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Turkish Wine

HomeTurkish Wine (Page 48)

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

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

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  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

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

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,

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

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

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Turkish Malbec? What? That can’t be right, you’re thinking. It pleases me to say that it is correct! Turkey makes Malbec. In fact, Malbec is cultivated in at least three of the eight wine regions. Only a handful of producers are making varietal Malbec but it appears pleasingly frequently in a number of blends. So how does Turkish Malbec stack up against Malbec giant Argentina or even hometown Cahors? Before we can dive into the wines themselves, let’s look at the regions where it grows; beginning with the most westerly region-Thrace. Thrace The Thrace (or Trakya in Turkish) growing region extends from Turkey’s borders with Bulgaria and Greece down to the

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  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

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  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,

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  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

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  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

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  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