Turkey’s Orange Wine Revolution
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 little belatedly; but when they get here they take off in a big way.
Over the last few years we have seen a major rise in both “natural” and “orange” wines globally. Despite their recent global popularity, natural wines and orange wine/amber wine/skin-contact wine…whatever you want to call it (I prefer amber), are actually the oldest wine trends there are. In many countries they’re not a trend. They’re thousands of years tradition. Then tourism and wine globalization brought these wines to the rest of us. Suddenly natural and amber wines are being made everywhere. Old World, New World…no one seems to be immune to their allure. Not even Turkey.
Nor am I apparently immune. Neither to drinking these wines nor to writing about them. Not too long ago I had the privilege of writing a guest post, Natural Wine in Turkey, for Draceana Wine’s Exploring the Wine Glass blog. Shortly after that, the #WinePW crew, lead by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog, tackled orange wines and food and I wrote about Turkish Amber Wine and Fast Food. And now I think it’s time to tackle orange wines in Turkey at large. To do that, we must start with the original amber wine producer here: Gelveri.
Gelveri
Not only was Gelveri the first producer of amber wines in Turkey; it remains unique for being the only winery to use amphora, or küp as they’re called in Turkish, for fermenting and ageing wine. A small production winery it is nonetheless responsible not only for the majority of Turkish amber wines, but for the highest quality amber wines. Unfortunately, the small production combined with huge demand (mostly international) means that Gelveri wines are not very easy to get. In Istanbul fans can find them in a few exclusive restaurants (such as Mikla) and one wine shop (Dekante). They are worth the effort.
Gelveri Hasandede, 2015
The Hasandede glowed a slightly hazy dark amber. Like the color of the best of the Baltic stones. Initially we were a little knocked over by the wave of vinegar aromas. However, with some vigorous swirling crunchy golden apple, fresh herbs, and earth exploded out of the glass.
Medium body with 13.5% abv, the wine displayed more tannins than I remember even his Kalecik Karası (a red) doing. From the first instant the wine hit my lips it was very dry with tannins that made my mouth collapse in on itself. Quince, dirty herbs, and ashy fireplace. None of which really sounds good…but it really was.
Gelveri Koku Üzüm, 2017
Not a lot is known about this particular grape. Koku Üzüm grapes are so rare that the bottle I have, with its label featuring the Sun Goddess of Arinna, was bottle #37 of only 210 made.
The Gelveri Koku Üzüm poured a beautiful deep amber. I have some good Baltic amber jewelry that’s not this pretty. Initially on the nose orange peel, red apple, peach, dill, quince jam, and honey…then when it got closer to room temperature there were whiffs of sweet hay and sandalwood. Palate flavors reflected the aromas with the addition of chamomile and elevated by peach fuzz-like tannins and lively acidity. Medium-bodied with 13% abv and fairly long finish; this was a special wine.
Gelveri Kızıl Üzüm, 2016
Kızıl Üzüm is another one of those Turkish grapes Gelveri works with but that we know very little about. “Kızıl” is one of the Turkish words for “red”. It’s used most commonly in connection with hair color or to describe something rusty, which is how the grape earned its name. The grape’s skin looks less red than it does like a yellow grape that’s rusted.
Deep burnt umber amber in color with apricot, orange peel, beeswax, pink pepper, earth, and clay pot aromas. On the palate it was very dry with slightly grippy tannins, medium body and alcohol (12.5% abv), and pronounced flavors of apple cider, apricot, orange peel, pepper, and walnut leading into a long finish with a touch of honey. Firm acidity added to the wine’s complexity. I think this is my favorite out of all the Turkish amber wines.
Paşaeli
Paşaeli winery’s owner Seyit Karagözoğlu is passionate about resurrecting Turkey’s forgotten vitis vinifera grapes. Thanks to him, we now have wines from grapes such as Sidalan, Kolorko, and Çakal. He also pushes the limits with other grapes like Narince, Yapıncak, and Çalkarası; experimenting with different styles to see what these grapes can do. So it’s not surprising that when he entered the amber wine game, he did it in a big way.
Paşaeli Kabuğunda Yapıncak, 2018
Yapıncak has a nickname: Kınalı Yapıncak which means “hennaed Yapıncak” because this golden-green grape often develops copper colored spots. Maybe that little bit of extra color makes its especially suited for color extraction? In any case, Paşaeli’s Kabuğunda Yapıncak, which comes from vines at least 50 years old, underwent nine days of maceration. The resulting color was not orange orange, but more the color of straw baked under an August sun.
I often find that Yapıncak wines have a somewhat restrained aroma but not so here. Aromas of golden quince, grilled lemons, and lemon thyme rose from the wine like they wanted to introduce themselves. On the palate, the alcohol remained fairly low at 11.5% but subtle tannins helped round out the wine and give it more of a medium-bodied heft. Flavors from the nose were joined by citrus peel and orange on a medium long finish.
Paşaeli Kabuğunda Çakal, 2018
Karagözoğlu found this grape while looking for Sidalan. He noticed some “red” clusters amongst the white Sidalan clusters. Çakal is Turkish for “jackal” and the grape earned its name because it ripens earlier than other grapes. So when the jackals come down from the mountains they eat these, the sweeter, grapes.
The Çakal grapes for this wine comes from forty year old vines. This wine differs from the winery’s Çakal rosé in that while the rosé underwent a mere eight hours of skin contact, this wine macerated for seven days. And yet due to the paleness of the grape’s skin, more of a gris than a red, even after seven days the color remains a fairly pale red-pink. The nose was pretty shy, reluctantly giving up aromas of summer fruits, cherry syrup, and bitter greens. Sipping revealed flavors of mineral-tinged red berries and citrus pith. Dry, medium-bodied with 13% abv and a hint of tannin.
Paşaeli Kabuğunda Sidalan, 2019
Speaking of Sidalan…Paşaeli makes two wines from this grape: a white, and this skin contact. Grapes for both wines come from 30 year old vines. The white wine is incredibly pale, almost colorless. Knowing that, it comes as less of a surprise that even after 37 days (!!!) of skin contact, the Kabuğunda Sidalan achieves only a deeply tarnished yellow-gold color.
Crisp and light-bodied with 12.5% abv, the wine showed a very fruity character with freshly pressed apple juice and golden apple peel aromas. On the palate the wine was dry with a wee hint of tannin and lots of apple and apple cider vinegar (in a good way!) flavors.
Paşaeli Kabuğunda Narince, 2019
This was Turkey’s second skin contact Narince wine. The first being from Chamlija (below). Paşaeli’s spent 22 days on the skins for a deep, sunset orange color. Spicy sweet aromas of red apples, orange zest, and spiced honeycomb. On the palate, the wine was dry and medium-bodied with 12.5% abv, and light tannins. Fresh and crisp with many of the flavors sensed on the nose, particularly apple and orange peel flavors. Added to the flavor profile as a bit of grapefruit bitters and a lemony citrus finish.
Gelveri and Paşaeli are responsible for the majority of Turkish amber wines. But they are not the only wineries producing skin contact whites. Chamlija, Kastro Tireli, and now Tasheli also produce wines in this style.
Chamlija Kehribar Narince, 2018
Made with 100% Narince grapes via spontaneous fermentation and bottled with no added sulfur, fining or filtering is the Chamlija Kehribar (kehribar being the Turkish word for “amber”). I’ve had the opportunity to drink this one several times and like it more each time. The Chamlija Kehribar showed a kind of atomic orange with golden undertones in the glass. Very fruity on the nose with peach, apricot and apple cider vinegar. And I mean that last note in the very best way. Sipping revealed a surprisingly refreshing character. When I want a refreshing drink I don’t generally gravitate towards wine. My mistake apparently! Palate flavors reflected the nose and while I didn’t get the feeling of tannins the wine did have a slight effervescence.
Kastro Tireli Hermos, 2013
Kastro Tireli has quietly made largely natural wine since the winery’s inception. They use organic grapes for all their wines and reds ferment with native yeasts. Last year, the winery surprised all of us by revealing that it had also made a natural skin contact wine, a blend of Viognier and Narince. A wine they’d kept under wraps literally for years.
A beautiful burnished orange in the glass the bouquet was redolent with fresh apricots, apricot jam, tangerine peel, and apple peel. Apple peel, apricot, and peach juice flavors framed by peach fuzz-like tannins and lively acidity. A caramelized streak along with popcorn lingered on the finish. Dry, medium-bodied with medium alcohol (13.9% abv) this is a refreshing and well built wine. It is not a wine to keep hidden away and I am so happy that it’s now widely available (in Istanbul at any rate).
Tasheli Orange, 2019
Tasheli winery has been around for a little while now but their wines seem to have burst onto the Istanbul scene this summer. Based in southern Turkey in Mersin, it hasn’t received a lot of attention before now. But with wines like this that might be changing. This first amber wine from Tasheli, simply called Orange, is made with 100% Gök Üzüm. We know a little about Gök. Last year Urla Şarapçılık released a limited edition Gök as part of its Discovery Series and Tasheli’s neighbor in Mersin, Selefkia Wine blends a bit of Gök into its Ak Üzüm white.
As I said, we know only a little about this grape. One of those things though is how pale green the skins are. Even after 15 days in contact with the skin, the wine achieved only a pale orange tone. As a friend pointed out, this wine is a good jumping off point for amber wine neophytes who are intimidated by the often complex, savory, and funky. Very delicate overall with a light body with low alcohol (11.5% abv), and medium acidity; I found the flavors more reminiscent of a white wine. Chamomile, peach skin, and apricot were joined on the palate by a hint of white pepper and popcorn.
Mardin Amber Mazrona, 2019
It’s not just commercial wineries in Turkey getting into amber wines but people making wine at home are too. I was given this bottle by a friend based in Mardin, in Turkey’s far southeast on the Syrian border. He made his wine with 100% Mazrona which is a deep golden colored grape with thick skins. Almost begging to be made into an amber wine!
The wine poured a deep, Baltic amber with peach, peach skin, orange peel, bay leaf, fern, linden flower, and kerosene aromas. I was really in love with the nose. On the palate the wine was more subtle and displayed a fruitier character than the complex and savory nose. Tannins present upfront carried flavors of lemon, lemon peel, dried peaches, and walnut skin. Very nicely structured really with a medium body and alcohol (13.5% abv), and mouthwatering acidity.
I thought that he, as a first time hobby winemaker, did a brilliant job with this. Hopefully he’ll send me a bottle next year too!
Some wine trends in Turkey are driven by the winemakers. In fact I’d say that so far most of the wine trends here have been. That includes amber wine. Gelveri has been quietly making it for years; not because it’s trendy but because that’s how he learned to make wine and that’s what he likes. Slowly slowly other winemakers here caught the bug. A bug that is beginning to transition to the wine drinkers. With the growing popularity among Turkish wine drinkers for this style, I expect that the Turkish orange wine revolution is not over and that other wineries will also soon expand their lines to include these wines.