One of the world of wine's "everything old is new again" biggest topics must be skin-contact white wine. Call it skin-contact white wine, amber wine, or orange wine
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Early in the twentieth century Turkish winemakers looked to Europe for pretty much everything. Not only were machines, corks, barrels, and even bottles coming from Europe, but so were the vines. Especially for those who had no previous experience with winemaking, Europe was where they could visit established vineyards to learn and taste. So as the Turkish wine industry began to dust itself off from Ottoman imposed dormancy, many (if not most) winemakers emulated European wines. French grapes and wines remain the most popular. One winery owner here told me that, while he himself had no interest in making Bordeaux-style wine, he knew making one was the best way
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Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality wine, Paşaeli is of the Turkish wineries making huge efforts to revive rare and dying grape varieties. Resurrecting little known Turkish varieties While Paşaeli does turn out a couple of the Bordeaux-style blends that are endlessly popular in Turkey. I’ve had the Kaynaklar and K2 blends several times and they’re very good. But the heart and soul of this winery are the grapes you’ve never heard of. A big believer in growing things where they are native, Karagözoğlu set about collecting vineyards where Turkey’s native grapes thrive naturally.
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A few months ago I went to a wine tasting lead by Murat Mumcuoğlu of Şarap Atölyesi. I was excited before the tasting because I’d been following Murat on Twitter and Instagram for a wile and was excited to meet him. After the tasting I was excited because, thanks to him, I discovered Likya’s Acıkara. Rescuing precious grapes Never heard of Acıkara? Neither had I; for good reason. Until just a few short years ago it was a mostly forgotten, nearly extinct Turkish grape. The folks at Likya found some vines in the wild (I believe) and thinking they were one thing, transplanted them to their vineyards. However when harvest time came around they realized
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