Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Morbi eu nulla vehicula, sagittis tortor id, fermentum nunc. Donec gravida mi a condimentum rutrum. Praesent aliquet pellentesque nisi.

Orange Wine

HomeOrange Wine

  It's been quite a few years since Kastro Tireli debuted its first "natural" Hermos wine, a blend of Narince and Viognier. The line takes Kastro Tireli's clean winemaking practices one step further. The winery has always used organically-grown grapes and, when possible, native yeast fermentation. Hermos goes another level by using skin contact for the white wines, no filtration, and adds the barest hint of sulfur before bottling. What started with one wine is now five: the original Narince-Viognier blend, a Bornova Misketi (one of my favorite wines), varietal Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. I have not tried any of the reds, but very much enjoyed the two

  How is it October already?! I know that I for one wanted the heat and humidity of summer to be over, but I blinked and it's October?? Possibly I missed September while my power and water were out because this city can't get itself together to actually fix the infrastructure. Hopefully though, October will go better than did September.  Regardless, autumn is truly upon us! Calendarily in any case and if we're lucky, cooler weather and lower humidity will follow. Does this mean that it's time to break into all those big red wines again? Read on to find out! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) October invites you to engage

  The first Experimental Series wine Kayra released was an old vine Semillon. A couple years have passed since that one, which made me wonder if there even was going to be another in the series. I don't know if the winery was waiting for inspiration to strike or waiting for perfection, but it hit it big with the new Karkuş. [caption id="attachment_16265" align="alignright" width="225"] 60+ year old Karkuş vine[/caption] Karkuş (also known as Kerküş) has lived in shadows for some time. A grape traditionally used by Turkey's small Assyrian population, Karkuş grows in the high heat, semi-arid southeast near the country's borders with Syria and Iraq. New plantings of this

  Used to be that Markogianni was not a winery with which I was familiar. A friend recommended their Vorias and Helios amber Assyrtiko to me some time ago. That one wine was all it took really to sell me on the whole winery. Subsequent trips have seen me tracking down more and more of their wines and I am dying to visit them.  Located to the far west of the country, near the Ionian sea and ancient Olympia,  Markogianni Winery is a family-run winery launched in 1982. They soon converted to organic cultivation and in 2001 were certified by DIO. Between their own vineyards and the growers with whom

  Summer is in full swing and it's just begun. It's hot, tempers are rising with the temperatures! We all need something to cool us down. This time of year, most people want to reach for white or rosé because they're cold, they're refreshing. But, don't forget, you don't have to give up red wine during the hot summer months! Check out these chillable reds to start. And, even if your tastes run to heavier, full-bodied reds, don't be afraid to chill them for a little bit before drinking, especially given how hot our current "room temperatures" are.  So, let's get to it! What are we all drinking this month?

  Of the hundreds and thousands of grapes the world has, my three favorite are white varieties. One of which is Assyrtiko. I am lucky enough to be in the position that I can visit Greece often. And, thanks to my writing work, have even been to Santorini. For several years, I spent those trips drinking mostly Assyrtiko. And almost exclusively Santorini Assyrtiko. I didn't like mainland Assyrtiko, felt almost offended by its softness compared the acid powerhouses offered by the Cycladic Islands. A quick note about those powerhouses. I recently learned, during a lecture by Dr. Yiannis Paraskevopoulos from Gai'a winery how different the mineral levels are in

  I had my first encounter with Sideritis at the Athens wine expo Oenorama a couple years ago. Only two or three examples were available to try at the time, but I've since been able to hunt down a few more. Never heard of Sideritis? Not surprising. While it seems to be moving on from 'rare' and into 'emerging', it's still not something you'll find on everyone's list/shelves.  A pink-skinned grape, Sideritis (Σιδερίτης) can be found in a few different locations around Greece, namely Patras on the Peloponnese peninsula, Central Greece, and in northern Greek in Macedonia. It takes its name from the Greek word ‘sidero’ (iron), referring to the

  So, 2023 is now behind us. Not such a bad year, all things considered. Although there's always hope that the future will be better and brighter. Whether or not you make resolutions, take some time as we say goodbye to the year to reflect on the lessons you learned and how you might apply them and do and be better in 2024. Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) January's winter nights are cold and dark, the perfect place for shadows of the past to lurk and taunt you. Embrace the discomfort of facing them head-on. Remember that the wounds you carry are not your identity, but they way you deal

  Every year - well every year that I remember - I like to do a quick review of the wines I posted about during the year that I most enjoyed, that most surprised me, etc. So with no further ado, let's jump into my favorite Turkish wines of 2023! My Favorite Sparkling Wines There weren't many new sparkling wines released this year. And frankly, with the skyrocketing price of most Turkish bubbles, I didn't really drink much. And while the Paşaeli Karasakız Pét-Nat may not be a fair wine to include, as it was a super limited bottling, it nonetheless gets a spot.  My Favorite White Wines Over the last few years,

  My friend Roy lives in Australia, mostly in Melbourne, and visits Turkey regularly. Has been doing so for so long, in fact, that he owns several apartments here. We actually met when, two apartments ago for me, we were neighbors! I've teased him throughout our friendship about how I refuse to believe Australia has good wine* and wouldn't believe it until he brought me some. And yet, every year he's come without wine. He says that he wouldn't dare to choose wine for me since he's happy enough with whatever plonk is around.  Until this year, inspiration struck! I found a wine shop near him (not difficult given where