Keeping it Weird with Paşaeli
Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality wine, Paşaeli is of the Turkish wineries making huge efforts to revive rare and dying grape varieties.
Resurrecting little known Turkish varieties
While Paşaeli does turn out a couple of the Bordeaux-style blends that are endlessly popular in Turkey. I’ve had the Kaynaklar and K2 blends several times and they’re very good. But the heart and soul of this winery are the grapes you’ve never heard of. A big believer in growing things where they are native, Karagözoğlu set about collecting vineyards where Turkey’s native grapes thrive naturally. Paşaeli has vineyards in Şarköy, Hoşköy, Kaz Dağlar, and Çal where they cultivate native Sultaniye, Çalkarası, Karasakiz, and Yapıncak as well as extremely rare varieties like Sidalan, Kolorko, and Çakal.
Every year now Karagözoğlu finds one or two “new” grapes which he micro vinifies. If he likes the resulting wine he goes about acquiring and nurturing the vines. Quantity is not his main goal. In fact annually Paşaeli turns out only about 60-65,000 bottles, which is pretty small potatoes in Turkey. Some of his wines are produced in such small quantities they’re not really economically sound (for example, less than 300 bottles of the Kolorko and less than 1,000 of the Çakal were made in 2017). Karagözoğlu’s goal is quality and the revitalization of Turkey’s native grape varieties.
Paşaeli 2017 Sidalan Tasting Notes
Not the only cultivator of Sidalan (Suvla also has small amounts), Paşaeli is nonetheless the onl yone currently making a 100% Sidalan wine. Not much of it either. As they have only a small vineyard of this grape (in Kaz Dağları), less than 3,000 bottles came out of the 2017 vintage. A light bodied, straw-colored wine with 12.5% alcohol, the nose reveals aromas of candied lemon, sweet pineapple, pear, and wet stone. Initially a salinic minerality leaps off the tongue tamed by a fatness from sur lieageing and a host of tropical fruit flavors like pear, banana, and melon. Very fresh, clean, and bright.
Karagözoğlu likes to match his labels to the rarity of his grapes. The label of his Sidalan features a monk seal named Badem. The seal was rescued by the Koç family, one of Turkey’s leading philanthropic families. The photograph used for the label was taken by the head of the family and reprinted with his permission.
Paşaeli Kolorko 2017 Tasting Notes
As with the Sidalan, there is only one other winery in Turkey working with Kolorko. The grape apparently used to be fairly popular in the ’60s but lost favor, Karagözoğlu suspects, because it is susceptible to oidium (powdery mildew) and the tannins on the skin sometimes made it bitter. When vinified, the grape must be pressed very, very gently to avoid any bitterness from the tannins.
Grown in Paşaeli Hoşköy vineyards (in Thrace), the Kolorko makes a light-bodied wine with relatively low alcohol (12.5%) and high acid. As with all of the white and rosé wines, the Kolorko aged three months sur lieand I could just about smell it. Pear, red apples, honeycomb/beeswax, and honeysuckle dance in the nose. The palate is less fruity than the nose leads one to suspect. Upfront it’s all acid and mineral followed by pear and apple flavors. This one displays a really nice texture/fruit balance. Of all the rare wines Karagözoğlu makes, this has been my favorite.
The label here features a dolphin Karagözoğlu himself photographed while sailing in the Marmara. It is not super uncommon to spot dolphins in the Bosphorus and Marmara. It’s always the highlight of my week when I spot a glimpse! But they are by no means populous or safe here.
Paşaeli Çalkarası Blush 2017 Tasting Notes
Çalkarası is not as rare as several of these other grapes. Paşaeli’s Çalkarası comes from vineyards at 800-1000 meters in a climate with a big diurnal range. They’re early-ripening grapes that often suffer from late frosts, hail, and rain. Native to the village Çal in Denizli (the grape’s name means “black from Çal”), several wineries including Pamukkale and Ezel cultivate it. However, often wineries use this grape for cheaper, bulk wines. Happily not so Paşaeli!
The Çalkarası Blush had a very short maceration, just a couple hours max. Despite the short maceration the highly pigmented skins imparted an intense salmon pink color to the wine. On the nose floral and red fruit aromas mingle with earthy and savory tones. Like the white wines, the pinks aged three months sur lie giving the palate a nice roundness offset by a nice pop of lively acid. Very dry with flavors of mineral and bay leaf, distinctive red fruits and grapefruit.
Paşaeli Çakal Rosé 2017 Tasting Notes
Karagözoğlu found this grape while looking for Sidalan. He noticed some “red” clusters amongst the white Sidalan clusters. Çakal is Turkish for “jackal” and the grape earned its name because it ripens earlier than other grapes. So when the jackals come down from the mountains they eat these, the sweeter, grapes.
He decided to make a rosé with it because the Çakal grape is more of a ‘gris’ so would be appropriate for rose or white but never red. Eight hours of skin contact produced barely any color; the wine look more like a tarnished gold than pink. The nose is delicate with strawberry jam and sweet tropical fruits like mango. Soft and fruity on the palate with tropical fruits and savory undertones.these, the sweeter, grapes.
If you are lucky enough to find any of Paşaeli’s more unusual wines grab them quick! The small production means they’re not easy to get your hands on but are absolutely worth the effort.