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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 77)

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  What is Gelber Muskateller? you ask. It’s Muscat, or technically yellow Muscat. How is that different from any of the other Muscats I’ve reviewed? It’s not really, it’s the same grape. It just happens to be one of the German names (there are unbelievably almost 300 variations on the grape name!) and therefore a fitting name for the Austrian owner of the Amadeus winery to give his wine. German white wines like Riesling and Gewürztramiener often get a bad rap as being syrupy sweet dessert wines when really that’s not the case. German, Austrian, and Alsace Riesling, Gewürztramiener, and Muscat wines are usually produced as dry wines, not sweet. While Austrians

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

  I almost don’t even know where to begin with this. E and I set off on what was to be a relaxing weekend break at a winery spa in Bulgaria-it turned out to be something rather different. We left early so we could pick up our rental car at the airport and get the four-hour drive out of the way; unfortunately the travel troubles began right away. Enterprise’s system was down (“system problem” are words we often hear in Turkey) so despite arriving at their service counter before 9AM it wasn’t until 11 that we were finally on the road. With no traffic barring our way the drive through

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

  I have never had a Fume Blanc before and had to Google to remind myself what it even was. A Fume Blanc is basically just a Sauvignon Blanc that has spent some significant time in oak. The process and name were popularized by Robert Mondavi of all people in the 60s or 70s. This Sevilen 900 Fume Blanc I found at Solera, no shock there. When they told me that it had been sitting on the shelf for three years, was the only one they had, and was in fact so forgotten that they didn’t even know how much it cost I simply had to have it. And since

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  On our second day on Bozcaada we shared a fantastic Turkish breakfast with our hosts that included products from the island and their own gardens as well my new obsession: tomato jam. But tomato jam Turkish style which means they were whole, kind of candied tomatoes in sugar syrup. Apparently they’re soaked in lye to give them their crunchy texture? After breakfast we headed for our first wine adventure of the day-to the Amadeus Winery. Amadeus is owned by an Austrian man who grew up in Turkey who turned a family hobby into a business. I was very luckily to be able to talk to the owner for a while

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  My adventure at Suvla was only a small part of my recent trip. I was invited with my friend T to visit some friends of hers (happily now also of mine) at their beautiful home, Lavender Breeze Farm on the island of Bozcaada where we visited the Corvus and Talay winemakers. We were invited to stay in The Priest’s House, a beautiful house they’ve rebuilt on their property which they rent out on AirBnB (check out the link!). Look at these rooms! T and I were prepared to stay forever. I found it a unique house in that the living room/kitchen and both bedrooms were independent from each other. Both bedrooms

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  Recently I let the guys at La Cave talk me into another bottle of wine; the Arcadia 2012 Pinot Gris. I do need more whites now that summer is on and at only 49 TL I wasn’t risking too much with this one. Plus I liked the art work. I’m not usually a huge fan of Pinot Gris. Like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, also known as Pinot Grigio, wines have a wide range of flavors depending on whether they were grown in cool climates (Italy and most of the USA/Australia) or warm climates (the Alsace, France, Turkey). And as with Sauvignon Blanc I prefer the warmer climate “riper”

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

  I recently had the opportunity to spend time on Bozcaada and was able to visit the Suvla winery in Ecebat. First of all, I wish I’d realized years ago how easy it is to get to the Suvla winery. The main reason I don’t visit Turkish wineries is because I don’t drive and it’s not like they’re exactly conveniently located. Suvla, in Eceabat, is a short ferry ride away from Canakkale which in turn is serviced by a daily flight out of Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul. Had I but known! Walking into Suvla was a little, as my friend put it, like arriving at the mother ship. The Suvla

By 0Rose Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  While I still approach pink wines warily I am more open to at least trying then than I used to be. That does not mean that I go out of my way to buy them; particularly not the cheaper brands like Anfora. I have recently started holding Turkish wine tastings; informal parties at my place for my friends where the only rules are that you must bring a wine that is Turkish and is not DLC. If you don’t live here and you don’t know what DLC is count yourself lucky. As one of the goals of the tasting is to try a wide spectrum of Turkish wines at least

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

  I’ve been terribly neglectful about both having and writing about the Hauteville Grand Vinde. This was a gift from a colleague last summer and we just opened it a few weeks ago. Gozo is one of the islands that make up Malta and is apparently known for being the most fertile climate in Malta and some of the best Maltese vineyards are located on this island. My colleagues lived in Malta for a while and told me that what she learned there is that, when speaking about wine, that you can’t just say ‘Maltese’ wine, you have to identify with the specific island. So this Hauteville Grande Vinde

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  I found the Kayra Versus Viognier, a real gem, originally at Eleos on Istiklal. Aside from a truly respectable wine list, Eleos is worth a visit if you’re a fan of fish, awesome views, and ridiculous amounts of free mezzes and desserts. Not paying for those leaves you free to pay the rather high ticket price of the Kayra Versus Viognier. Luckily if you buy it in a shop it’s significantly less expensive (76 at Macro Center and 67 at La Cave-seriously). Regardless of what you pay though this wine is totally worth it, it’s one of the most gorgeous wines I’ve had in a while. In the glass the 2012 Kayra