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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 61)

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

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Pamukkale Wines is a family company started in 1962 by Fevzi Tokat. Tokat began with a fairly small capacity of 100,000 liters. Pamukkale has since grown into one of Turkey’s largest wineries. Now looked after by Yasin Tokat, the winery produces 3.5 million liters of wine every year. It’s main goal: to offer the best quality wine to the wine lovers at the best prices. The winery sources grapes from a variety of locations in Turkey. It’s “home” vineyards located in the Aegean Region of Çal are made up of clay-loamy, limestone, pebbly soil at an altitude of 850 meters above sea level. This area has been the home

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

  Italy is one of the few countries whose wines I nearly universally like. While the country is I think more well known for its red wines Italy does make a wide range of whites. I don’t have a lot of experience with Gavi but since it is located in one of my favorite regions (Piemonte) I had to give the Il Pozzo Gavi a try. In 1998 Gavi won a classification upgrade from DOC (denominazione de origine) to DOCG (denominazione de origine contollata), the highest classification in Italy. Because of its DOCG classification, Gavi production is carefully controlled. Wines may not be blended; they are made with 100% Cortese

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Together with Talay, Amadeus, and Çamlıbağ, Corvus is one of Turkey’s Aegean region wineries located on the island of Bozcaada. Corvus came about in 2002. Like many winery owners in Turkey, this was a second career for founder Reşit Söley who moved to Bozcaada to open his winery. He named it Corvus, which is Latin for “crow” because of the vast amount of crows that also make the island their home. Söley makes wine from a variety of both international and indigenous grapes. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, the winery also cultivates the island varieties Çavus, Vasilaki, Kuntra, and Karalahana. Corvus buys in fruit from other

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

  When the Yürüt family began to make wine, they didn’t know that they would one day be sharing their dream with a considerably large crowd of wine lovers. Their initial curiosity led them to research, read, discover, and eventually establish Bodrum Winery. Erhan and Füsun Yürüt began making wine at home in the 1980s. While initially everything was a trial and error method, their interest grew leading them to attend wine making courses, tasting events, and tour vineyards. Eventually they devoted themselves entirely to what was once a simple hobby. In 2010 they officially turned the hobby into a full-blown business in Kızılağaç, Bodrum. When Grapes Go on a Holiday At first

By 0European Wines, Sweet Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I am lucky enough to have friends living in Athens who always have a couch for me to sleep on. For so many reasons, we do not have access to Greek wine in Istanbul. Which means that if I want Greek wine, this Domaine Foivos Asfothelos, it’s off to Greece for me. At least Athens is only about an hour’s flight away! The Rebirth of Mantzavino Domaine Foivos has a much longer history than its 1999 foundation would lead you to expect. Before it became Domain Foivos it was Mantzavino, one of the oldest wineries in Greece. As Mantzavino, the winery produced some of the finest Greek wines that gained fame all over the world,

By 0Sparkling Wine, Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Turkey is home to hundreds, if not thousands of vitis vinfera grapes not found anywhere else. As with many winemaking countries some grapes are more popular than others. It is easy to find wine here made from grapes like Narince, Emir, Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, and Boğazkere. But Yapıncak not so much. Very few wineries work with this grape. Really only Suvla, Paşaeli, and Sevilen. Yapıncak  Never heard of this grape? Not surprising. The Yapıncak grape is difficult to grow and prone to low yields even in good years. Its continued existence is down to the few winemakers who continue the struggle to cultivate it. Grown around Turkey’s Marmara sea, largely in Eceabat, Yapıncak

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Good wine shouldn’t have to be expensive. Unfortunately that is not always true in Turkey. Someone asked me recently to recommend a wine under 25 TL (about $6). And I really couldn’t do it. Double that price and we can talk. There are very few wines here priced under 40 TL ($9) that I will drink. It’s not that I’m a snob (well really I am but that’s a different topic). I just prefer to drink wine that a) tastes nice and b) won’t kill me. For every rule there exists and exception. While I still refuse most wines that live at the 25 TL mark there are a