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Turkish Wine

HomeTurkish Wine (Page 14)

  Merlober is in the rearview mirror so we can get back on with wine that isn't Merlot this month! So far (knock on wood) it's been a rather beautiful autumn. Hopefully things continue that way! I can't promise any such smooth sailings in your horoscope, but I can promise some nice wine recommendations? How do I manage to do that every month? Must be the plants aligning or some other such nonsense.  Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) November presents you with an opportunity to heal by taking a deep dive into your past to explore how your early childhood experiences have influenced your emotional attachments. This will lead to further

  Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası.  The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while retaining their freshness. Here they grow not only Çalkarası, but also Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  The

  [caption id="attachment_18341" align="alignright" width="428"] map from Nif Bağları click for larger image[/caption] Viognier Narince is not an unpopular blend in Turkey. I feel like the first I saw was probably from Kastro Tireli (which makes it as both a white and an amber wine). A couple few more have popped up since theirs. including (obviously otherwise what would be the point of the post?) Nif Bağları. In addition to the blend, Nif makes a varietal Viognier and uses both grapes in its Aegean blend. However, I have yet to see/hear about a varietal Narince from them (hint hint!). What I do appreciate though, is that Nif is not bringing in

  Sagavın Winery's wines still reside totally under the radar. I've seen them at the odd shop here in Istanbul but not widely. Which is a shame. I'm not going to pretend that they're the greatest wines or even anything above mediocre because they're not. And yet. They're pricing their wines exactly as they should - not always a guarantee anywhere, especially not here! For that reason alone I think it's a winery worth supporting. Wine can improve. Egos and price inflation rarely do. I've tried a number of Sagavın's wines so far, the rosé was a nice surprise! And now that temperatures have cooled off a bit, I can

  The Gordias Kalecik Karası Beyazı was one of the standout wine surprises I found this spring. I think it's been around for a while but Canan's wines aren't always easy to find. The first time I tried it was this past May's CMC event and it was love at first sip.  She's billing the wine as "Beyazı" (white) but it's really a very very pale rosé. Kayra also makes a similar wine, the Allure Kalecik Karası Beyaz. White, pink, purple, blue

  For years, Kastro Tireli has made one white wine: a Viognier Narince blend. Then they added a skin contact version of the same blend. Fast-forward to this year. Kastro Tireli released three new white wines: varietal reserve Narince and Viognier and an off-dry Viognier.  Limited availability, I've only seen them at a few places (namely Casa Botti and Santé Wine & More) and a little scary expensive. Especially the off-dry. But I had to pull the trigger on the Narince because I've always been curious as to what a 100% Narince from them would taste like.  Kastro Tireli Narince Reserve, 2019 What makes this "reserve"? Since there were no winemaking notes

  Büyülübağ owner Alp Törüner  experimented with micro vinifications of wild fermentations for a few years before releasing his first commercial bottling in 2015. While perhaps not the first such wine on the market, the Büyülübağ Wild Ferment Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine to label itself a 'wild ferment'.  Törüner feels a deep connection with Cabernet Sauvignon. Two of his aunts (by marriage) are French and they brought a lot of their culture into the family, including the practice of drinking wine with meals. He first visited France when he was 11-12 years old and even at that early age was captured by the country and wine.  The grapes for

  Over the last two vintages, the Vino Dessera Entrika line has expanded both its offerings and its reach across Turkey. For the 2020 vintage, Vino Dessera debuted its Entrika Emir and the Entrika Narince for the 2021 vintage. Itself based in Kırklareli in Thrace, Vino Dessera's own vineyards grow a variety of (mostly international) grapes. The winery has long sourced native varieties from their respective "homelands": Öküzgözü from Elazığ, Çalkarası from Denizli, etc. With a combination of grape sources, how do you know where they're from? Check the graphic on the back label! Vino Dessera's wines include a small map of Turkey that pinpoints the grapes' origin. Vino Dessera

  Summer isn't over quite yet! We're having some cooler days (which I quite appreciate!) but also still seeing spikes into the 30s. On those days, a nice rosé liked the Uçmakdere Cinsault Roze helps chase a way the heat! Uçmakdere winery sits right at the edge of the Sea of Marmara in the same-named village in Şarköy. It's one of a few remaining wineries from 19th century that opened onto the water to allow the easy loading of wine onto ships for transport. A family-owned winery where daughter Işıl Bulutsuz makes the wines. At the moment they're heavily focused on international varieties. However, last year Işıl teased that we