wine bar Tag

  My last wine bar review released a maelstrom of comments and conversations about the lack of extensive (or really even good) by the glass options. What a marvelous coincidence then that antidote this problem emailed me days later. Enter Cenap Kuzuoğlu. The man behind the late, lamented BEPPE* has opened a new place in Moda where BEPPE was: Wayana.  With COVID-related shutdowns and, frankly, being exhausted by the extensive pizza menu, Kuzuoğlu decided to create a new brand that focuses on wine. He began, much like many of us poor saps, as a wine drinker, a wine lover, but not he says, as a wine enthusiast. All that changed

  It's been ages since I posted a wine bar review. Sorry about that. Especially to all you on the Asian side whom I've accidentally been ignoring! Now, finally, a wine bar review on your side of things: Bordo Şaraphane. My last visit here was actually an embarrassingly long time ago. But while there I completely forgot to take any pictures, thus delaying this review so terribly! I enjoyed my visit but was glad to meet a friend there so we could split a bottle. One of my continued arguments with "wine bars" in Istanbul is the maddeningly small selection of by the glass wines. While Bordo's overall list was

  It's monthly wine bar review time! This month's wine bar: Foxy Nişantaşı. Much like my last review about Beyoğlu Şaraphanesi, I have had a contentious relationship with Foxy

  I've been a little neglectful of my wine bar reviews of late. November and December were insane! Hopefully with the new year things will calm down a bit and I can really dig back into things. I'm starting the year with a wine bar review of Beyoğlu Şaraphanesi. Tucked away in the warren of bars that is Asmalı Mescit, Beyoğlu Şaraphanesi is like a calm oasis of class and excellent wine. The French bistro-style façade opens into a long gallery warm, exposed brick walls and warm lighting gleaming off shining glassware. One of the things I love about the place is the mix of brick, stone, stained glass, and

  Not far from Solera is Tarihi Pano Şarap Evi (Pano), an old-school spot that takes you back in time, to when wine and multiculturalism were still in fashion. Established in the 1920s by Panayot Papadapulous, Pano has the feeling of an old-fashioned Greek taverna. The extensive food menu includes both Turkish and international favorites but according to Yüksel, the wine expert you’ll usually find behind the bar, the cheese plate and wine are the biggest sellers. Papadapulous, from a Greek Orthodox family in Samatya, moved to Istanbul in the 19th century where he began secretly importing and selling wine from Bozcaada (then known its Greek name Tenedos).  In 1898

  I started my wine bar reviews with the most recent wine bar I'd visited, Carafe Istanbul. Now, we go back to the beginning with Istanbul's best and, in my opinion, only true wine bar. Solera. Tucked into a narrow storefront on Yeni Çarşı, Solera’s small sign and deeply recessed space is are easy to miss if you’re not looking for them. This wine bar offers an intimate and cozy setting with squat tables, cushy low stools, and a retro playlist. The food menu is limited but eclectic, offering Turkish mezes, pizza, pasta and steak. But you didn’t come here for a meal, you came to drink your way through

  While I list places to drink wine on my Istanbul Wine Guide page, I realized that I've never done proper reviews of any of these places. Rather than beginning at the beginning (which to me is Solera); I shall start with the place I most recently visited. Carafe Istanbul Wine & Bistro. The busy Barbaros Bulvari in chaotic, university area Beşiktaş is the last place I would look for a place like Carafe Istanbul. And yet. Immediately Carafe Istanbul sets itself apart from the coffee houses and cheap burger and kebab places around it with its bright, royal blue deck walls. Colorful glass panels separate inside from outside and