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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 51)

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Merlot. That grape that, for good or bad, everyone knows. I have largely avoided Merlot for years. Not because Sideways turned me off of it. More because I'd never been "on" it. The New World style made from late(r) harvested grapes resulting in high alcohol, plummy fruit, and fruitcake flavors has never been my jam.  But not even in Turkey can one avoid this grape. It might not achieve the same amount of plantings as the more popular international varieties of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon; but that is not to say it's hard to find. Quite the opposite. It is, oddly enough perhaps, Turkish Merlots that have started to

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I am slowly coming around to Merlot. Not my favorite (long before that wine movie that's not about wine), it always seemed to strike me as being flat and characterless. Apparently I was drinking bad Merlot. Happily I have since learned the difference between the two. Even more happily, Turkey has a number of producers making good (or at least decent!) Merlot. One of those is Urla-based producer, and member of the Urla Bağ Yolu, MMG is one such producer. This family-run winery in the hills above Urla produces several wines with Merlot, a varietal and several blends. I've previously written about MMG's white and rosé wines. In this

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Prodom winery based in Aydın (eastern Aegean) produces several wine series. The Tellus line represents the winery's mid-range wines. They are widely available and usually cost around 70 TL (less than $10). Not only do these wines come with a reasonable price tag, but the value for money is outstanding. The wines unfailingly boast a high quality level and are some of my go-to red wines! Prodom's Tellus series includes several red blends. The Syrah Petit Verdot first turned me onto this series and the Öküzgözü Syrah continued my love affair with this label.  Prodom Tellus Öküzgözü Syrah 2015 The wines spent an average of 10 months in a combination of

By 2Red Wine, Rose Wine, Sparkling Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I have chosen to tackle the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thrace Wine Route) last because I find it the most frustrating. [caption id="attachment_11330" align="alignleft" width="267"] Please note the map is old; couldn't find an updated version[/caption] The Trakya Bağ Rotası was the first of all the established wine routes in Turkey. Membership includes wineries Like Arda in upper Thrace in Edirne (near the Bulgarian/Greek borders) all the way to Suvla at the tippy tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Technically, all these wineries are indeed in Thrace. Geographically anyway. And yet. Edirne and neighboring districts Kırklareli and Tekirdağ are significantly more northerly, colder, and snowier. While Tekirdağ based wineries (such as Chateau

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Bozcaada based winery Corvus is one of the most recognized names in wine in Turkey. When Reşit Söley decided to give up architecture for winemaking, he did it with a meticulousness and considerable energy. Söley threw himself into regenerating old island vineyards and planting new plots. Now, nearly 20 years after founding Corvus, Söley makes a wide range of wines with both local and international grapes. Of his wines, my favorites are the ones that blend the local and international grapes; like the Blend Bianco. Normally I'd have stayed away from this one (Chardonnay + oak and all) but it came highly recommended by my friend Başak of Empathia Creative. Corvus

By 2Red Wine, Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Undeniably the smallest with only four members, the Güney İzmir (South Izmir) route even shares some of its members with the İç Ege Bağ Rotası. Its small size in no way detracts from the joys to be found at each winery though. Güney İzmir Bağ Rotası Yes, this is the smallest of all the routes (and includes two repeat wineries) but I think it's one of the most culturally interesting. As far as what (else) there is to do along the route that is! Closer to the top of the route lies Metropolis. No, not the home of the Daily Planet and Superman! The ancient city is located, ironically, near Yeniköy

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Nestled in a bowl-like cradle in mountainous Bodrum and nearly lost in the riotous greenery of the surrounding agriculture grow vines of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, and Zinfandel. This is Garova Vineyards. Wineries in Turkey have plenty of obstacles to overcome. Much of them, like the high alcohol and "luxury goods" taxes and ban on advertising come from the industry's biggest impediment, the current government. Pair that with a failing economy and general lack of wine culture and you get an industry riddled with stumbling blocks. With this many issues facing a new winemaker, who would enter this life with road blocks of his own? Garova Vineyards' founder

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

  In Part One of my Turkish Wine Routes series I covered the Urla Bağ Yolu. Now for Part Two, we're moving east from the Aegean coastal district of Urla to Turkey's more inland Aegean areas with the İç Ege Bağ Rotası. İç Ege Bağ Rotası The İç Ege Bağ Rotası (literally: inner Aegean vineyard route) is a fairly recent invention. At least it is the newest of Turkey's four wine routes. The route covers a large area; some 11,700 square kilometers. So says Google. It is 200 kilometers from the winery closest to the Aegean (Nif Bağları) to the farthest inland (Küp Şarapçılık) and another 200+ kilometers from Kastro Tireli

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Turkey's Aegean region is home to beautiful coasts, vistas, and culinary delights. Thanks to these advantages, it's also a hotbed for both domestic and international tourism. Alaçatı, Ceşme is one of the prettiest villages along the southern Aegean coast and a big stop on the tourist trail. The city center is all low, white-washed buildings with colorful (mostly bright blue) shutters and simply dripping with flowering bougainvillea. Tucked in amidst all the restaurants, boutique stores, and tourist chachki shops one finds the Gemici Wine & Jam shop. In addition to homemade jams, soaps, oils, and the like, the shop also carries wine made by the Gemici family. The Gemicis make

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

  Turkey, the land of Süleyman the Magnificent, Atatürk, the Bosphorus, the battle at Gallipoli, fezes, fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, ayran, kebab, Turkish coffee, and wine. Wine is not the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Turkey, but with thousands of years of winemaking history, more than 100 wineries, and some 1200 native grape varieties, all that is changing. The evolution of Turkish wine and wine routes Previously a low-key industry dominated by a small handful of mega production wineries, Turkish wine really began to take off in the late 1990s with the advent of boutique producers. While the word “boutique” is now both over and misused