Continuing #MerlotMe with Firuze Merlot
Recently I participated in the #WinePW group’s #MerlotMe conversation. You can read all about that here. I thought that would be the end of #Merlober for me. However, reading about the food and wine pairings the rest of the group did inspired me to keep going! I immediately went into my wine room to see if I had any more Merlot wines and was excited to see that I did indeed!
One wine I had came from Uçmakdere-based winery Firuze. If you’re not familiar with Uçmakdere or Firuze I completely understand. But (if you’re local) you really should look into getting some wine from Firuze! This family winery located steps from the Sea of Marmara in the small village of Uçmakdere turns out some really fantastic wine. I particularly am a huge fan of their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Owned by the Bulutsuz and Gülbay families, daughter Işıl Bulutsuz, graduate of Paris’s Le Cordon Bleu took over as not only head but sole winemaker for the 2018 vintage. Having had some of the older vintages, I noticed a marked difference in the 2018s. A difference that is all sorts of good. And while the Chardonnay and Cabernet may be my favorites, the Merlot has its own charms.
Firuze Merlot with Pumpkin Sausage Soup
This Merlot was one of the 2018 wines Işıl made. She aged it for eight months in a combination of French and American oak before release. Clear, medium garnet-ruby on the pour with aromas of cherry, cranberry, mint, tobacco, and rich chocolate. On the palate, big and round with a mouth-filling silky texture. Mouthwatering medium-plus acidity with crunchy cherry and red fruit flavors accompanied by chocolate and a dash of vanilla. Medium-bodied with 13.8% abv.
I did a quick pairing for this, sautéing some pork sausage with onion, garlic, carrots, and red peppers then added roasted pumpkin puree and coconut milk. The soup accentuated the fresh red fruit flavors while the silky tannins and spice in the wine got on just fine with the spicy pork sausages I used.
This ended being a late Saturday lunch for me and was a nice cozy, autumnal meal perfect for #MerlotMe October!