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Thrace Tag

HomePosts tagged "Thrace" (Page 2)

  Some months ago, I had the chance to re-taste a number of Arcadia wines with winery owner Zeynep Arca Şallıel and US importer, Sharap Imports. Among the wines was one I'd not ever tried before, the Arcadia Roze. Why hadn't I tried it? Well, we know I don't love rosé. Additionally, for better or worse, my focus remains firmly on the native grapes of Turkey. It takes something pretty extraordinary to get me to drink anything Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot (especially the latter).  Folks, I am a convert! Not to all Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or rosé. But to this wine? Yes! [caption id="attachment_19421" align="alignright" width="350"] shameless self promotion![/caption] Arcadia Roze, 2021 For

  This month, I am hosting the #WinePW group's exploration of heritage and traditional grapes. I will attempt to host a chat on Threads tomorrow, Saturday, November 11 at 8am PST / 11 am EST / 7 pm Istanbul. Well, I mean, I will be hosting one. How successfully I shall do so remains to be seen! Heritage grapes in Turkey Heritage, or traditional grape varieties are those that have been grown not in their native land for a long time. Think Zinfandel in America (or really any vitis vinifera in America!), Shiraz in Australia, Pinot Noir in Germany, etc. How long is a long time? Well

  Not all wine names are obvious immediately (or at all!) until you ask about the story behind them. One of my favorite Turkish wine name stories is that of the Arcadia 333. But Arda Dokuz Sekiz has a pretty great one too. Dokuz Sekiz - 9/8 The name here is actually pretty simple - dokuz sekiz means nine eight and refers to the 9/8 music time signature. Music written in 9/8 time has nine beats per measure with each beat being an eighth note. Meaning that, even if not all the notes are an eighth note, the notes in each measure will add up to nine eighth notes. Okay, that's cool.

  Really, what is the obsession some of the upper Thracian wineries seem to have with making blanc de noir wines with Papazkarası? Sure, some of them are pretty nice. My personal favorites being those from Chamlija and Arcadia. And yes, it's great to see experimentation with the native grapes. Especially as this seems to be the only Thracian native grape going. Why do I have such a viscerally negative reaction, then, when I see a new blanc de noir Papazkarası? Even I can't answer that. I like to see a new blanc de noir Çal Karası. Maybe it's because I feel sure that there must be a native white

  Of all the Turkish wineries producing wine with French grapes, Barbare has distinguished itself by leaning not towards Bordeaux, but the Rhône. Rather than featuring Cabernet and Merlot*, Barbare's main wines include varietal Grenache and Mourvèdre, as well as the classic GSM - or Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre blend. Recently, the winery released a new wine inspired by a different French valley: The Loire. Turkey does light and medium-bodied red wines really well. The majority of native black grapes here make wines that naturally fall into the light to medium-bodied and medium to high acidity category. Given that, it's probably not a surprise that Pinot Noir does really well here.

  It's been some time since Chamlija debuted its Teruar Serisi with rare white grapes Ten Göynek, Ak Üzüm, Hüyük Ak Üzüm, and Kuyucak Ak Üzüm. I reached out to Chamlija to clarify some questions I had about these.  Ak Üzüm on its own is a little confusing. What little we know about Ak Üzüm comes from Mediterranean wineries Selefkia and Tasheli. A thin-skinned grape prone to disease, Ak Üzüm tends to prefer limestone soils where they grow as bush-trained vines, many of which are quite old. However, Ak Üzüm really just means "white grape". As it turns out, there are several "Ak Üzüms" floating around the Mediterranean.  This reminds me

  How many times have I said that I'm not a pink fan? I think for five times I say that, at least two wines semi reverse my opinion! Despite not being a huge fan of it, I do have a rather large collection of rosé in the wine room. Partially because I do attempt to try all the new wines (if not new vintages) that come out here. And also, because I have learned, that as long as the wine isn't electric pink, there's a fair chance that it will be nice. When Akın Gürbüz released his new blush last year, I happily snapped up a bottle. Because a)

  Papazkarası has been staging a quiet take over. When I first discovered the grape, maybe you could find two or three wines. Now, this ancient blue-black grape variety native to Turkey's upper Thrace abounds and wineries are releasing not just red wines, but also rosés and blanc de noir wines. The name Papazkarası roughly translates to "black of the priest (or) pope". In Greece, the variety is registered as "Kara Papas", although little, if any, Papazkarası wine is produced there. In Turkey, the spelling varies between Papazkarası (with a 'z') and Papaskarası (with an 's'). You can read more about the here! Now that there are so many of these wines

  Arcadia, based in upper Thrace in Kırklareli, has long prided itself on its winemaking techniques. Including a crazy looking machine that very gently filters the wines and then bottling them unfined. They're now following the popular trend of spontaneous fermentation, or doğal fermentasyon in the Turkish. This has become a growing trend over the last few years. Some wineries, like Kastro Tireli and Tomurcukbağ, have always allowed their wine to ferment spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Büyülübağ has made one or two "wild ferment" wines for years. When Claros opened, they did the same and Gürbüz, Paşaeli, and probably a handful of others all have at least a couple wines.

  Granted we're going through a weird warm streak at the moment in Istanbul, but that's doesn't mean winter is over. It often makes itself know again at an inopportune time. When that happens, reach for one of these top cozy Turkish red wines that feel like a hug to keep you warm! Gordias Boğazkere, 2012 Hands down, Gordias's is one of my favorite Boğazkere wines. Canan brings her grapes for this in from Diyarbakır and ages the wine little, if at all, oak. One would think that might be walking on the edge with a tannic grape like Boğazkere, but it works! Medium opaque ruby, not as deeply colored as one would usually