The Foxy Likya Tilki Kuyruğu
Last fall when I visited Likya, they told me about a new rosé they were trying to release: Fox. Made from a new (for us) grape called Tilki Kuyruğu, which means “fox tail” the winery wanted to call their wine Likya Fox. This simple action sparked a lawsuit. But before that story, the grape.
Rather than the bog standard “black from somewhere” (i.e. all the grapes here that are something kara), Tilki Kuyruğu has a fun name. It means, as I mentioned above, fox tail. Named because the bunches are quite large with several cascading lobes that thin out at the bottom creating a fox tail-looking bunch. Elsewhere in Turkey, this is a white grape but in the Antalya province it’s black. It grows in Likya’s Elmalı vineyards at 1,100 meters above sea level. Generally, the grape reaches high sugar levels making it appropriate for table grapes as well as wine.
About that lawsuit…there’s a wine bar brand based in Istanbul called “Foxy”. I’ve previously reviewed one of the two branches and possibly did not express my full vitriol towards this place and its owners. They’re all kind of twats. Evidenced most recently by a lawsuit they brought against the winery over its registration of the name “Fox” for this wine. They are technically two different words and one is a restaurant/bar and one is a wine; which are two entirely different things. And don’t you think a bar called Foxy would delight in serving a wine called Fox? Apparently not.
In the end Likya won (hoorah!) and the wine and its fantastic label became available in the spring. Annoyingly though, available only in magnums. I personally don’t need a magnum of anything (let alone a rosé) so I hope they change this up for next year. A magnum barely fits in my fridge for one thing.
Likya Fox, 2020
I don’t have winemaking details but my guess says they made this via direct press. Bottle aged for over a year but unintentionally so!
Brilliant salmon in the glass with tangy and fruity aromas. Red berries like cranberry (but not the dreaded strawberry!) take the lead here with a splash of grapefruit and savory notes. Like the nose, the palate delivered medium-intense but lively flavors of crunchy tart red berries and grapefruit but with a kind of salato, or salty briny edge that I particularly enjoyed.
Dry dry dry and crisp with zingy acidity. Only 12% abv (thank you very much Likya). Refreshing. Would buy it again but only if it came in regular format bottles.
*Update: I recently saw Likya’s Patara Plus rosé which is also made with Tilki Kuyruğu…so is it the same as Fox? Is it somehow different?
September 18, 2022
Gözde
Glad that likes won the case, so absurd to think that no one other than you can use a generic word as a part of their brand! Curious about the wine itself too.
September 18, 2022
admin
Isn’t it just??
Try finding the Patara Plus. I honestly don’t know what the difference between the two is (need to ask!) but they tasted fairly similar to me.
September 19, 2022
Pairingwines
Nice and informative article. Exciting for me ro learn about “ Tilki Kuyruğu“ grape variety which I understand endemic to Turkey.
The lawsuit story is funny and sad. The bar called “ Foxy” should be promoting this wine rather than suing!
As to your update on Likya’s Patara “ Plus” , could it be Patara “ Blush” instead. ( I live outside TR so unable to check in a winestore, but Google shows the presence of a Likya Patara “Blush” 2018.
If Likya Fox 2020 is a rose , Patara Blush 2018 Tilki kuyruğu could be slightly different since a wine made with “blush” method suggests a jammy, fruit-forward and fairly sweet pink wine, while a rose should have a relatively dry, fresh palate with delicate aromatics and flavours.
September 19, 2022
admin
Thank you! As to Patara Blush and Patara Plus – no those are different wines with different grapes. Patara Plus is new on the market this year. And while I appreciate your take on the differences between “blush” and “rose” the terms are used almost interchangeably here with little distinction unless a winery makes several different pink wines, in which case the “blush” is usually the paler thereof.