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Black Sea Tag

HomePosts tagged "Black Sea" (Page 2)

  Narince is perhaps the most ubiquitous of the native white Turkish vitis vinifera. However, its popularity has little to do with wine and more to do with its leaves.  A somewhat late ripening berry, Narince is harvested in the second half of September which provides a unique challenge to many winemakers. The vast majority of Narince vineyards in Tokat are owned not by wineries but third party growers who sell the grapes to winemakers and the leaves to other companies. Stuffed grape leaves (sarma) are made not only traditionally but almost exclusively with the leaves from Narince grapes. Unfortunately, the leaves reach peak ripeness and are harvested long before

  My second article for Turquazz is now live! What began as a celebration of Turkey's devotion to jazz and its own Anatolian music has developed into a full-blown exaltation of Anatolian music and culinary arts. "From the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, from Greece to the Iranian border – what is known as Anatolia has a lot to offer, not only a varied landscape but also a long history and multi-faceted culture. For certain, Anatolia is a place of endless stories once you explore its abundant riches. What we focus on today here are the contemporary approaches to this cultural mosaic that is Anatolian culture. There are two words

  Karaoğlan is one of those Turkish grapes few people talk about and even fewer have heard about. However, I think that will soon change. This is a grape on the rise in Turkey, poised to deliver great things.  We don't have a lot of information about the history of Karaoğlan except that it has a long one in Eastern Anatolia. The grape grows largely in Arapgir Bölgesi in Malatya on the eastern side of the Euphrates Valley. The landscape is rugged and mountainous with an average elevation of 1200 meters.  The grape itself looks a lot like Öküzgözü from the neighboring Elazığ with its large, blue-black berries. Unlike Öküzgözü

  Hailing from some of Turkey's most easterly vineyards in Elazığ, Öküzgözü is the number one planted wine grape in Turkey. As demonstrated in my online Öküzgözü taste along, there is no shortage to wines made with this grape. Commonly found as a varietal wine but blends are also popular. Öküzgözü traditional blending partner has been the ultra tannic Boğazkere. However, we're seeing more and more blends that include more than Boğazkere or that don't include it at all. Öküzgözü's naturally high acidity makes it a great foil for any number of grapes, both domestic and international.  Diren Öküzgözü Boğazkere, 2017 Diren, the only Black Sea region winery in Turkey, sources its Öküzgözü

  For my next online tasting, I tackled what is probably the most popular native white grape in Turkey: Narince. I went a little overboard and opened six different wines for myself. Honestly I had to stop myself from adding a seventh and an eighth! Luckily I had a few in person tasters along for the ride who helped me finish off most of the wine! Narince has a really interesting story. While one can now find it in many places around Turkey, its home is the Black Sea region district of Tokat. A number of wineries own vineyards there but most contract with independent growers. This has become a

  Narince is perhaps the most ubiquitous of the native white Turkish vitis vinifera. Its native home is in the alluvial soils of the Black Sea region, specifically Tokat; but it is cultivated across Turkey including in the Aegean and Thracian regions. Winemakers are using Narince for everything from still white to traditional method sparkling wines and even skin contact amber. What is it though that makes this grape so great? Meet Narince A somewhat late ripening berry, Narince is harvested in the second half of September, which provides a unique challenge to many winemakers. Third party growers rather than wineries own the vast majority of Narince vineyards in Tokat. They

  As sometimes happens when I’m not sure which new wine to buy, I purchased the Diren Les Muses based on how pretty the label is. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t. I think this time it was a bit of a half win. The 2009 Diren Les Muses is a Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice ruby red color. On the nose I got, of all things, chocolate covered cherries. While at first it seemed a little weird it really isn’t when you think that Cabernet Sauvignon is known for its black cherry and dark berry aromas and that cocoa nib aromas can result from the oaking. It’s the

  The Diren Narince was a pretty decent Narince. I haven’t had many wines from this maker yet but this boded well for the rest. In any case I found it nicer than the Barudi Narince from a few weeks ago as that one was too oaky for me. The 2010 Diren Narince was a nice light straw color. It was floral and mildly oaky on the nose. I guess I would describe this as Chardonnay adjacent which makes sense as Narince is often equated with Chardonnay. There was definitely some oak happening here but it tasted, to me, more like it was treated with oak versus actually having been oak