The Sauvignon Blancs from Küp Thia
I love doing side-by-side wine comparisons. For example, when a producer makes multiple styles of wine from the same grape. So when I saw that Küp Şarap put out both a Sauvignon Blanc and a Fumé Blanc, I could not resist getting them both!
Based in the heart of Turkey’s largest vineyard area, Denizli, is Küp Şarap. A multi-generation, family run winery, Küp produces several series of wine. But it is best known, for its Thia line. Somewhere between entry and mid level, the wines come in at some of the most reasonable prices in the country. The quality can be a little unpredictable with them sometimes tasting like inexpensive wine, but other times punching above their price point.
In 2020 the winery debuted a Fumé Blanc (or maybe they always had it and I finally found a wine shop that carried it!) to accompany its Sauvignon Blanc. Especially since these won’t break the bank, I decided to grab both of them one day for a side-by-side comparison. I felt pretty happy with the outcome!
Küp Thia Sauvignon Blanc, 2019
Pale lemon with silvery hints in the glass there was no mistaking this for being anything but a Sauvignon Blanc! Not especially boisterous on the nose but very pleasant tropical and citrus fruits, grapefruit, cat pee, and asparagus aromas. Dry and light-bodied with 12.5% abv, the wine felt rounder than a usual Sauvignon Blanc with medium acidity. Flavors of lemonade, underripe tropical fruit, white pineapple, and grass.
Küp Thia Fumé Blanc, 2017
The Fumé Blanc aged for 12 months in oak. I’m going to guess majority neutral or used oak. It was very well integrated and highlighted rather than detracted from the fruit.
Deeper colored in the glass with a medium straw gold and loads of tropical fruits on the nose. Pineapple and melon mingled with lightly caramelized sugar and vanilla. On the palate this was a heavier wine with a medium body, slightly higher alcohol (13% abv), and actually I thought this one had a livelier acidity. Overall it felt like the better balanced of the two. Not knock you down intensity in flavor but a nice exuberance with exotic blooms, peach, and grilled pineapple joining the caramelized sugar for a peach cobbler-esque flavor.
Personally of the two I preferred this one! Would definitely drink this again.
Generally speaking, I enjoy the Küp Thia white wines more than the reds. But for price-performance balance the whole Thia line gets the job done. If you’re an Istanbullite, one of the best places to find all of Küp’s wines is Mensis Mahzen & Tekel in Osmanbey.
Side note: I drank these over the summer. This is NOT what Istanbul currently looks like. Don’t I wish.