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Wine Reviews

HomeWine Reviews (Page 78)

By 0Turkish Wine, White Wine, Wine Reviews

  “‘The time has come,’ the walrus said, ‘to talk of other things’.” For me that means it’s time to switch from my beloved red wines to the whites I try to drink during the warmer months. Now that summer is upon us I will try to drink more whites, like the Arcadia Sauvignon Gris and may even face off with a few Chardonnays. To kick this off I went to a white wine tasting with some of my girlfriends. Organized by Istanbul-based British pub, Pubness, we were to taste our way through four different Turkish wines with French sommelier Jean Luc. Forty to sixty people were expected at this event but

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I had the Paşaeli K2 last summer at my birthday dinner at Ali Ocakbaşı and it was fantastic. Unfortunately Paşaeli is not really a pocketbook friendly wine although buying at Solera does help. The shelf price for the K2 is 90 TL but if you get it to go at Solera you pay %25 less making it a far more reasonably priced bottle. I drank this bottle with some friends and colleagues in what I know call the inadvisable night of five bottles. Five bottles shared among four people should not be a problem. Unfortunately it was. I am too old to be having red wine-induced hangovers on a

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I’m always surprised when I go to Macro Center by how many wines the store doesn’t have. It has a very small alcohol selection, in fact I think my local Carrefour has as many or more varieties. However what Macro Center’s selection does have going for it is the odd bottle here or there that I’ve not seen anywhere else; which is how I ended up with this bottle of 2013 Gülor Öküzgözü Malbec for 71.50TL. Macro Center has an odd pricing structure. Gülor wines are from Şarköy which makes them part of Turkey’s Thracian wine trail; my preferred wine region in Turkey. Since I had such luck with

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  The 2012 Likya Podalia has become my go-to bottle when I take people to Dai Pera – which is my go-to restaurant. It’s a nice medium bodied wine that suits just about any palate and isn’t challenging for people who don’t have a lot of wine experience. Likya Podalia is a Kalecik Karası Malbec blend (75TL from La Cave) which has the added benefit of being both exotic for people who don’t know Turkish wines but also comfortingly familiar. The nose is fascinating…cotton candy and tobacco all swirled together with raspberry undertones. Sounds a little weird but not uncommon for these wines. Kalecik Karası is known for having cotton candy

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Since the Arda Cabernet Sauvignon was such a hit we decided to try the Arda Şiraz, also purchased from Solera for 45 TL (65 TL shelf price). Eight months in French oak added some nice chocolatey scents which mingled well with the blackberry-blueberry fruit scents at the top of the nose. I also got what I think was some eucalyptus and mint. It probably could have used some time to breathe but I’m just not that patient. I should be though because that lack of patience gave us a wine that was a little off balance with too much acid. I really think some time breathing would mellow that out.

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Now that my neighbor has turned me on to wines made in Elazığ I’m more and more on the look out for them. Kayra, as mentioned previously, is one of the largest makers in that region and M, who really just likes to say “Öküzgözü” picked up this bottle of the 2012 Kayra Buzbağ Reserve Öküzgözü Boğazkere not too long ago. This dark, plummy red colored wine has definitely benefited from the 24 months it spent in French oak which is obvious in the clove, cardamom, and leather scents that I got from the nose. Combined with the plum, black mulberry, and dried fruit aromas the Kayra Buzbağ Reserve

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  Over the summer I reviewed Sevilen’s W, a Sauvignon Blanc, which E, M, and I all really enjoyed so when I saw the Sevilen R at Carrefour I thought we had to try it. Sadly I did not like it nearly as much as I did the W. Sevilen R is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot and I wonder if part of why I didn’t like this one could be attributed to that blend. I love Petit Verdot but I do not love Merlot (which we know) and it’s a rare that I find a Cabernet Franc that I like. My tastes aside though neither E

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I have been burned by Turkish Malbec’s before so I was a little (i.e. a whole lot) trepidacious when the guys as La Cave recommended the Likya Kadyanda Malbec. Likya produces two Malbecs, a pricey reserve and the reasonably priced 2014. Since it was only going to set me back 45TL I decided to be brave and give it a try. My first thought when I got a whiff of the nose… “ooooo”.  Even though this isn’t Likya’s reserve Malbec it has a lot of reserve-style scents like black fruits, tobacco, and oak; aromas I would expect more from a reserve-style Malbec. It was softer on the palate than I

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  I seem to unwittingly be on a mission now to try all the Cabernet Sauvignon wines in Turkey. As far as missions go I don’t suppose this one is so bad. Certainly it hasn’t been a hardship! This week it’s the 2013 special reserve Çamlıbağ Cabernet Sauvignon from the warm climate of Bozcaada (near Çanakkale). In the glass the Çamlıbağ Cabernet Sauvignon was ruby red with no hints of purple. With a nose and flavor profile that includes blackberry, berry jam, tobacco, baking spice, and what I think were violets it’s pretty stereotypical of a warm climate Cabernet Sauvignon. Lowish tannins and low alcohol don’t make for a big Cabernet

By 0Red Wine, Turkish Wine, Wine Reviews

  The new Chamlija Sui Generis is a study in how important it is to let your wines breathe. I started out completely turned off by this one only to do a complete reversal the next day. But before we get to my Saint Paul*-like conversion…the pertinents. A little more expensive than the average bottle of Chamlija, a bottle of Sui Generis will set you back 105 TL, unless you get it from Solera like I did where you get a 25% discount when you buy a bottle to go. Before 10PM of course when Turkey’s no alcohol sale law kicks in. The Chamlija Sui Generis is a blend of