They say spring comes in like a lion or a lamb
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Today's Advent wine was a new release this year from Kuzubağ as part of its sophomore wine collection. Advent Day 5 Kuzubağ Öküzgözü, 2021 The winery's first Öküzgözü with grapes sourced from its (the winery's not the grape's) home in Çal. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels. Very purple in the glass. I'm not good at all at blind tasting, but if you're looking at something you know is Turkish and it's super purple, it's probably Öküzgözü. Initially oak heavy on the nose with vanilla, sweet candied fruits, violets, and spice. Tannins were almost plush with figgy/date, caramel, and carob flavors that dropped off pretty fast. For my two cents, not as
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Holy cats July was miserable! Horrible, hot weather including the hottest day Istanbul has had in years. During which, no less, my precious wines and I were without power for almost 48 hours! That was not in my horoscope. Here's to hoping that August will be a little milder. I don't know about you, but all I want to do these days is crush some nice, light white wine. Let's see if the future has any of that in store for us! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Strap on your seatbelt and be prepared this month to steer your life into a new direction - emotionally speaking. You'll come to
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Last year I fell in love with Kuzubağ wines. They came out of the gate with seven very successful and reasonably priced (a miracle here these days) wines. Kuzubağ has returned with its sophomore vintage now and it's already looking very promising. They've added new wines to the stable this year, both white and reds. I still love all the white wines from their freshman vintage so I immediately snapped up two of the new ones: a Bornova Misketi and a Çal Karası blanc de noir. Kuzubağ, part of the Çal Bağ Yolu, is located in the Çal district of Denizli in Turkey's inner Aegean. The winery’s vineyards sit at
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Well we had a nice three-day spring before summer dropped on us like a ton of bricks. Hopefully none of us have anything serious or strenuous that we need to deal with this month because it's going to be hot! Hot weather calls for some nice, bright wines to cool us all down. I have a few ideas of what I want to drink this month, what about you? Need inspiration from the universe to decide? Read on to find out what it recommends for you! Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) July will offer you time to address your mental health journey and progression toward self-betterment. Remember also that not
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Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası. The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while retaining their freshness. Here they grow not only Çalkarası, but also Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The
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Last Sunday, I wrote about my experience with the rosé wines from Kuzubağ. Now it's time to tackle the whites! Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası. The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while
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Over the winter I met some of the family behind new Çal-based winery, Kuzubağ. Historically, the wineries located on the Denizli-Çal plateau have produced more bulk, lower-quality wines. Kuzubağ is one of the new wineries here that want to change that image. One of the ways they're doing it is to emphasize the local grape, Çalkarası. The winery's vineyards sit at an elevation of 850 meters in clay-loam and calcareous soil. Given the elevation, there's a great difference between day and night temperatures allowing grapes to ripen over a longer period while retaining their freshness. Here they grow not only Çalkarası, but also Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The
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With school bells tolling the end of summer, Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles has invited the #winepw group to a "back to school" themed Twitter chat on Saturday, September 10. You can read her invitation here and, even if you haven't written a post, follow along with what promises to be several interesting conversations at 11 am EST / 8 am PST by following the hashtag. Everyone in the group this month essentially gets to set their own topic with this theme! Our challenge, per Robin, is to "put together a fun educational piece to expand your wine knowledge!" Eeek! The pressure! But no, really, the fun! Given the history
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