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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 60)

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  To the surprise of many, there are over 100 wineries in Turkey. Some of them produce wine on a colossal scale and are known domestically and abroad. One of those wineries people don’t often know about (even here in Istanbul) is Claros. Claros Wines The Yavaş family first planted their vineyards in 2006. Five years later they produced their first vintage, really “just to see how it would turn out.” Initially they enjoyed their wine among friends and family. However, they soon realized that they had too much wine to drink themselves – as if that’s a thing! So in 2017, they founded Claros Wines. Claros is a Merlot-only vineyard and winery.

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Nif Vineyards might look slick and modern – in fact it’s one of the prettiest wineries here I’ve visited – but at its heart it’s a small, family venture. Started in the mid aughts by the Özcan family, the story of Nif Vineyards really belongs Gaye Özcan. She is the driving force behind the winery. Bottled Happiness Gaye grew up in Istanbul but her father’s family is from Izmir. Tired of the frenetic city and wanted to connect more to nature she chose to study agriculture at Izmir’s Ege University. While at school she decided she wanted to restart her grandfather’s farm (now planted with vineyards). As no one in the family had

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I first learned about Saranta Vineyards at the 2017 Sommeliers’ Selection Turkey event. Then for some six months after said event I waited on tenterhooks for Istanbul shops to start carrying the wines. Since then I’ve visited the winery twice, interviewed their winemaker, and become an even bigger fan of the wines than started out being. Not one to ignore the importance of the visual appeal of a bottle, I fully admit that sometime I buy wine based on how much I like the label. And how do you not love Saranta’s Chateau Murou line labels? The style is the same for all but each grape is designated with

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  For 90 years the Kutman family has been at the forefront of the Turkish wine industry. When Nihat Ahmet Kutman founded Doluca in 1926 he also debuted wines made with international grape varieties. He brought cuttings from Europe and introduced Turkey to Riesling, Cinsault, Semillon, and Gamay. In 1989 Nihat’s son Ahmet, now the second generation in charge of the winery, released Doluca’s Sarafin series. This series, made with grapes sourced from vineyards in Turkey’s southern Thrace, was an important step forward for the industry as it put focus on high-quality wine production. Continuing a Family Legacy Doluca has scores upon scores of awards and high scores for its wines.

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  One of the reasons why I love Turkey’s Suvla Wines is not only that they make wine at all price levels. In fact many of Turkey’s larger wineries do that. But not all seem to care if the wine is good. That’s what makes Suvla stand out. Their wines range from about $5 USD (at the current exchange rate) to $60. And they’re all good. Which is why I trusted them enough to try their new organic Chardonnay. Well, I say ‘new’. But it was new last year when I first drank it! I have a huge love-hate relationship with Chardonnay. When I first started drinking wine the popular thing to

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

  Family is such an important thing, be it blood family or the family you make. I have a fantastic family here in Istanbul. However, that doesn’t stop me missing my DC family or my blood family in Michigan. Many Old World wineries have been in the same family hands for generations. There’s something so special about this that adds to the air of nobility in Old World wines-be the family noble or not. It’s a piece missing from New World wineries…for the time being of course. A Family History Cordero di Montezemolo certainly understands the importance of family. Nineteen generations, going back to 1340 have cultivated vineyards and made wine in

By 0Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  When was the last time you were really wrong about something? While I’m sure there have been so many more times; one that really sticks in my head was when I was maybe about 11. My mom arranged a play date for me with a girl in my grade. Not that I was super popular (I was firmly in the ‘weird kid’ camp) but she was definitely lower on the middle school hierarchy than I was and I wouldn’t have been caught dead talking to her at school. Not only did I have a great time with her that day but she became a really good friend. I don’t

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

  One of the wineries making up the Urla Bağ Yolu, Mozaik Winery sits in a place of idyllic, pastoral heaven. Vineyards run alongside paddocks keeping pace with the racing horses that are raised next to the winery. Trees dot rolling hills providing shade for grape and horse alike while airy stables dwarf the small onsite tasting room. Everything looks so calm and easy that at first glance you would think that the vineyards, winery, and stables simply appeared. However, it was hard work and passion that built everything. Planting the Seeds of a Dream In 2006 Ali and Melis Emin founded Mozaik Winery’s vineyards and the Mahrem label in the Urla

By 0Red Wine, Rest of the World, South American Wines, Wine Reviews

  When I hear “Argentina” my mind goes immediately to Malbec (and beef but this is a wine blog!); and to Bodega Trapiche. However, while this post is about Trapiche, it’s not about the quintessentially Argentinean Malbec. It’s about the Trapiche Broquel Petit Verdot. Argentinean Petit Verdot?! Yes! Petit Verdot is one of my absolute favorite grapes. I’m lucky enough that here in Turkey there are several producers making varietal Petit Verdot or using large percentages of it in blends. However, it is certainly not the first grape that springs to mind when I think about Argentina. So when I saw this bottle in a shop here inn Istanbul I was ecstatic. Bodega Trapiche has a very long history.

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

  LA Wines holds the record for being one of (if not the!) largest organic vineyards in Turkey. Wines at this beautiful Izmir estate are made with the same amount of care given to the vines. However, what I find the most delightful about this winery is its willingness to experiment and color outside the box. Istanbites and I recently had the chance to sit down with one of LA Wines’ winemakers, Ali Boz, and learn the history of this winery. Keeping it Clean In 2010 Lucian Arkas purchased the company Idol Wines. While he renamed the vineyards LA Wines, as a nod to the work done before him he kept the