Nif Bağları Solaris
To begin, Solaris is not a wine name, it’s the grape. Developed in Germany in 1975, Solaris is a hybrid grape. Now, get ready for the geeky bits. Its parents are Merzling (itself a hybrid) and the sexy sexy grape, Gm 6493. Yup, you read that correctly. Gm 6493. With so many grapes existing naturally, why make another? In this case, Solaris, which super ripens early, was intended for those cold European regions where the sun doesn’t shine so much. In addition to Germany, wineries in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and Belgium plant it.
So does Turkey!
Nif Bağları began planting Solaris a number of years ago and has used it as a blending partner for Chardonnay in its aptly named Chardonnay-Solaris wine. Winery owner/winemaker Gaye Özcan learned about Solaris on an internship program in Germany as part of her agricultural studies. When she began planting her vineyards in Turkey’s Aegean region she included this one. And while Suvla has since debuted a sweet Solaris, Nif Bağları was the first to have it.
Nif Bağları Solaris, 2019
2019 marked the first vintage that Nif Bağları offered a varietal Solaris so I was delighted to find it at one of my favorite bottle shops (Mensis Mahzen). Often when I buy wine it gets put somewhere in my wine room and I get around to it when I can…not this one! This bottle I opened I think the same night I bought it.
Medium pale straw colored with a semi-aromatic nose filled with lemon, golden apple, and quince aromas. Solaris tends to develop a lot of sugars (making it great for sweet wine production) and while this was a dry wine I could definitely tell the affect of those sugars in the mouthfeel. Round and weighty in the mouth with flavors of crunchy apples and quince and a mid-palate splash of lemon. Over-all medium-bodied with 13.5% abv and a medium finish.
I drank this with a burrata-topped salad of greens and roasted potatoes with charred green onion dressing and it did very well!
Charming and enjoyable!