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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 51)

  The Hungaria Grand Cuvée Brut sparkling wine, or peszgő as it's called in Hungary is a delightfully affordable sparkling wine. I discovered this wine at a charming wine bar in Budapest, Doblo. If you're visiting Budapest I highly recommend a stop in here! I stopped in here on a warm Sunday afternoon and started, as I always do, with the sparkling wines by the glass. A little touch of sweetness kept the wine from austerity and lifted my spirits on that rainy day! I enjoyed it greatly that day and made sure to pick up a bottle to bring home! Hungaria Sparkling Wine Originally established in 1955, Hungaria, as of 2014,

  Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality wine, Paşaeli is of the Turkish wineries making huge efforts to revive rare and dying grape varieties. While Paşaeli does turn out a couple of the Bordeaux-style blends that are endlessly popular in Turkey. I’ve had the Kaynaklar and K2 blends several times and they’re very good. But the heart and soul of this winery are the grapes you’ve never heard of. A big believer in growing things where they are native, Karagözoğlu set about collecting vineyards where Turkey’s native grapes thrive naturally. Paşaeli has vineyards in

  Yapıncak is arguably Turkey's most up and coming native white grape right now. As a general champion of lesser-known Turkish grapes, Yapıncak has been part of Paşaeli's collection for a while now. The winery features a simple (but elegant) Yapıncak, a skin contact amber that frustratingly I haven't been able to get my hands on, and an 'old vine' (more on the in the future). Popular Gallipoli-based producer Suvla makes three wines with this grape as well: a simple table wine, a lovely oaked reserve, and a traditional method sparkling wine.  Now mega producer Sevilen has joined the ranks. Sevilen's history with this grape is just that, a history.

  I do not count driving among my core skills. If I'm being honest, it's barely a peripheral skill. Essentially, the best one can say about my driving is that I haven't killed anyone. And that car that I totaled that one time we argued the dealership into fixing instead of scrapping. Good thing for me, my skill level (or lack thereof) actually makes me an average driver in Turkey. Which is great because I've had to spend the last two years driving around the country in pursuit of wine. [caption id="attachment_13671" align="alignleft" width="225"] Gal pals on the edge[/caption] Google Maps has failed us a few times on these trips, getting

  Rıfat Şekerdil, owner and winemaker of Öküzgözü Şarapçılık, has been a fixture in central Izmir since his father opened a small winery in the Bornova area of Izmir when Şekerdil was a child. It was while making wine in Bornova that he became curious about the little-known Foça Karası grape. Foça Karası, which literally means “black from Foça” is from the nearby town of the same name. He started with just a few rows of the grape planted alongside Cabernet Sauvignon. When Şekerdil began experimenting with it, no one else was using it to make wine* so he had no idea what to expect. He soon realized that this medium small,

  What Ali and Melis Emin intended as a future retirement project turned into full-blown careers. Located on the same grounds as the Emins's vast horse breeding operation, Mozaik turns out some 60-70,000 bottles annually. Greatly influenced by a love of Italian wine, the winery offers wines made from several Italian varieties. Including the Mahrem Petit Verdot Rebo. We have a surprising amount of Petit Verdot in Turkey. For years winemakers used it only in blends but more 100% Petit Verdot wines pop up every year. For the case of Mozaik's Mahrem label though, we're back to blend territory. Interestingly enough, this is the only blend Mozaik produces. So while

  In the next coming weeks I'm moving apartments. I'm really hoping to be in the new place before Christmas. The tree and decorations will be the first things I move into and set up! As part of the move I need to pack up all my wine. This is one of those times I'm not jealous of people who have larger wine collections than I do; but packing up 200 some bottles is still not a picnic. Nor will be carrying them down from my third floor apartment up to my new third floor apartment. Although happily that's why moving companies exist. As I begin packing, I'm also separating

  I used to feel rather agnostic about Cabernet Franc. Wines left me with a feeling of “meh.” Over the last few years grape has grown in popularity in Turkey. With increased popularity has also come increased quality. Now I hunt down all the variety Cabernet Franc wines I can find. So in honor of #CabFrancDay I thought I'd dig out notes on a few recent finds. Cabernet Franc can be found in vineyards across Turkey. However, it is especially prevalent in Thrace, Central Anatolia, and various areas of the Aegean. So today for #CabFranc day we're looking at a couple wines from each of these regions. Pamukkale Anfora Cabernet Franc

  An embarrassingly long time ago, I received two vintages of the Büyülübağ Shah from Turkey's Oenotrian Wine Club. The bottles belonged to a collection of wines from three wineries. Two bottles of different vintages of the same wine to see how well (or not!) Turkish wine ages. Interestingly enough, this has emerged as a relatively new consideration in the Turkish wine world. Only recently (maybe the last 10-12) have wineries really invested in keeping a library of their own wines. As a result, the largest collection of aged Turkish wines is in the hands of a private collector.  Büyülübağ, located on the island of Avşa in the Sea of

  One of Turkey's most widely available native grapes is Bornova Misketi. It is, however, not the only type of Muscat grape to be found in Turkey. Muscats of Hamberg and Alexandria, Muscat Giallo/Gelber Muskateller, and Golden Muscat also pop up here and there. Aside from Amadeus' Gelber Muskateller, the majority of these get used in blends. Until now. This year Vino Dessera released a 100% Muscat of Alexandria wine. And it's a winner. Vino Dessera Alexandria Muscat 2018 Tasting Notes: Star bright, pale lemon in the glass, the wine was practically and English garden in the nose. Highly perfumed aromas of roses, orange blossom, bergamont jam, melon, honeydew, and honeycomb rose