Metro (think Costco) has a
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Many are shocked to discover the high percentage of women who work in the Turkish wine industry. Something like 65% are women including winery owners, viticulturalists, winemakers and oenologists, and especially, harvest technicians. Last March, I wrote a piece for The Vintner Project about women in the Turkish wine industry. My friend and colleague in wine, if you will, Tûba de Wilde has gone beyond just writing and takes a different approach to highlighting women in the industry. Vinatuu Wine Explorer & Event Maker After completing her bachelor of Tourism and Event Management in Bruges, Belgium, Tûba worked in tourism and communications around Europe while continuously training via courses and seminars
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From Çalkarası to Fersun, these emerging grapes should be on your radar. An hour and a half drive from Antalya along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, Likya Şarapları sits in the Taurus Mountains high above Antalya’s Elmalı district. The winery has made a name for itself with wine made from popular grapes both domestic and international. But what really excites the Özkan family, owners of the winery, is Acıkara. Knowing that their region has a very old wine history, the Özkans reasoned that there must have been native grapes there before. They began to research the area and learned, through local shepherds, of a large grapevine growing wild where they grazed their
Read MoreTurkey is no stranger to sparkling wine production. Ankara-based Vinkara wines made the first traditional method sparkling wine (with Kalecik Karası) years ago. Suvla followed with its traditional method wines, also from native grapes. Then Arcadia made one, then Kavaklidere with Chardonnay (the only not made with a native grape). Turkish sparkling wine is also made via the tank method. And we have a plethora of inexpensive bubbles made by adding carbonation. What we did not have, was the recently fashionable pét-nat. And I say 'was' because we now do have. And not just one! No no. Four. But what IS Pét-Nat? Affectionately called, pét-nat, this style of sparkling wine is
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I am so excited to share a guest piece that Moshé Cohen of In The Vineyard With kindly invited me to write! Reviving the Lost Grapes of Turkey Turkey. The mention of this country evokes thoughts of sultans and harems, sticky sweet Turkish delights, thick coffee, and hot air balloon rides over the fantastical ‘fairy chimney’ cave homes of Cappadocia. Wine is not the first thing to come to mind. Nor is it usually the fourth or the tenth. And yet, Turkey is, and for thousands of years has been, a wine producing country. Six grapes make up the backbone of wine production (with native vs international grapes): Boğazkere, Bornova Misketi,
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I am so excited to have my second piece up on The Vintner Project! I'd like to say that I 'sat down with' Seyit Karagözoğlu of Paşaeli Wines to talk about his wines and his efforts to reinvigorate some of Turkey's disappearing grapes. However, times being what they are we conducted the interview over a series of emails and phone calls. Karagözoğlu is one of a small, but dedicated, group in Turkey trying to rescue Turkish wine grapes on the brink of extinction and he talked to me about what called him to do this. Seyit Karagözoğlu and Paşaeli Wines: Rescuing the Lost Turkish Grapes Turkey ranks sixth in grape production,
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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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