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Turkish Wine

HomeTurkish Wine (Page 48)

  Chardonnay is a tricky beast. Or at least I find it to be so. I have been burned by so many cheap and overly and clumsily oaked wines; I now look at Chardonnay with a wary eye. I dislike oak on my Chardonnay in general and have found few exceptions to that. However, if any winery in Turkey has changed my mind, it was Turkish wine giant Sevilen. Appellations are so useful for wine consumers. Not only do they carry a guarantee of quality, they also give a good idea about what you’re going to find in the bottle. Turkey has no appellations. Quality guarantees are based on the trust you

  One does not immediately associate wine with piracy. Yet, Barbare, one of Turkey’s Thracian wineries, takes its name and inspiration from the famed (or perhaps infamous!) pirate, Barbarossa. Before visiting Barbare, I had no idea that the pirate Barbarossa (aka Redbeard) was Turkish. Let alone that he was an admiral in the Ottoman navy. His journey from renegade pirate to respected admiral meandered nearly as much as Turkey’s recent wine history. Readbeard, King of the Sea Barbarossa – image from Wikipedia In the same year Columbus left to “discover” America, the Barbarossa brothers Khidr and Oruç, Were already villainous pirates. After Spain kicked the last of the Muslims out of Iberia, it, along with Portugal,

  Just a few years ago, Papaskarası, a black grape native to Turkey’s Thrace, was something of a novelty. Very few producers worked with it. Nowadays it seems to be the next big thing in Turkish wine. The number of producers using it has grown and you can find it as varietal red and rosé wines and in blends. There are even a few blanc de noirs floating around. Melen Winery, located in the Hoşköy village of Thrace’s Tekirdağ district, is one of those few wineries that has been working with Papaskarası for quite some time. A family-run winery since the 1920s, it’s also one of the oldest continuous running wineries in Turkey. While

  Gemici Family Winery began as a couple of novice winemakers’ desire to share traditionally produced wine with visitors and wine lovers. It soon turned into a full-blown winery and concept store in the southern Izmir town Alaçatı. Gum and Wine Alaçatı, on the Çeşme Peninsula, is a charming town on the Aegean coast often noted for its architecture, vineyards and windmills. It’s a beach town and tourists arrive in droves, particularly in the summer, drawn to the relaxed feeling of the town, great windsurfing, and wine. In addition to wine, this area is famous in Turkey for its mastic production. A natural resin from the mastic tree, this gummy substance has a maple

  Likya Winery in Turkey’s Mediterranean has a huge range of wines. From simple but quaffable entry level to complex high-end wines, Likya has something for everyone. Located in the heights of the Elamlı plateau of the western Taurus Mountains, Likya’s vineyards are home to a mix of native and international grapes. Their elevation and unique terroir give Likya’s wines freshness and elegance which can be felt in all their wines. The owners of Likya, the Özkan family, love food and that shows in their wine. Likya wines match really well with food. Their white wines, like this Patara, have great punchy acid and minerality that make them perfect for salads, mezes, and

  Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality wine, Paşaeli is of the Turkish wineries making huge efforts to revive rare and dying grape varieties. Resurrecting little known Turkish varieties While Paşaeli does turn out a couple of the Bordeaux-style blends that are endlessly popular in Turkey. I’ve had the Kaynaklar and K2 blends several times and they’re very good. But the heart and soul of this winery are the grapes you’ve never heard of. A big believer in growing things where they are native, Karagözoğlu set about collecting vineyards where Turkey’s native grapes thrive naturally.

  Fortified wine is not so much a thing in Turkey. However, for a country that’s shown itself to be a scrappy innovator in wine, finding fortified Turkish wine did not surprise me. Certainly we do not see the levels produced in famed fortified wine countries like Spain and Portugal. In fact, I can think of only two available of which this Kayra Madre is one. What really excited me about the Kayra Madre is that Kayra used native Turkish grapes for its fortified wine. The Madre features Turkey’s famous blending partners Öküzgözü and Boğazkere, showing them off in a way not done before. A non vintage blend, this blend clocks in

  The popularity of blanc de noir wines (white wine made with black grapes) is on the rise in Turkey. The wines are made with everything from native to international varieties in both still and sparkling styles. Thracian winery Vino Dessera has thrown its hat in the ring with two different wines. Affordable Luxury Vino Dessera was established in 2012, but to understand the full story of these fields we need to jump a little further back. When the owner’s first grandchild was born, abiding by a very thoughtful Anatolian tradition, he planted approximately 600 walnut trees along the green slopes of Thrace. And, as it turns out, he never stopped.

  Datça Vineyard and Winery, conveniently located on the same named peninsula in southern Turkey, is a small, family-run winery. Here they make wine for the love of it but are perfectly poised to take advantage of the tourist rich area. The Datça Peninsula Located along the Aegean coast between famous resort areas of Bodrum and Fethiye, the Datça (dat-cha) Peninsula is a long, narrow peninsula that is a combination of fjords and beaches, uninhabited mountains, and fertile plains and valleys. Easily accessed via a picturesque (albeit long) drive from the mainland or regular ferries from Bodrum, the area offers a fair amount of attractive activities for tourists. Beaches, a charming

  Despite its long history with wine, Turkey has little wine culture. A great many of the Turks who make or love wine developed this passion as a result of strong external influences. It was while studying Finance in France that Yunus Mermerci began his wine journey. One that eventually lead him back to Turkey to found his own winery, Kastro Tireli. Kastro Tireli’s Vineyards Located in Akhisar’s Pınarcık village, Kastro Tireli’s vineyards rise between 200-280 meters above the dusty north east Aegean sub-region of Manisa. The vineyards sit only 100 kilometers from the Aegean coast; close enough to still reap the benefits of coastal breezes. Winters here are generally cold