Nif Aegean Red 2014
Nif Vineyards has quickly joined the ranks of my favorite Turkish wineries. With an impressive range of styles, prices, and grapes, Nif makes creating quality wines look easy.
Bottled Happiness
Owned an operated by the Özcan family, this 500-decare vineyard sits in Bağyurdu, Kemalpaşa in the heart of İzmir. The Özcan family chose to build a gravity-fed winery to provide a more gentle production of their chateau-style wines. They focus primarily on foreign grapes, as many others do. However, while so many produce French, Nif also prides itself on Italian grape varieties and wine styles. Not to say that they ignore native grapes because that is not at all the case. They also produce wines using the local Bornova Muscat.
One of the things I appreciate about Nif Vineyards is that it is not just family owned but also run. Gaye Özcan studied agricultural engineering at Ege University in Turkey. After graduation, she continued her studies in oenology in California. Gaye is now heavily involved in the wine making process at Nif.
Nif Vineyards launched its first vintage in 2013. The winery’s tag line: Şişelenmiş Mutluluk / Bottled Happiness. While they are still a young winery I think they’re already living up to that promise!
Nif Aegean Red 2014 Tasting Notes
Nif Vineyards offers several levels of wine. While they range pretty widely in price you can always be sure that you are getting a quality wine. So it is with the Nif Aegean red blend. This is one of the winery’s entry level wines. But don’t assume that means it’s not an excellent wine.
The blend here is Shiraz, Sangiovese, and Merlot. I cannot say I’ve ever seen a blend like that before. And at 14% ABV this blend is bold in many ways. The oak aging (eight months) left an indelible, but well-integrated mark in both the aromas and flavors. Black fruits dominate the nose but spice, vanilla, and black pepper play with and deepen the fruit aromas. In the mouth the wine is smooth and well-balanced with a long finish. Forest berries, sweet tobacco, and a hint of fresh herbs round out the flavors.