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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 15)

  When you hear the grape "Sultaniye", what comes to mind? Table grapes or raisins probably. If you live in Turkey likely also pekmez or rakı. Maybe wine. But fine wine? Probably not. Heraki is going to change that for you. There's some pretty crap Sultaniye out there. There's good Sultaniye as well (I'm looking at you, Paşaeli). But my first sip of the Heraki Akuarela was life changing.  But before we get there. Heraki is the new label from Fulya Akinci and José Hernandez-Gonzalez. This Wife-husband winemaking duo (she's Turkish, he's Spanish) have worked as consulting winemakers in Turkey for years. They're behind some great wines from places like Karnas, Vinolus,

  Two years ago, I won a writing contest about Hungarian wine run by Hungarian Wine.EU. You can read my winning piece here! Part of the win included a study tour to several of Hungary's wine regions. On our first day, we spent the night at Dominium Pincészet.  We tasted several of their wines at a Mátra regional tasting and later at their winery were able to taste a few more. That's where I learned about the grape Turán. And, after learning that it was my birthday, founder Dániel Orbán very kindly gifted me with a bottle! Dominium Pincészet Dániel Orbán, one of the founders of  Dominium Pincészet found inspiration in his father's

  I didn't have a horizontal picture of this wine so I hope you enjoy this picture of Sherlock lounging in one of my serving dishes.  I've had my eye on Chatzivaritis for a while and would love to visit this estate. I initially fell in love with their Migma Pét-Nat and have since had the chance to try a number of their wines. One I was particularly excited to bring home was this Carbonic Negoska, Negoska being a Greek grape that I don't know very well. And there's nothing I love so much as learning about new grapes! Κτήμα Χατζηβαρύτη / Chatzivaritis Estate Chatzivaritis Estate, founded by Vagelis Chatzivaritis and his wife

  I don't know about you all, but the beginning of 2023 did not treat me well! Despite vowing to not participate in dry January, circumstances forced a two week fast on me. So, I feel quite happy to see the end of the month. Hopefully February will treat me better! Given my lack of drinking last month, I have many plans for February. What will you be drinking? Read on to find out! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Aquarius, brace yourself for frustrating drama. This is going to be a roller coaster month for you with ups and downs and swells of turmoil. The part that really sucks is that

  Several years ago, when I interviewed people from Asmadan winery for the book, they mentioned they were growing Macabeo. But then there was nothing, and still nothing so I thought maybe I heard wrong. Last fall I learned that I had not heard wrong! Asmadan brought a new wine to one of GustoBar's big tasting events, Vals Macabeo Narince. We know that my whole raison d'être is native grapes. But that doesn't mean I still don't get excited when a new, weird international grape shows up here. And with this wine, I get the best of both worlds! Macabeo (aka Viura) comes from the Pyrenees in north and east Spain

  Foça Karası is a grape we still don't know a lot about in Turkey. In Greece, where it's known as Fokiano, it's grown mostly on two or three of the Aegean islands where they use it in red, rosé, and sweet wines. In Turkey, Foça Karası grows in the Aegean region in the (surprise) Foça district outside Izmir. Two of the Urla wineries include small amounts in red blends and Öküzgözü Şarapçılık has been the only winery making varietal wines with the grape.  Until now.  I don't write about Yazgan a lot. Partially because I've had cause several times to be highly annoyed with them but also because, aside from the

  Wine trends may come late to Turkey, but when they comes they do it with a vengeance. One of the most recent to sink its teeth in has been that of "natural" wine. And we all know how I feel about that. The next person who emails me to say they're coming to Turkey and want wine recommendations but "I/we  only drink natural or at least biodynamic wine" I will hunt down this person and punch them in the face. So, please, don't send me that email. Small rant aside, let's talk about the Kastro Tireli Hermos line. Kastro Tireli's wines have always been "natural" adjacent as the winery

  Akberg winery is off and running since its addition of "real" vs fruit wine (for more on that check out this post). While it puts a heavy emphasis on native grapes with wines from Narince, Bornova Misketi, Papazkarası, and lesser known varieties like Osmanca; the winery also makes a few international grape-based wines. I first tried their Shiraz, which they source from vineyards in Denizli in the inner Aegean, at one of GustoBar's tasting events. It wasn't my favorite (spoiler) but I found it

  Every year - well every year that I remember - I like to do a quick review of the wines I posted about during the year that I most enjoyed, that most surprised me, etc. So with no further ado, let's jump into my favorite Turkish wines of 2022! My Favorite Sparkling Wines Sparkling wines are always going to be at the tippy top of my list! Not many new sparkling wines were released this year but, even if it were the only one, the Arcadia Pét-Nat Sauvignon Gris would still sit at the top of the tippy top.  Yaşasın is not new but it still makes my list. This year, I

  Have you ever heard of Kabar? If you know wine from Tokaj or from Hungary at all, you've probably had some Furmint and Hárslevelű. You've probably also had Kabar though without even knowing it. We don't see a lot of varietal Kabar, but Bükk-based winery Gallay Kézmüves Pince is changing that.  Gallay Kézműves Pince is the first family-owned and operated small production winery in the heart of Bükk region in Nyékládháza (located pretty much halfway between Eger and Tokaj). The family has 11 hectares there on which they raise Cserszegi Fűszeres, Kabar, Pinot Blanc, Zenit, Turán, and Zweigelt. Since they established their winery in 2012, they have maintained their dedication