Chamlija Teruar Serisi
It’s been some time since Chamlija debuted its Teruar Serisi with rare white grapes Ten Göynek, Ak Üzüm, Hüyük Ak Üzüm, and Kuyucak Ak Üzüm. I reached out to Chamlija to clarify some questions I had about these.
Ak Üzüm on its own is a little confusing. What little we know about Ak Üzüm comes from Mediterranean wineries Selefkia and Tasheli. A thin-skinned grape prone to disease, Ak Üzüm tends to prefer limestone soils where they grow as bush-trained vines, many of which are quite old. However, Ak Üzüm really just means “white grape”. As it turns out, there are several “Ak Üzüms” floating around the Mediterranean.
This reminds me a lot of the Greek Asproudi “grape” in the Peloponnese. Here as well the name simply means “white” (from the Greek άσπρο / aspro). Rather than one distinct grape variety, this seems to refer to wines made from what is essentially a field blend from old vineyards planted to a mishmash of white grapes.
Chamlija Teruar Serisi
For this series, all the grapes Chamlija worked with came from the Beyşehir Göller (Beyşehir Lakes) region of Hüyük, Konya and average 70 years old. Hüyük, lies 90 km west of Konya city and while it administratively falls under Konya, geographically is in Antalya. Making the climate far more Mediterranean than Konya is. The lake is the third largest in Turkey, sits at 1122 meter above sea level with the elevation increasing to 2200 meters as the lake stretches north ant west. The lake itself formed at the end of the Pliocene period as a result of the collapse of the karstic Beyşehir basin.
Heck of a interesting place to grow grapes!
Chamlija Ten Göynek, 2020
The wine poured a very pale straw color with platinum highlights. In the glass, it proved to be a crisp white wine with notes of delicate orchard blossom and blood orange framing a core of red apple with delicate orchard blossom details. Medium-low body with 12% ABV and firm, mouth-puckering acidity.
I really wish I knew more about this grape! For now, all I can offer are my tasting notes. Chamlija kept the Ten Göynek in oak barrels (likely neutral/old) for three months before bottling. It possibly could have used a little more. This grape seems to have all the malic acid a person could ever want and the resulting acidity was initially very aggressive.
Chamlija Ten Gönyek Ak Üzüm, 2020
Similarly to the previous wine, this 80% Ten Göynek / 20% Ak Üzüm blend spent three months in oak. The resulting wine was nearly colorless in the glass. Again, apple featured predominately, although this time, golden apple not red. Lemons, soft green herbs, and kiss of flowers accompanied the apple with a dry and crisp palate, lively acidity, and 12% alcohol.
Chamlija Hüyük Ak Üzüm, 2020
This wine is not the Ak Üzüm of the above wine, but Hüyük Ak Üzüm – essentially Hüyük White Grape. Still with me?
One again we see three months of oak on this. Ak Üzüm gives a deeper color than the Ten Göynek on its own and showed more pale hay color in the glass. Bread, hazelnuts, and lemon hit first (and in that order), followed by a shower of hawthorn blossoms and a grate of nutmeg. Medium-bodied with a good dose of acidity, and 12.5% abv.
Chamlija Hüyük Bağları Kuyucak Ak Üzüm, 2020
The last in the line up (or at least the last one that I drank) was the Kuyucak Ak Üzüm (also with three months oak ageing). Definitely different in the glass than the Hüyük Ak Üzüm showing a lemony yellow with a touch of effervescence.
This was, I think, my favorite of the lot. A crisp and citrussy wine with a core of grilled lemon, orange, and kumquat surrounded by swirls of walnut and toasted notes with a lively acidity. Slightly higher in alcohol at 13%.
Overall, I found the series interesting. We know I love a wine made with a lesser-known Turkish grape. I haven’t tried the newer vintage releases (they are not easy to find) but I would definitely give them another try. Especially as I believe the 2021s employed some different winemaking techniques like limited skin contact.
Please Help Turkey and Syria!
Turkey and Syria are still in desperate need of help after the horrific earthquakes that have decimated large areas of Turkey’s south east and northern Syria, please consider donating to one of the relief efforts if you are able:
Animal rights organization Haytap is helping animals affected by the earthquake, and displaced people who need a place to stay with their pets. Other animal-focused groups such as Dört Ayaklı Şehir (Four-Legged City) and Work Animals Rescue Foundation, are also helping farm animals, street animals, and pets.
Donate to civil society groups working on the ground to provide immediate relief and medium- to long-term recovery to survivors via UK-based Turkey Mozaik Foundation or US-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds.
World Central Kitchen provides funds and food to those still living in tents in the affected areas.
To support rescue efforts in Syria, donate to White Helmet and SAMS.
Field Ready Türkiye (Sahaya Hazır İnovasyon Derneği) is a team of engineers working in Gaziantep, Turkey, and northwest Syria who make cheap, low-tech airbags for search and rescue from buildings which have collapsed. “If we move fast they can make more,” a good friend who previously worked with the team writes. “The workshops in Syria also have vast experience of fixing essential medical equipment, and making insulated shelters – both greatly needed right now”