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White Wine

HomeWhite Wine (Page 29)

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I've been holding onto my notes of these two Saranta Chateau Murou Chardonnay wines for a while now. My hope was that I could compare more than two vintages but I haven't seen any Chardonnay from Saranta past 2016! Which really just bums me out because these are beautiful wines. So the 2015 and 2016 it is. We know I don't like oak in my white wine and Chardonnay always worries me. Turkey got caught in the same too much new oak trap that many New World winemakers got caught in. Many of them have clawed their out in the last few years though. Saranta has a very talented

By 1Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Mersin, along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast, brings to mind beaches and resorts. Not so much wine. And to be fair, only a very few commercial wineries operate in this area. One, Selefkia Wines, has long been more of a nebulous idea in my mind rather than a reality. However, just this summer, the winery began selling its wines in Istanbul and they are the hot new thing for a lot of wine lovers here. My interest in Selefkia stems from its work with two underappreciated Turkish grapes: Patkara and Ak Üzüm. Ak Üzüm doesn't pop up in a lot of wines here. The first time I heard about it was

By 0European Wines, Rest of the World, Sparkling Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Continuing my COVID quarantine virtual traveling down memory lane with Austria. I've already (re)visited Austria with my post about Steiermark. This time around I'm focusing not on a region but on a grape: Grüner Veltliner. The closest I've come to Grüner Veltliner territory, or Gru-Ve (as it briefly became known) have been a few flying trips to Vienna. I first visited Vienna while I was in university. I'd just completed a German language summer program in Tübingen, Germany and was doing a two week, whirlwind tour of the "rest" of Europe. My second trip was eight years later. At that time I was a far more seasoned traveler although my

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Located in the northern reaches of Turkey's Aegean region, Selendi Şarapları prides itself on its many red wines. I, however, vastly prefer their whites. The vast expanses of dry land in Akhısar where the winery is located don't look look like they should produce lushly flavored wines. And yet both Selendi and neighboring winery Kastro Tireli do just that. Selendi's Moralı Narince remains one of my favorite Narince wines. You have to really want this wine though to find it. Luckily, Selendi makes more than just the one white wine. I've had two others from this winery, both blends, that are more easily available. Selendi Sarnıç Chardonnay Viognier, 2017 Pale straw

By 0European Wines, Rest of the World, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  This month the #winophiles are embarking on a no holds barred exploration of the Loire Valley. Lead by Jill at L'Accasion, whose original invitation you can view here, the world is our oyster. As long as the world is the Loire Valley and the oyster is any one of the wines produced there! Usually I don't get to participate in the #winophiles discussions. Decent French wine imports in Turkey are kind of outrageously overpriced. However, one small good thing that has come out of the COVID pandemic for me is that I was able to take the WSET L2 certification course and exam online. In fact I just took

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

  About an hour's drive outside Izmir, arriving at Nif Bağları gives you the feeling of having found a desert oasis. Located off an unmarked, dirt road turnoff from the main highway, visitors navigate the narrow, dirt road, sometimes pulling off to the shoulder to allow large trucks and tractors to pass. Just when you think you've made the wrong turn, the winery appears. From the front parking area it looks not especially remarkable. But follow the signs around the back to entrance to find one of Turkey's sleekest wineries. A giant wall of gleaming glass separates the vineyards from the production area letting you see everything at once.

By 1Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Despite the ever growing number of native white grape varieties in Turkey, Chardonnay along with Sauvignon Blanc remain very popular. Chardonnay here went through quite a journey. For many years the wines displayed excessive oak influence that drowned out any possible fruit or freshness. However, the last few years have seen the rise of Chardonnay wines that express fruit and vibrancy as well as those with complexity from responsible oak ageing. Over the last few months I have enjoyed a number of Chardonnays from the young and fresh all the way to sparkling. Sevilen İsa Bey Chardonnay, 2019 One of Sevilen's most successful lines, the İsa Bey series includes varietal

By 0Amber Wine, Amphora, Orange Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  The Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine since the Hittites ruled Anatolia." This isolation is not of the industry's making or desire but has been imposed on it. Bans against advertising mean most wineries don't have websites. Wine tourism remains very much on the down low. Winemakers have difficulty exporting. The tax burden on alcohol (to both producer and consumer) increases every year. And the climate the current government has created does no favors for the industry. And yet; Turkish wineries and winemakers are paying attention. Trends may arrive here a

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  On Turkey's Bozcaada shelters several wineries from the strong winds that sweep across the island. A mix of native and international grapes grow here. Some on traditional goblet vines to help protect the grapes from the winds. Wineries have also used natural windbreakers on the island, such as lines of pine trees, that allow them to trellis grapes. One island winery, that uses these different methods to cultivate a mix of native and international grapes is Amadeus MMX. When selecting varieties to plant, owner Oliver Gareis wanted to not only plant grapes he enjoyed, but that would do well on the island. After planting the local Vasilaki (in fact

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  One good thing to have come out of the Corona pandemic is that WSET now allows students to take the levels 1 and 2 tests online. I squeaked through level 1 here in Istanbul. But levels 1 and 2 are offered only in Turkish here. I do not trust my Turkish is decent enough to manage the level 2 test. The testing taking requirements for the exam are beyond ridiculous. But perhaps more on that later. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the homework. The WSET homework is ever so much more delightful than the homework I did at university. Every week those of us in the course have to