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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 17)

By 0Red Wine, Rest of the World, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, Wine Reviews

  Semi-recently I took a trip to Georgia (the Republic of, not the peach state). I haven't been since before the pandemic hit and was happy for a chance to get back to the land of khatchapuri. This wasn't just an eating trip though. I actually went to attend the Women in Wine Expo. When I heard the woman behind the organization is Turkish, I had to go! You can read more about Senay and her work here.  How did I get from there to a primer on Tavkveri? Well because naturally I stayed an extra day to hit up a few of my favorite wine bars, restaurants, and shops

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Kayra Buzbağ and Kayra Buzbağ Rezerv have been around since forever. By which I mean at least the 10 years I've been knocking around Istanbul and many years prior to that. Kayra's facility in Elazığ has been there for so long that they city grew up around it. Kayra has two wineries, but the Elazığ location is dedicated to the production of its wines made from regional grapes Öküzgözü and Boğazkere. Which are the grapes that have always gone into the Buzbağ blends. Which means also that Buzbağ Rezerv has also always been a red wine. There's not been a Rezerv white until now.  Hello Kayra Buzbağ Rezerv White

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Last Sunday, I wrote about my experience with the rosé wines from Kuzubağ. Now it's time to tackle the whites! Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası.  The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while

By 0European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I bought this Carpinus Tokaj Hárslevelű during my last trip to Budapest this June. In a way, this one bottle brought the last year full circle for me. Last year, I participated in (and won! thanks to all you who voted) a wine writing competition organized by Hungarian Wines.EU. This year, during that trip in June, the organizer asked me if I would judge the entries for this summer's competition. My task, to judge the submissions in the "Hárslevelű - More Than "The Other" Grape" category. Owned by Edit and Istaván Bai, Carpinus Winery sits in Hungary's famed Tokaj region. Here the Bais cultivate their grapes with environmentally friendly practices

By 1Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası.  The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while retaining their freshness. Here they grow not only Çalkarası, but also Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  The

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  [caption id="attachment_18341" align="alignright" width="428"] map from Nif Bağları click for larger image[/caption] Viognier Narince is not an unpopular blend in Turkey. I feel like the first I saw was probably from Kastro Tireli (which makes it as both a white and an amber wine). A couple few more have popped up since theirs. including (obviously otherwise what would be the point of the post?) Nif Bağları. In addition to the blend, Nif makes a varietal Viognier and uses both grapes in its Aegean blend. However, I have yet to see/hear about a varietal Narince from them (hint hint!). What I do appreciate though, is that Nif is not bringing in

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Sagavın Winery's wines still reside totally under the radar. I've seen them at the odd shop here in Istanbul but not widely. Which is a shame. I'm not going to pretend that they're the greatest wines or even anything above mediocre because they're not. And yet. They're pricing their wines exactly as they should - not always a guarantee anywhere, especially not here! For that reason alone I think it's a winery worth supporting. Wine can improve. Egos and price inflation rarely do. I've tried a number of Sagavın's wines so far, the rosé was a nice surprise! And now that temperatures have cooled off a bit, I can

By 1Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  The Gordias Kalecik Karası Beyazı was one of the standout wine surprises I found this spring. I think it's been around for a while but Canan's wines aren't always easy to find. The first time I tried it was this past May's CMC event and it was love at first sip.  She's billing the wine as "Beyazı" (white) but it's really a very very pale rosé. Kayra also makes a similar wine, the Allure Kalecik Karası Beyaz. White, pink, purple, blue

By 1European Wines, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, Wine Reviews

  Do you love sparkling wine? I do. I'm always happy to try any of them (and generally even happier to drink them). Finding new sparkling wine to drink is one of the many fun things about learning about wine regions. On a semi-recent trip to Athens, I discovered a new bottle of bubbles thanks to one of my favorite wine shops (Alpha Sigma in Syntagma): Theopetra Estate Edenia Rosé. We don't hear a lot about Limniona but I have really enjoyed the few I've had. So when I saw this Limniona sparkling wine, I couldn't not buy it. The grape comes from Thessaly in north-central Greece. It's undergoing something