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Chamlija Tag

HomePosts tagged "Chamlija" (Page 3)

  Müteşekkir is a new line from Chamlija, featuring a Pinot Noir, a red blend, and a white blend. Despite being an entry level wine (where I find many wineries slack off a bit) these show Chamlija's dedication to quality. Priced at about 55-60 TL (right around $10) this line offers a decent quality/price balance and a kicky little label. "Müteşekkir" means "thankful or grateful" in Turkish. Which I suppose we are that for decent wines at a decent price! That is something of a unicorn in Turkey. Chamlija Müteşekkir Blend 2015 Tasting Notes The Müteşekkir red blend combined Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot aged for 12 months in French

  Merlot. That grape that, for good or bad, everyone knows. I have largely avoided Merlot for years. Not because Sideways turned me off of it. More because I'd never been "on" it. The New World style made from late(r) harvested grapes resulting in high alcohol, plummy fruit, and fruitcake flavors has never been my jam.  But not even in Turkey can one avoid this grape. It might not achieve the same amount of plantings as the more popular international varieties of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon; but that is not to say it's hard to find. Quite the opposite. It is, oddly enough perhaps, Turkish Merlots that have started to

  I have chosen to tackle the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thrace Wine Route) last because I find it the most frustrating. [caption id="attachment_11330" align="alignleft" width="267"] Please note the map is old; couldn't find an updated version[/caption] The Trakya Bağ Rotası was the first of all the established wine routes in Turkey. Membership includes wineries Like Arda in upper Thrace in Edirne (near the Bulgarian/Greek borders) all the way to Suvla at the tippy tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Technically, all these wineries are indeed in Thrace. Geographically anyway. And yet. Edirne and neighboring districts Kırklareli and Tekirdağ are significantly more northerly, colder, and snowier. While Tekirdağ based wineries (such as Chateau

  It's been a little while since I've written about Chamlija's wines. While not writing about them, I certainly haven't stopped drinking Chamlija's wines. Or thinking about them. In my opinion, other than guaranteed quality and sometimes amazingly beautiful wines, Chamlija's two biggest contributions to the Turkish wine industry are the winery's willingness to experiment, and its championship of native Turkish grapes; especially Papaskarası. Moreover, when these two attributes combine, the genius that results.  At once both clinical and adventurous, Chamlija winery bring s anew level of experimentation to the Turkish wine industry. While great believers in what terroir brings to a wine, therefore planting the same varieties in multiple

  I joke that my research into Turkish wine essentially involved drinking from the bottom of the shelf up. But honestly that's actually what I did. After being more than a year in Turkey I still was not convinced that the wine here was especially good. At that time I was still pretty near the bottom of the shelf and was only doing my "research" halfheartedly. One night, I paired a semi-sweet Bornova Misketi with a spicy Chinese dry pepper chicken. Apparently I thought I knew better how to cook than the person who made the recipe. Spoiler alert, I didn't. The recipe called for me to saute Chinese peppercorns

  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

  All of the teachers participate somehow and many of them wear traditional Austrian costumes of Lederhosen and Dirndl. As a rather typical American, my family is from a little bit of everywhere and I’ve always been envious of people who have a cultural heritage that comes with national costumes, traditions, food, etc. Our biggest tradition in Michigan is using our right hand as a state map. Which, come on, is pretty cool. Istranca Terroir In a way, wine is like my Austrian friends and their dirndl; they come from and belong to a place. However, with wine we define that with the somewhat indefinable term, terroir.  Kırklareli-based winery Chamlija takes a huge amount of pride in its terroir. When we

  Turkish Malbec? What? That can’t be right, you’re thinking. It pleases me to say that it is correct! Turkey makes Malbec. In fact, Malbec is cultivated in at least three of the eight wine regions. Only a handful of producers are making varietal Malbec but it appears pleasingly frequently in a number of blends. So how does Turkish Malbec stack up against Malbec giant Argentina or even hometown Cahors? Before we can dive into the wines themselves, let’s look at the regions where it grows; beginning with the most westerly region-Thrace. Thrace The Thrace (or Trakya in Turkish) growing region extends from Turkey’s borders with Bulgaria and Greece down to the

  Chamlija Winery is a huge pioneer in Turkey. They experiment not only with various winemaking methods but also grape varieties. Chamlija is responsible for us having Turkish Riesling, Alvarino, Mavrud, and soon Assyrtiko. However, the winery does not ignore indigenous grape varieties. Öküzgözü and Boğazkere are two of Turkey’s most common black vinis vitifera grapes. They are more at home in their native areas of Turkey, Elazığ and Diyarbakır respectively. Very few wineries in Thrace make wine with these grapes at all. Even fewer actually grow the grapes themselves. Chamlija Öküzgözü Boğazkere 2015 Tasting Notes: Amongst Turkish varietals, Öküzgözü and Boğazkere are natural blending partners. Boğazkere, which translates as “throat burner” is an aptly named