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Thrace Tag

HomePosts tagged "Thrace" (Page 11)

  As it has elsewhere in the world; pink wine has caught on in Turkey. Some winemakers make it grudgingly to satisfy market demand while others do so for the joy. I have my own very decided opinions about pink wine which I hold forth openly and somewhat bombastically. But I have set myself the goal of trying all the wine Turkey produces. Which, given the relatively diminutive size of the industry is frustratingly difficult to do. My self-appointed mission also includes all the pink wines. While I think many might dismiss rosé as being "sweet", my main issue with Turkish rosé is that it often tastes like

  I've never been entirely sure how my parents became a couple. Of course I've heard the story of how they met. But do I understand how it went further? Not so much. My mother's family are almost all slightly hippy musicians and artists. She's a classically trained singer and some of my earliest memories are of sitting in the theatre while she rehearsed. For about 15 years every summer her family held their own version of Woodstock. An all day food and music fest featuring any band a family member was in, the house band (i.e. my mom, aunts, and uncles), and culminated in a display of illegal

  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

  One does not immediately associate wine with piracy. Yet, Barbare, one of Turkey’s Thracian wineries, takes its name and inspiration from the famed (or perhaps infamous!) pirate, Barbarossa. Before visiting Barbare, I had no idea that the pirate Barbarossa (aka Redbeard) was Turkish. Let alone that he was an admiral in the Ottoman navy. His journey from renegade pirate to respected admiral meandered nearly as much as Turkey’s recent wine history. Readbeard, King of the Sea Barbarossa – image from Wikipedia In the same year Columbus left to “discover” America, the Barbarossa brothers Khidr and Oruç, Were already villainous pirates. After Spain kicked the last of the Muslims out of Iberia, it, along with Portugal,

  Just a few years ago, Papaskarası, a black grape native to Turkey’s Thrace, was something of a novelty. Very few producers worked with it. Nowadays it seems to be the next big thing in Turkish wine. The number of producers using it has grown and you can find it as varietal red and rosé wines and in blends. There are even a few blanc de noirs floating around. Melen Winery, located in the Hoşköy village of Thrace’s Tekirdağ district, is one of those few wineries that has been working with Papaskarası for quite some time. A family-run winery since the 1920s, it’s also one of the oldest continuous running wineries in Turkey. While

  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.

  The popularity of blanc de noir wines (white wine made with black grapes) is on the rise in Turkey. The wines are made with everything from native to international varieties in both still and sparkling styles. Thracian winery Vino Dessera has thrown its hat in the ring with two different wines. Affordable Luxury Vino Dessera was established in 2012, but to understand the full story of these fields we need to jump a little further back. When the owner’s first grandchild was born, abiding by a very thoughtful Anatolian tradition, he planted approximately 600 walnut trees along the green slopes of Thrace. And, as it turns out, he never stopped.

  Gülor Winery, founded in 1993 by Güler Sabancı, has the distinction of being one of Turkey’s first boutique wineries. It has grown a lot since the vineyards were planted in 1996. The winery now produces some 200,000 liters annually. While perhaps no longer boutique in size, Gülor remains boutique at heart. The winery has worked with several expert French winemakers since its inception. Since 2012 it has been in the hands of Antoine Bastide d’Izard. He has said of Gülor:  “Gülor is one of the rare boutique wineries in Turkey offering original and high-quality blends of both international and local grapes,” Gülor’s winery sits on an estate of 100 hectares located in the Thracian subregion Tekirdağ on

  Nestled in the Şarköy district of Tekirdağ (southern Thrace) is a small village called Uçmakdere. Prior to the population exchange of the 1920s this village, like many in district, was heavy populated by Greeks. It was the Greeks who established vineyards and winemaking in Turkey. With their departure villages like Uçmakdere went into decline. Without them most of the agricultural businesses, including wine, failed and villages died. Fast forward to 2012. Attracted to the history of winemaking in the region, the wine loving Bulutsuz and Gülbay families purchased a previously closed winery in Uçmakdere and modernize and revamp the facilities. Revitalizing Uçmakdere Firuze Winery does not boast any of its own vineyards. Consequently, they source grapes from local

  I first learned about Saranta Vineyards at the 2017 Sommeliers’ Selection Turkey event. Then for some six months after said event I waited on tenterhooks for Istanbul shops to start carrying the wines. Since then I’ve visited the winery twice, interviewed their winemaker, and become an even bigger fan of the wines than started out being. Not one to ignore the importance of the visual appeal of a bottle, I fully admit that sometime I buy wine based on how much I like the label. And how do you not love Saranta’s Chateau Murou line labels? The style is the same for all but each grape is designated with