Every year - well every year that I remember - I like to do a quick review of the wines I tried or posted about during the year that I most enjoyed, that most surprised me, etc. This year the list is a little shorter than normal. Part of the problem with hyper focusing on such a relatively small wine industry is that
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Disclaimer: This post includes wines received as a sample. All opinions are my own. Saudade (sauw-dad) is one of those great words that has no direct translation in English. It's a Portuguese and Galician word derived from the Latin for solitude, but means so much more. Described often as a "Portuguese way of life", saudade encapsulates a "constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that's missing, wistful longing for completeness or wholeness and the yearning for the return of what is now gone, a desire for presence as opposed to absence
Read MoreSince shifting some of its focus to quality wines, Selçuk area-based Akberg Winery has sourced grapes from around the country. Narince from its home in Tokat, Emir from Cappadocia, Papazkarası from Thrace, Çalkarası from Çal, and so on. The winery's decision to do so stems from its belief that a grape naturally grows in certain terroir for a reason. While a grape might happily grow elsewhere (Narince being a great example), not all react well to that (Emir). The winery then views the entirely of Turkey as one giant vineyard, ergo its label, Büyükbağ (large vineyard). [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="300"] Osmanca - photo from Wayana Wine Bar[/caption] But not all of Akberg's
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Emir is one of my favorite grapes in Turkey. My favorite white grape full stop. High acidity, distinct minerality, clean citrus and green fruit aromas, history
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I've written about a couple few wines now from Akberg. This winery emerged from less than savory "fruit wine" origins to create interesting (grape) wines. In cooperation with Gülçin Akçay, one of our best winemakers, Akberg sources native grapes from across the country. Some, like Narince, Bornova Misketi, and Papazkarası are grapes we know well. Others, like Osmanca and Erçis Karası are specific to them/emerging grapes. Only recently had I been able to try the Akberg Büyük Bağ Bornova Misketi. Kind of a funny story about how that happened. If you have no desire to read through my rambling story, feel free to skip down to the notes below! We lose power
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Every year - well every year that I remember - I like to do a quick review of the wines I posted about during the year that I most enjoyed, that most surprised me, etc. So with no further ado, let's jump into my favorite Turkish wines of 2023! My Favorite Sparkling Wines There weren't many new sparkling wines released this year. And frankly, with the skyrocketing price of most Turkish bubbles, I didn't really drink much. And while the Paşaeli Karasakız Pét-Nat may not be a fair wine to include, as it was a super limited bottling, it nonetheless gets a spot. My Favorite White Wines Over the last few years,
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Papazkarası has been staging a quiet take over. When I first discovered the grape, maybe you could find two or three wines. Now, this ancient blue-black grape variety native to Turkey's upper Thrace abounds and wineries are releasing not just red wines, but also rosés and blanc de noir wines. The name Papazkarası roughly translates to "black of the priest (or) pope". In Greece, the variety is registered as "Kara Papas", although little, if any, Papazkarası wine is produced there. In Turkey, the spelling varies between Papazkarası (with a 'z') and Papaskarası (with an 's'). You can read more about the here! Now that there are so many of these wines
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Akberg winery is off and running since its addition of "real" vs fruit wine (for more on that check out this post). While it puts a heavy emphasis on native grapes with wines from Narince, Bornova Misketi, Papazkarası, and lesser known varieties like Osmanca; the winery also makes a few international grape-based wines. I first tried their Shiraz, which they source from vineyards in Denizli in the inner Aegean, at one of GustoBar's tasting events. It wasn't my favorite (spoiler) but I found it
Read MoreAkberg Büyük Bağ I learned about last autumn at the Gustobar Sommelier Selection and was then happy to see them back in the spring at CMC (Istanbul's two big wine events). We know how much I love a new winery so I was excited at both events to try their wines. Even after I learned where the winery is based. Akberg winery has its base in Şirince, Izmir. Something that makes most of us in Turkey instinctually wince. Why you might ask? Should you come to Turkey and do a tour of Ephesus, the famous Greco-Roman ruins south of Izmir along the Aegean, your tour inevitably includes a trip
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