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Getting to Know Erciş Karası

 

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A few weeks ago, I posted about a marathon wine tasting I did in Manisa. That tasting, hosted at Kastro Tireli by the winemakers behind not only Kastro Tireli but also Heraki, Yaban Kolektif, Sobran Bağları, and Vinolus featured the newest Erciş Karası vintage from Yaban Kolektif. I also recently wrote about the newest vintage of the Akberg Lethe Erciş Karası. But now it’s time to really dig into the grape and see how it does with different winemaking techniques and how it ages.

Let’s get into it.

Erciş Karası

Erciş Karası comes to us from the northeast of Turkey, from the vast Lake Van plain. The lake and plain sit at about 1725 meters (5660 feet) and are surrounded by tall mountains. While there’s a generally continental climate here (I hear it snows significantly in the winter), the lake and mountains mitigate the colder temperatures and give the vineyards here a milder mesoclimate. 

In the vineyard, Erciş Karası berries are round and take on a deep, purple-black color as they ripen. Grapes grow in rather large, heavy bunches that ripen until mid-September. 

Erciş Karası grapes produce medium-bodied, low-tannin wines with high acidity and generally fruit-forward flavors of plum, blueberry, mulberry, spice, and purple flowers. It takes well to oak and can develop additional flavors of sweet spices, vanilla, and caramel with oak aging.

There are currently only two wineries in Turkey working with Erciş Karası: Akberg and Yaban Koletktif. 

Akberg

Akberg Wines already had a long history in Turkey before the 2020 vintage that put it on the map. But, it wouldn’t be until Güney Köse took over the winery that it stepped into the world of fine wine production. 

Akberg’s first quality label, Büyükbağ, which means “large vineyard”, reflects the company’s vision of working with independent growers across the country. The winery feels strongly about preserving a grape’s native terroir, rather than trying to force them to grow in alien lands. As such, Akberg sources grapes from all over the country. Narince from its home in Tokat, Papazkarası from Thrace, Çalkarası from Çal, and so on.

Part of Akberg’s new journey also includes the preservation and revitalization of Anatolia’s ancient grapes. Along with wineries like Paşaeli, Gelveri, and Likya, and, to lesser degrees, Yaban Kolektif, Vinkara, Gordias, Ni&Ce, and others, Akberg is dedicated to looking for lesser-known (or entirely unknown) grapes to reinvigorate and bring to the wine market. Their search led them to Van and to Erciş Karası.

Akberg sources its Erciş Karası grapes from the northeast shores of Lake Van. Here, the the 35+ year-old goblet vines grow in clay and sand soils at 1750 meters! (5740 feet) above sea level. They’re currently making two wines with the grape, one in the Büyükbağ series, and one in the Lethe series.

Akberg Büyükbağ Erciş Karası, 2021

Grapes for this wine macerated for 20 days before fermenting in stainless steel vats and rested briefly on its gross lees before limited filtration and bottling. In order to provide a clear expression of the true nature of the Erciş Karası grape, the wine did not age at all in oak.

Despite the lack of oak, the grape’s inherit rich profile comes through on the nose. It absolutely bursts with juicy, fresh red and purple fruits while hinting at a touch of olive and aromatic herbs. With its low alcohol (11.5%), low tannins, and medium acidity, this is a great wine to serve lightly chilled. Its vibrant, juicy, and delightful.

Worth noting that this is a wine that I’ve successfully paired with chocolate. That’s not as easy a pairing to accomplish as you might think. 

Akberg Lethe Erciş Karası, 2021

If you think you might have heard the name ‘Lethe’ before, you’d not be wrong. River Lethe is one of the rivers flowing through Hades in Greek mythology. It is the river from which the dead would drink to wash away their memories and experience complete oblivion. Akberg chose this name for its premium wines because the winery wants to wash away memories of international grapes on the Turkish market and help create new memories around native grapes. 

Grapes for this wine macerated for 20 days before fermenting in stainless steel vats then aged briefly (three months only) in 300 liter, 1-year-old French and American oak barrels. Even that little kiss of oak brings out a different side of the grape. More garnet than purple with darker aromas of black cherries and plum, distinct olive notes, and spice. There’s more structure on the palate (as well as slightly higher alcohol at 12%). It’s concentrated with layers of lush fruit, dried rose petals, and cardamom the finish on a long, spicy note of dried cherry. 

Yaban Kolektif

Founded by Umay Çeviker and Levon Bağış, Yaban Kolektif is an effort to, as their website says, “…reunite viticulture and winemaking in Turkey with its past and forgotten values.” They source grapes largely from independent growers around the country as well as from their own Karasakız vineyard in Bayramiç. Neither Umay nor Levon are themselves winemakers. Instead, they work with José Hernández and Heraki who crafts Yaban Kolektif’s wines. 

As if Akberg’s vineyards at 1750 meters weren’t already impressive, Yaban Kolektif sources their from a vineyard at 1770 meters, making them the highest (vinified) vineyards we have right now. They are, in other aspects though, similar. These are also old vines, clocking in at about 55-60-years old, goblet-trained (or bush vines if you prefer that term), and dry-farmed.

Yaban Kolektif Erciş Karası, 2021

Of the three wines, this was the palest (in color if nothing else), with a garnet color not quite as transparent as the Yaban Kolektif Karasakız, but darn close. Following Yaban Kolektif’s philosophy, José ferments the wine using native (natural, wild, indigenous…whichever word you like) yeasts and it ages, at least partially, in clay. 

Crunch, tangy red fruits dominate with rhubarb, red plum, and hints of dried cherry decorated with forest spices. A bit higher in alcohol than either of the Akberg wines with 13.1% ABV, its higher acidity gives it the impression of being a lighter wine. The suggestion of tannin you get when sipping unfolds into a world of rhubarb, red plum, strawberry leaf, rosehips, and spice that linger long after the wine is gone.

I believe Yaban Kolektif is also using Erciş Karası in its rosé blend.

If you want to explore Turkish wine or any of the plethora of Turkish grapes mentioned here more deeply, get a copy of the second edition of my book: The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine! If you already have the book but think maybe you’d like larger versions of the infographics…good news!! You can get digital downloads of all of the infographics!