Turkish Reds Perfect for Summer Heat and BBQ
Just because the weather has turned hot and summery does not mean red wine lovers should despair of not comfortably drinking red wines! Many light-bodied red wines do well with a little chilling. Often, these are brilliant wines to pair with grilled foods, barbecue sauces, and general outdoor summer revelry!
Turkey offers several light-bodied red wines appropriate for both chilling and grilling. A perfect opportunity to try out a few of these came up recently when Istanbites suggested a cook out at her place on the largest of Istanbul’s Princes Islands: Büyükada. A weekend with the girls poolside with wine and burgers? Yes please! Empathia Creative and I packed up a bunch of wine and food supplies and caught the boat out. Istanbites made the fire while Empathia Creative and I stood by offering less than helpful backseat fire starter advice.
The final menu included: a cheese and charcuterie board with dried fruits, nuts, and grilled peaches, a watermelon, basil, purslane salad, zucchini noodles topped with garlic yogurt, spicy chicken wings with blue cheese dip, grilled pork sausages, and grilled burgers topped with some sort of bacon whiskey deliciousness.
Buradan Fidan
Fidan from Çeşme-based winery Buradan is 100% Tempranillo. Made in the Spanish joven style, it’s what winemaker Tina Lino calls a “young Tempranillo.” Early harvesting, shorter maceration, and no oak aging all contribute to helping the wine maintain its freshness. We put this in the refrigerator the night before and took it out to both warm up a bit and breathe about 30 minutes before drank it.
The wine poured a purple-tinged ruby with aromas of strawberry, sour cherry, tobacco flowers, dried herbs, and leather. On the palate it was on the upper end of light-bodied with medium alcohol (12.5% abv), and structured with crunchy acidity. It showed mouth-filling flavors or red fruits, tobacco, dried herbs, and black pepper. Fresh and appealing, it was a great wine to drink slightly chilled and went well with chorizo, grilled pork sausages, and the bacon-topped burgers.
Büyülübağ Ada Karası
Alp Törüner, owner of the Büyülübağ Bağcılık Şarapçılık on Avşa island is passionate about the local grape Ada Karası. The only one to be working with this grape, Büyülübağ makes a rosé, a varietal red, and a blend with the grape. Today we’re talking about the varietal red. Avşa is a solid granite island sitting in the Sea of Marmara. Its decayed granite and sandy soils produce grapes that, in turn, create wines with an innate purity of character.
The Ada Karası is a light-medium bodied wine with 13% abv. The nose on this jeweled garnet colored wine is intense with eucalyptus, black pepper, and black fruits. Think black cherry and blackberry. Racy acidity with lowish tannins, the palate displays a lot of black fruit and black pepper flavors.
I reach for this wine time and again and can attest that not only does it do well chilled and with grilled summer foods, it’s also a nice drink on the beach! Unfortunately, it’s not the easiest wine to find. If you’re in Istanbul, look for it at Mensis Mahzen in Osmanbey.
Likya Arkeo Fersun
A handful of Turkish wineries, Likya Şaraplar included, have dedicated themselves to resurrecting forgotten Turkish grapes. With its Arkeo collection, Likya brings us three of these: Acıkara, Merzifon Karası, and Fersun.
Purple-ruby on the pour, the Fersun has a fruity character with spicy and floral details and savory notes. Aromas of pomegranate and blackberry mingled with violets and blackcurrant, bay, and tomato leaves. Black tea, cracked pepper, and cigar box added depth and savory aromas. Light-bodied with a mere 12% abv (low alcohol reds are unusual here). Vivid acidity made the wine sing with spicy flavors overlaying strawberry, pomegranate, and vegetal notes. Chilled for 20-30 minutes and it was good to go for summer sipping! 
The fun doesn’t stop there!
While these might be the three wines I dragged out to the island, they do not represent the entirety of Turkish reds that take well to a bit of chilling! For example look also for Likya’s Merzifon Karası (which goes fantastically with pizza!), entry-level (i.e. not oaked) reds made from Karasakız and Çalkarası. In addition, some basic Kalecik Karası might chill well too!