Vinkara Doruk Narince 2014
Vinkara Winery, located in Kalecik outside the Turkish capital Ankara is either the “smallest of the big” wineries or the “largest of the small”. It depends entirely on your perspective.
Ardıç Gürsel became interested in wine while studying abroad where she was used to drinking good wine. She always wondered, where are the Turkish grapes? When she returned to Turkey in the 80s she told her family that she wanted to make wine and they thought she was crazy. Then a few decades later her father announced that he was going to open a winery. Not without her he wouldn’t! And so Vinkara winery was born.
Dedication to Native Turkish Varieties
It is my absolute pleasure to introduce these outstanding grape varieties to the world. The wines that we are making have incredible, strong personalities and sing songs of our rich history.” Ardıç Gürsel
There are millions of wines made with international grapes. I would almost challenge you to find a wine country that doesn’t plant Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. But Turkish grapes are only in Turkey. After a year and a half of searching, Ardıç finally found a oenologist who would help her learn about and produce wine from native grapes.
Planting began in 2003 and now, 15 years later, Vinkara Winery is a modern wine facility with a 1.3 million bottle capacity. Unfortunately the winery has had to cut back production over the last year or two (down to 500,000 bottles). A decrease in tourism coupled with increased pressure from the government has negatively affected demand.
Vinkara and winemaker Marco Monchiero dedicate the bulk of their effort to the Turkish varieties.
Vinkara produces wines from Turkish grapes such as Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Narince, and the little-known Hasandede. While the main focus is local grapes they do not ignore the popular international varieties.
Ardıç showing us the history of the winery; literally written on the wall.
Despite being one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world AND the home to some really excellent wines; Turkey does not have a wine drinking culture. Only a small percentage of Turks drink wine at all. Those who do consume only something like one to one and a half liters annually. I feel like I’m good for that on a Monday.
Luckily for wine lovers around the world though, Vinkara does export. While the larger markets are in Germany and the UK, Vinkara’s wines can also be found elsewhere in Europe, Canada, the US, Japan, and Australia.
Vinkara Doruk Narince 2014 Tasting Notes
Vinkara produces five labels: Quattro, Vinkara Doruk, Mahzen, Winehouse, and Yaşasın (sparkling). Quattro is the entry level label, Vinkara the “pure grape” (i.e. no oak) line, and Mahzen the reserve. The Winehouse line is interesting for being dry wines but with a lightly higher than average residual sugar level and Yaşasın is the traditional method sparkling wine.
This Narince is from the Vinkara Doruk line. I’ve had both this and the Narince Mahzen which, while well made, isn’t my wine. I like my white wines fresh and unaoked so the Vinkara Doruk Narince is where I’m happiest! This wine was fermented for about six months in stainless steel then spent three months sur lie to gain additional richness before filtration and bottling.
This line is meant to be drunk young but even the whites are okay for a few years. Indeed I drank this 2014 last fall (2017) and it was still fresh and lovely. While the color went from Narince’s typical green-tinged light straw to a darker straw color with no green, there were no faults in either the color or the nose. Rich peach, orange-blossom, and something herbal and sage-adjacent made for a full and ripe bouquet. While the benefits of sur lie ageing were apparent in the creamy texture and medium body, the wine in no way traded its acid for that creaminess. Zippy acid up front carried flavors of peach and pineapple into a lovely, persistently round and silky finish.