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Turkish Wine

HomeTurkish Wine (Page 48)

  One of the magical things about living in Turkey is how one seems to stumble across history everyone one goes. Sometimes its obvious. In Istanbul the Haghia Sofia and Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque) dominate the skyline. Every time I fly into Izmir I remember that it used to be called Smyrna. In Cappadocia I've explored cave churches that belonged to early Christians. And never have I been more aware of the history here than since I began researching Turkish wine. Its history goes back at least to the Hittites who ruled Anatolia from 1650 BC.  Take a step back in time The ancient region of Cappadocia remains one of

  When I first started seriously drinking Turkish wine my strategy was simple. Start at the bottom shelf at my local Carrefour and drink my way up. That strategy worked pretty well for me. Not the least because as I made my way towards the pricier bottles the Turkish Lira began its downwards trajectory; making those upper shelf wines less expensive than when I started. I soon discovered the downside to my plan. I had begun ignoring all the new wines that came into the middle of the shelf. Whether subconsciously or due to a snobby belief that mid range Turkish wine had nothing more to offer me, I don't

  My first introduction to raw wine happened before I even know what raw wine was. Georgia. Long before it became a Top 10 travel destinations, my colleagues in the international development world were traveling to and raving about the country. And bringing back wine for the office. Since moving to Turkey I have taken full advantage of being only a short flight away and have made several trips. One was in May 2017 for the back-to-back Zero Compromise natural wine and New Wine festivals. It was at Zero Compromise where I met Udo Hirsch. Wine crosses all nationalities, borders, and cultures No, you’re not wrong. Udo is not a Turkish

  O! learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit. Wine as Poetry In 2003 Can and Serpil Şener and Eda Aylın Genç abandoned city life and careers in favor of wine. They chose the Urla district of Izmir for their project. With its long history of wine production and favorable climate, they knew they would find favorable conditions here for their vines. Set in the village of Kuşçular, USCA’s vineyards feel both the west and north winds of the Aegean’s surrounding gulfs. Part of a growing trend in Turkey, USCA farms all its grapes organically in an effort to begin as they mean

After six years of living in this country, my Turkish language is still pretty crap. Partially because my day job is conducted 98% in English and because my Turkish friends all speak English far better than I speak Turkish. Really though, it’s just a terribly difficult language and my mind seems to reject all its weird grammar structures. I’ve studied Turkish over three different periods at three different language schools. Each time I restart, I get bumped down to a beginner level course and have to work my way back up to the advanced classes Wine, Like Language Many think learning a language with a different alphabet is scary and

  All of the teachers participate somehow and many of them wear traditional Austrian costumes of Lederhosen and Dirndl. As a rather typical American, my family is from a little bit of everywhere and I’ve always been envious of people who have a cultural heritage that comes with national costumes, traditions, food, etc. Our biggest tradition in Michigan is using our right hand as a state map. Which, come on, is pretty cool. Istranca Terroir In a way, wine is like my Austrian friends and their dirndl; they come from and belong to a place. However, with wine we define that with the somewhat indefinable term, terroir.  Kırklareli-based winery Chamlija takes a huge amount of pride in its terroir. When we

Fumé Blanc and I are not friends. We do not get along well at all. I without exception prefer my Sauvignon Blanc fresh, clean, and oak free. However, I wanted to try Yazgan’s Vodina Fumé Blanc when I came across it. In the spirit of “don’t judge a book by its cover” I want to try everything. Just because I have not liked Fumé Blanc from…well literally anyone, doesn’t mean that I won’t like it in a wine I have yet to try. I mean, heck, I’ve come around to Merlot! So why not Fumé Blanc? The 2013 Vodina Fumé Blanc showed a pretty dark straw color that unfolded aromas of citrus oil, flowers,

It feels like forever since my last post! While I try to post every Wednesday and Sunday, I missed the previous two weeks due to travel. My day job occasionally pulls me back to DC so I can reconnect with the mother ship. Since I’d already crossed an ocean to get there I decided to go even farther west to Las Vegas. Not to visit any casinos though! Rather, to meet my bff’s new baby. Even though my trip did include some wine in both DC and Vegas (and a split of Champagne at the Denver airport I drank with Egg McMuffins-true story); I am happy to be