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Thrace Tag

HomePosts tagged "Thrace" (Page 8)

  The Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine since the Hittites ruled Anatolia." This isolation is not of the industry's making or desire but has been imposed on it. Bans against advertising mean most wineries don't have websites. Wine tourism remains very much on the down low. Winemakers have difficulty exporting. The tax burden on alcohol (to both producer and consumer) increases every year. And the climate the current government has created does no favors for the industry. And yet; Turkish wineries and winemakers are paying attention. Trends may arrive here a

  Certainly we live in strange times now. I was one of those naive people who thought, or at least hoped, we'd achieve normalcy by summer. That's definitely not happening; especially not here in Turkey. Turkey never did a proper quarantine. We had half-assed weekend lock downs for a few weeks before grumbling about the failing economy had even those lifted. Masks are now mandatory at all times. Less than half of people wear them properly or at all. Whatever social distancing people obeyed in the beginning is merely a memory. Weekend boats to the Princes Islands are as beyond capacity packed as ever. We have between 7,000 and

  I continued my online wine tasting series last Friday with one of my favorite Turkish grapes, Öküzgözü.  Öküzgözü wasn't always a favorite of mine. In fact for a long time I avoided it; finding it too insipid for my preferences. This is Turkey's most widely planted native black variety. Which means the chances for encountering crap wines is pretty high; and I've drunk a lot of those. However, a couple years ago I came across a boutique producer, Eskibağlar. That one wine changed my whole view about Öküzgözü and I began actively seeking out examples from around the country.  This grape originates in the Eastern Anatolia province of Elazığ. Vineyards abound

  For my next online tasting, I tackled what is probably the most popular native white grape in Turkey: Narince. I went a little overboard and opened six different wines for myself. Honestly I had to stop myself from adding a seventh and an eighth! Luckily I had a few in person tasters along for the ride who helped me finish off most of the wine! Narince has a really interesting story. While one can now find it in many places around Turkey, its home is the Black Sea region district of Tokat. A number of wineries own vineyards there but most contract with independent growers. This has become a

  After the Bornova Misketi taste along went so well I moved on to one of my favorite Turkish black grapes, Kalecik Karası. Not only is this purported to be the most age worthy grape, it's also one of the most flexible. In addition to making great reds that reflect their terroir, Kalecik Karası can also be used for blanc de noirs, rosé, and even sparkling wines. While I miss having people physically present for the tastings (if not all the dishes after!) I am really loving doing this online. Now I can reach so many more people! I had people from Athens and Belgium in the Bornova Misketi tasting

  Last year, Kırklareli-based winery Vino Dessera debuted a new line of wines. The Vino Dessera Entrika line up includes three wines: a red, rosé, and a white. Following the winery's principal that wine should be an "affordable luxury," none of the wines are pricey. Prices range from around 50 to 75 TL ($8-12). Also true to form for Vino Dessera, some very nice wines lie under the modest sticker price. Vino Dessera Entrika Red 2017 Tasting Notes During a previous visit to the winery I learned that Doğan Dönmez, in charge of the family winery, was experimenting with the Italian grape, Barbera. If his experiments proved successful, he would be

  Located in Turkey’s Thrace, just a stone’s throw from several other wineries on the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thracian Wine Route), Saranta produces quality wines under two labels: Saranta and Chateau Murou. The winery possess several features that set it apart; one such is the Saranta Öküzgözü. Saranta sources grapes from its own vineyards in Kırklareli as well as from other growers in the Thracian region. The origin of grapes used in member wines has been a point of contention among several of the Trakya Bağ Rotası member wineries. Some of the members feel that you cannot call a wine "Thracian" if the grapes do not come from Thrace. A

  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

  Barel Vineyards was founded in 1997 with the aim of adding a little bit more taste to the life by the Akın family. While Barel’s name comes from the names of two siblings Elif and Barkın Akın brothers; the winery is in the hands of youngest of the Akıns, Barkın. The Akın family was making wine on their land for family and friends years before the winery was officially founded. Barkın, who always had a dream to open a restaurant in his home town, studied gastronomy before settling on his family’s land in Trakya. As a wine lover he believes that you should be able to put a bottle