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Central Anatolia Tag

HomePosts tagged "Central Anatolia" (Page 6)

  The Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine since the Hittites ruled Anatolia." This isolation is not of the industry's making or desire but has been imposed on it. Bans against advertising mean most wineries don't have websites. Wine tourism remains very much on the down low. Winemakers have difficulty exporting. The tax burden on alcohol (to both producer and consumer) increases every year. And the climate the current government has created does no favors for the industry. And yet; Turkish wineries and winemakers are paying attention. Trends may arrive here a

  I continued my online wine tasting series last Friday with one of my favorite Turkish grapes, Öküzgözü.  Öküzgözü wasn't always a favorite of mine. In fact for a long time I avoided it; finding it too insipid for my preferences. This is Turkey's most widely planted native black variety. Which means the chances for encountering crap wines is pretty high; and I've drunk a lot of those. However, a couple years ago I came across a boutique producer, Eskibağlar. That one wine changed my whole view about Öküzgözü and I began actively seeking out examples from around the country.  This grape originates in the Eastern Anatolia province of Elazığ. Vineyards abound

  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

  After the Bornova Misketi taste along went so well I moved on to one of my favorite Turkish black grapes, Kalecik Karası. Not only is this purported to be the most age worthy grape, it's also one of the most flexible. In addition to making great reds that reflect their terroir, Kalecik Karası can also be used for blanc de noirs, rosé, and even sparkling wines. While I miss having people physically present for the tastings (if not all the dishes after!) I am really loving doing this online. Now I can reach so many more people! I had people from Athens and Belgium in the Bornova Misketi tasting

  From one of the most recognizable names in Turkish wine comes the Turasan Seneler Cabernet Merlot Syrah blend. The Turasan Seneler line includes many of the winery's top wines, all of which, red and white, have seem some time in oak. In fact it's right there in the name! "Seneler" means "years" in Turkish and these are Turasan's aged wines. For this wine, Turasan sourced its grapes from several vineyards around Turkey. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot came from the winery's vineyards in Central Anatolia. The Syrah came from Aegean vineyards in Denizli (670 kilometers away). Prior to blending, the wines aged an average of 12 months in French

  Gordias winery, located outside Turkey's capital Ankara, is mostly known for its red wines. However, Canan, the one woman show runner there, does make white wine as well. Her Nana Narince ranks as one of my absolute favorite Narinces. Unfortunately, it, and her other whites, have proven very difficult to find. So, if you find one, buy three. In addition to the Nana Narince, Canan's white wine collection also includes the Gordias Sauvignon Blanc.  This part of Central Anatolia, around Ankara, tends to lend itself more towards black grape cultivation. The main native grape from this area being Kalecik Karası (which Gordias also produces). However, just because red wine reigns

  The twenty-first century may still be fairly young but the wine world has already been rocked by a movement as big as it is controversial. Natural wine. While winemakers in several countries could argue that this is hardly new; much of the west treats it like a spanking new phenomenon. As we see natural wines popping up all over it seems to be a case of ‘better late than never.’ And now, the latest country to jump on the bandwagon is one of the oldest winemaking countries: Turkey. Where then, does Turkey enter this picture? Over the last 15 years in particular the wine industry in Turkey has leapt

  Vinolus Winery makes possibly my favorite Kalecik Karası wine. Therefore, it came as a great surprise to me whenI realized that I hadn't posted about it yet! A boutique producer in Kayseri, near Cappadocia, Vinolus makes unique wines from organically grown grapes. Oluş Molu and her brother Aziz took over the family farm in the early aughts to create the first ecological farm in Turkey. The project includes 50 acres (20 ha) planted to  native Kalecik Karası and Narince as well as international varieties: Chardonnay, Roussanne, Shiraz, and Tempranillo. Here grapes planted on native rootstock grow on a combination of head and trellis trained vines. Oluş keeps production

  I used to feel rather agnostic about Cabernet Franc. Wines left me with a feeling of “meh.” Over the last few years grape has grown in popularity in Turkey. With increased popularity has also come increased quality. Now I hunt down all the variety Cabernet Franc wines I can find. So in honor of #CabFrancDay I thought I'd dig out notes on a few recent finds. Cabernet Franc can be found in vineyards across Turkey. However, it is especially prevalent in Thrace, Central Anatolia, and various areas of the Aegean. So today for #CabFranc day we're looking at a couple wines from each of these regions. Pamukkale Anfora Cabernet Franc