result, his white wines have had a lot of skin

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

  Verona is one of my favorite cities. Medieval charm highlighted by Roman ruins all within reach of the Soave vineyards. When it comes to Soave, it does not get much more charming than Coffele. The Coffele family is dedicated to the protection and conservation of the land.  It’s not then a surprise then that Coffele was the first certified organic estate in the Soave DOC. The estate consists of 25 hectares largely dedicated to Garganega (gar-GAH-neh-gah). The vineyards sit at a height of 400 meters. The upper-most contain volcanic (basaltic) soils giving wines body and complexity. The southern soils are more calcareous providing wines with higher acidity, finesse and longevity. The concept of

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

  Konstantinos Lazarakis MW describes Palivou Estate (Ktima Palivos) as “One of the more low-key Nemea producers, but one always striving to improve his existing wines or to create notable new ones…” My experience so far with Palivou Estate wines has been positive and this Ammos Terra Leone, one of the estate’s reserve wines, is no exception. Established by Giorgos Palivos in 1995, Palivou Estate includes 30 hectares of organically farmed vineyards. Vineyards include plantings of Rodites, Malagousia, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah but the main star here is Agiorgitiko. The winery sits in the heart of the Nemea PDO, home to one of Greece’s most commercially important grapes, Agiorgitiko. The grape name may

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

  Family is such an important thing, be it blood family or the family you make. I have a fantastic family here in Istanbul. However, that doesn’t stop me missing my DC family or my blood family in Michigan. Many Old World wineries have been in the same family hands for generations. There’s something so special about this that adds to the air of nobility in Old World wines-be the family noble or not. It’s a piece missing from New World wineries…for the time being of course. A Family History Cordero di Montezemolo certainly understands the importance of family. Nineteen generations, going back to 1340 have cultivated vineyards and made wine in

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

  Italy is one of the few countries whose wines I nearly universally like. While the country is I think more well known for its red wines Italy does make a wide range of whites. I don’t have a lot of experience with Gavi but since it is located in one of my favorite regions (Piemonte) I had to give the Il Pozzo Gavi a try. In 1998 Gavi won a classification upgrade from DOC (denominazione de origine) to DOCG (denominazione de origine contollata), the highest classification in Italy. Because of its DOCG classification, Gavi production is carefully controlled. Wines may not be blended; they are made with 100% Cortese

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

  I am lucky enough to have friends living in Athens who always have a couch for me to sleep on. For so many reasons, we do not have access to Greek wine in Istanbul. Which means that if I want Greek wine, this Domaine Foivos Asfothelos, it’s off to Greece for me. At least Athens is only about an hour’s flight away! The Rebirth of Mantzavino Domaine Foivos has a much longer history than its 1999 foundation would lead you to expect. Before it became Domain Foivos it was Mantzavino, one of the oldest wineries in Greece. As Mantzavino, the winery produced some of the finest Greek wines that gained fame all over the world,

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

  I’ve been to Greece a couple times now but it wasn’t until my second visit (last May) that I discovered Greek wine. The very first one was the Thalassitis Assyrtiko from Gaia (pronounced ghye) Wines. Now, a year later and another visit to Greece in, I got to visit one of Gaia’s wineries. While the Thalassitis is from Gaia’s Santorini winery, not the one in Nemea I visited, I got to taste their Assyrtikos all the same.  Leon Karatsalos and Yiannis Paraskevopoulos founded Gaia on Santorini in 1994. Located in Monolithos on the east coast of the island, the winery is a repurposed tomato processing plant, a remnant of