Time to Embrace the Pink
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…well…nothing. But to prove (even to myself) that they’re not all simply dyed water, I dug through all my tasting notebooks looking for some of the more memorable examples I’ve had. In part one of two no less.
Barbare Rosé 2015 Tasting Notes
This rosé from Barbare is a blend of Merlot and Syrah. A really pretty salmon pink color in the glass, the nose began with lots of fruit and flowers. Summer berries and pear took center stage and twined with honeysuckle and slightly green and earthy aromas. On the palate the floral qualities took a backseat to fresh and fruity flavors. Clean and crisp on the palate with 13% abv, Barbare’s rosé was a nice, easy drinking wine for the summer.
Kayra’s Terra Kalecik Karası Rosé 2016 Tasting Notes
With grapes sourced from Turkey’s Denizli region, Kayra’s Terra Kalecik Karası rosé was a rather violent pink color. Istanbites and I drank this as part of a Kalecik Karası food pairing experiment. Not the worst rosé we’ve ever had but most definitely still towards the bottom of the middle.
Typical for this grape, aromas of cotton candy jumped first out of the glass followed by raspberry and strawberry hard candy. Hints of watermelon joined the other red fruits on the palate along with crisp acidity and a nice dryness that belied the very sweet nose. Sitting at 13% abv the Terra maintained a decent balance but still did not impress.
Ayda Winery’s VinAida Rosé 2017 Tasting Notes
Ayda Winery’s main rosé is a blend of Pinot Noir and Grenache. Like all its wines, it was barrel fermented, aged seven months sur lie before blending, and is certified vegan. From its orangey-pink color to its long peach melba finish I really liked this one. Intense smashed berries wafted out of the glass first followed by a journey of peach and fresh herbs. Cream balanced with lively acid on the palate balanced with the 13.9% abv. Fresh sage gave an edge to the juicy raspberries and ripe peaches that I often find lacking in pink wine.
Ayda Winery’s VinAida Demi-Sec Rosé YEAR Tasting Notes
For a limited time, Ayda Winery also made a demi-sec rosé. A lot of people dislike rosé because it’s “sweet”. People often perceive fruitier wines as being “sweet” regardless of whether the wine has any
residual sugar or not. I find most Turkish rosés have been made dry; but here’s one unabashedly not. I opened this at a tasting of VinAida wines. I think it was more knowing that it was a semi-sweet rather than the flavor that turned people off it. I however, rather liked it.
Made with 100% late harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented then aged sur lie for nine months in French oak. A slightly brown tinged garnet the nose exploded with strawberry jam and thyme. Medium-bodied with a slightly viscous roundness in the mouth thanks to the residual sugar but balanced by a racy acidity and a discreet 13.2% alcohol level. I really enjoyed the jammy-sweet savory flavor. But then I spend a lot of time trying to turn standard fruit chutneys into something savory or spicy.
Büyülübağ Iris 2015 Tasting Notes
Büyülübağ’s Iris is 100% Adakarası. This little seen grape is native to Sea of Marmara’s Avşa island where Büyülübağ makes its home. As a red, Adakarası makes medium-bodied wines with fairly low tannins and high acidity. Pretty perfect stuff for turning into a rosé. As a rosé, Büyülübağ’s Adakarası Iris was the intense pink-orange of the sunset. The nose started red berries, country roses, and olives. Sipping revealed racy acid, juicy raspberry and cranberry, savory, and a slightly grapefruit pithy finish.
There was something about this one I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It tasted a little foxy, like an Uhudler.
Ezel 2017 Rosemingo Tasting Notes
If nothing else, Ezel’s Rosemingo won my award for most charming label and name. I know rosé shouldn’t be relegated to merely a summer sipper but come on. How adorable and sunny is this label??
Made with 100% Kalecik Karası sourced from the family winery’s Çal (Güney Plateau) vineyards, the Rosemingo began with aromas of macerated red berries and candy with a whiff of something herbal. Fresh, fruity, and crisp with 13% alcohol the Rosemingo was an easy drinker that made me smile from label to finish.
Firuze Rosé 2015 Tasting Notes
Firuze’s 2015 rosé is made with 100% Karaoğlan which the winery sources from Malatya. The wine is as charming as its pretty, pale pink rose color. Spicy and fruity aromas followed through to the palate where a spicy acidity and a hint of animal on the finish kept this from being more than just a beach sipper.
USCA Sonnet 8 2018 Tasting Notes
USCA’s Sonnet 8 is, like VinAida’s demi-sec, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sonnet 8 however, is fully dry. A pretty pale pink, it began with the expected aromas of red summer berries but also hinted at some peach and apricot. Fresh and lively with flavors that reflected the nose, this medium-bodied, 13.7% abv was a charming wine.
Vinolus 2013 Blush and 2017 Rosé Tasting Notes
Vinolus makes both a blush and a rosé which is not an uncommon practice in Turkey. Usually the largest difference is that the rosé has a paler color. At the end of the day it’s all about marketing. For a lot of the wineries that offer both blush and rosé the difference is usually in the color intensity. For Vinolus it’s a little hard to tell since 2013 was the last vintage to be labeled as a “blush”. Both Vinolus’ 2013 blush and the 2017 rosé were made from the same grapes, Kalecik Karası and Tempranillo. However, different style and different seasons give us two very different wines.
I hadn’t tried the blush until Istanbites and I visited the winery in Kayseri but it instantly became one of my three favorite pink wines. I feature it at quite a few of my wine tastings. It’s very different in style and flavor profile than Turkey’s mainstay fresh and fruity pink wines. Unfortunately it’s become the cilantro of rosés; either you love it or you hate it. The Vinolus blush instantly lets you know about its differences in the gamey and earthy nose underscored by boysenberry aromas. A deceptively muscular wine despite being fairly light-bodied with only 12.9% abv, if ever a pink wine were masculine this was. 
The 2017 rosé on the other hand was a girly-looking bright magenta. But kind of like a girl who boxes and will knock you flat with a 14% abv jab straight to the face. Vibrantly fresh and fruity aromas of strawberry, apricot, and peach followed by roses led to a refreshing palate of apricot, black currant, and pomegranate with a hint of spice.