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Red Wine

HomeRed Wine (Page 39)

  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

  One of the wineries making up the Urla Bağ Yolu, Mozaik Winery sits in a place of idyllic, pastoral heaven. Vineyards run alongside paddocks keeping pace with the racing horses that are raised next to the winery. Trees dot rolling hills providing shade for grape and horse alike while airy stables dwarf the small onsite tasting room. Everything looks so calm and easy that at first glance you would think that the vineyards, winery, and stables simply appeared. However, it was hard work and passion that built everything. Planting the Seeds of a Dream In 2006 Ali and Melis Emin founded Mozaik Winery’s vineyards and the Mahrem label in the Urla

  When I hear “Argentina” my mind goes immediately to Malbec (and beef but this is a wine blog!); and to Bodega Trapiche. However, while this post is about Trapiche, it’s not about the quintessentially Argentinean Malbec. It’s about the Trapiche Broquel Petit Verdot. Argentinean Petit Verdot?! Yes! Petit Verdot is one of my absolute favorite grapes. I’m lucky enough that here in Turkey there are several producers making varietal Petit Verdot or using large percentages of it in blends. However, it is certainly not the first grape that springs to mind when I think about Argentina. So when I saw this bottle in a shop here inn Istanbul I was ecstatic. Bodega Trapiche has a very long history.

  LA Wines holds the record for being one of (if not the!) largest organic vineyards in Turkey. Wines at this beautiful Izmir estate are made with the same amount of care given to the vines. However, what I find the most delightful about this winery is its willingness to experiment and color outside the box. Istanbites and I recently had the chance to sit down with one of LA Wines’ winemakers, Ali Boz, and learn the history of this winery. Keeping it Clean In 2010 Lucian Arkas purchased the company Idol Wines. While he renamed the vineyards LA Wines, as a nod to the work done before him he kept the

  Pamukkale Wines is a family company started in 1962 by Fevzi Tokat. Tokat began with a fairly small capacity of 100,000 liters. Pamukkale has since grown into one of Turkey’s largest wineries. Now looked after by Yasin Tokat, the winery produces 3.5 million liters of wine every year. It’s main goal: to offer the best quality wine to the wine lovers at the best prices. The winery sources grapes from a variety of locations in Turkey. It’s “home” vineyards located in the Aegean Region of Çal are made up of clay-loamy, limestone, pebbly soil at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level. This area has been the home

  Together with Talay, Amadeus, and Çamlıbağ, Corvus is one of Turkey’s Aegean region wineries located on the island of Bozcaada. Corvus came about in 2002. Like many winery owners in Turkey, this was a second career for founder Reşit Söley who moved to Bozcaada to open his winery. He named it Corvus, which is Latin for “crow” because of the vast amount of crows that also make the island their home. Söley makes wine from a variety of both international and indigenous grapes. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, the winery also cultivates the island varieties Çavus, Vasilaki, Kuntra, and Karalahana. Corvus buys in fruit from other

  Good wine shouldn’t have to be expensive. Unfortunately that is not always true in Turkey. Someone asked me recently to recommend a wine under 25 TL (about $6). And I really couldn’t do it. Double that price and we can talk. There are very few wines here priced under 40 TL ($9) that I will drink. It’s not that I’m a snob (well really I am but that’s a different topic). I just prefer to drink wine that a) tastes nice and b) won’t kill me. For every rule there exists and exception. While I still refuse most wines that live at the 25 TL mark there are a

  My love affair with Ayda Winery began last fall in my local bottle shop. I’m in this shop a lot. Like, a lot a lot. So when there’s a new bottle somewhere I zero in on it pretty quickly. With the Ayda Winery VinAida collection it wasn’t difficult at all since they were sitting right there on check out counter. Actually I think they might all have been samples for the store owner. There was only the one set and the shop doesn’t carry them*. They let me buy a couple bottles anyway. I think they get a kick out of the odd foreigner who gets so excited about

  Karnas Vinyards is a boutique, family run winery and farm which main goal is to farm “respectful of nature”. Engineering the First Turkish Zinfandel [caption id="attachment_11659" align="alignleft" width="301"] Me at Karnas[/caption] Selva Ismen, the elegant force behind Karnas Vineyards started life as a civil engineer. One of the very first graduates from the prestigious Istanbul Technical University, Selva Hanım lived a life of clinical maths and calculations. Until, that is, she lived in the US for a number of years where she learned to love not only wine, but specifically Zinfandel. After she retired she began experimenting with winemaking at the family home in Yeniköy in Turkish Thrace. Selva Hanım bought grapes from friend

  Urlice Vineyards is one of Turkey’s special boutique wineries. The husband/wife team Reha and Bilge Benisü Öğünlü oversee everything from vineyards to cellar on their own. The Making of a Dream Bilge and Reha lived in the US for over 15 years. While there they developed a love for wine and gastronomy.  Her parents had a small vineyard where they learned the ropes a bit during visits. Between those visits and their wine tours in the US their love of wine grew prompting them to start their own vineyard when they returned to Turkey. Since beginning planting in 2002, Bilge and Reha have built a beautiful winery and make wines every bit as