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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 33)

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

  For May's Wine Paired Weekend event, Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm has invited us to explore the wines and foods of the Middle East. You can read her invitation post here. This is a region rich in history, culture, flavor, and yes, wine. Join us tomorrow, May 8 at 6pm IST/ 11am EST / 10am CST / 8am PST by following along with the #WinePW hashtag on Twitter as we explore the wines and flavors of the Middle East. Wine in the Middle East To many, mention of the Middle East evokes images of deserts, pyramids, bellydancers, political instability, and religious extremism. It is those

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Just in time for international #SauvBlancDay, my new favorite Turkish Sauvignon Blanc: Saranta Chateau Murou Sauvignon Blanc. This is a hugely popular grape in Turkey. I don't, unfortunately, have any figures, but Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay definitely compete for the most popular white grape here. The majority of wineries boast at least one in their catalogue. It comes as a varietal and in blends. Sauvignon Blanc here ages in stainless steel and displays a crisp and racy character. We're also seeing more and more oak raised "fumé blanc" styles. One winery even has a botrytized sweet Sauvignon Blanc. The only thing we're missing is a sparkling! Saranta has been making

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Such is the scarcity of MMG Şarapçılık's wines that the only two vintages of their Syrah I've had were made seven years apart! One of the Urla Bağ Yolu wineries, MMG Şarapçılık clings to the side of Urla's mountains. The view from the restaurant terrace is incredible, looking over the valley formed by the mountainous region where the winery's steep and terraced vineyards lay. I visited a few years ago and I do recommend it (although take care as parking is a wee hazardous!). During my visit I purchased all of their wines knowing they're not in İstanbul. Fast-forward a few years and you can find the wines here.

By 0Amber Wine, Orange Wine, Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, Sweet Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  It was recently pointed out to me that I never posted a list of my favorite wines from 2020. In fact, I have not posted a list like that since 2017! How embarrassing. However, I feel happy that someone reads this often enough to have noticed the oversight! We can all agree that very few of us enjoyed 2020. At least I had wine to cushion the blow! Below is a list of my favorite Turkish wines that I tried this year (in no particular order). Unfortunately my typing is a lot slower than my drinking so I haven’t posted reviews of all of them but for those I

By 1European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  The #WorldWineTravel blogging group continues its virtual exploration of Spain this month with a trip to Rías Baixas! Host Linda from My Full Wine Glass invited us to grab a bottle from Galicia and chat. Known as "Green Spain", this region in northwest Spain is wet and cool and produces some fantastic wines. It's also got a great double meaning as April is Earth Month! Linda gave a great primer on the area in her invitation post (which you can read here). And I got my bottle so let's get to it! [caption id="attachment_15873" align="alignright" width="400"] Map borrowed from RiasBaixasWines.com[/caption] Rías Bai

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I haven't written before about Çakır Bağcılık ve Şarapçılık. It's a newish winery, releasing its first vintage only last year. Until recently this was the only of their wines I've had it being the only native grape they work with. And while I had it last summer (I am so behind on my writing up my notes!) with warmer weather coming back around I've been thinking about how darn good this was and how much I want it again. So let's talk about some Çakır Bornova Misketi. But first, the winery.  Çakır Bağcılık ve Şarapçılık, is one of the newest members of the Urla Bağ Yolu (along with Perdix). The winery

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Sauvignon Blanc wines enjoy a huge amount of popularity in Turkey. It's right up there with Chardonnay. Generally if a winery makes one, it makes the other too. Because Turkey loves its oak there's plenty of "fumé blanc" floating around here as well. Happily (for me who doesn't love oak on white wine), winemakers have developed a more deft hand with their oak aging. Over the last few years we've seen a shift from wine that's been metaphorically beat over the head with stave and barrel to wine that's been gently caressed by it. Meaning I no longer have to approach every oaked white wine fear in my heart!

By 1European Wines, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  To celebrate Earth Month, Gwendolyn the Wine Predator challenged the #Winophiles group to find a wine that celebrates "Loire's organic gardens." You can view her invitation here. Something like a quarter of Loire Valley vineyards are farmed organically. Considering the size of the valley, the number of wineries, and the vast array of grapes and wine styles there, that's pretty darn impressive! I have generally have trouble sourcing decent European wines in Turkey. I figured I could find a Sancerre though as Sauvignon Blanc enjoys huge popularity in Turkey. However, could I find an organic or sustainable wine? I really didn't think so. Imagine my delight when I learned

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  In January, Esat bey, owner of La Cave in Cihangir, asked if I'd recently had the Kayra Vintage Boğazkere. It was his highest selling wine that month. Far (apparently) outstripping any other wine sales.  He gave me a bottle with the instructions to go home that evening, open it, and let him know what I thought. He would do the same.  I do not know who started the run on this wine but I hope that person creates more buying trends! It's been a while since I've had any Kayra and I forget sometimes how good their wine is. Particularly those in the Vintage and Versus lines. If you're