Vinolus Kalecik Karası Tempranillo Blend
Even if you live in Turkey and/or are an aficionado of Turkish wine you can be forgiven for not knowing about Vinolus. Those in the know will tell you that Vinolus wines are well worth the hunt. I first encountered this maker at Solera, my favorite Istanbul wine bar. I’m always attracted to different and interesting labels. So when I saw a Turkish wine decorated by a haloed angel I had to try it.
A Journey Towards Authenticity
This little gem of a winery is tucked away in the wilds of Kayseri (near the famous Cappadocia region). The brainchild of owner Oluş Molu, Vinolus (vin + Oluş = Vinolus), the winery makes up just part of her overall goal. Oluş runs the family farm which produces a range of products in addition to wine. A biologist by training she wasn’t satisfied to receive just the ECOCERT organic certification but went one step further. Vinolus is part of Turkey’s first fully ecological farm.
In 2007 Oluş began putting in the vineyards. Many (if not all) of the vines are pre phylloxera, very old, and all exist on native rootstock. They do no grafting at Vinolus. Nor does she buy in grapes. She uses only what she grows.
Cappadocia region vineyards traditionally train vines in bushes. However now both bush and trellis systems are commonly found. At Vinolus vines are trained in both bush and double guyot. Like the vineyards, the grape varieties come in two categories, Turkish and international: Kalecik Karası, Syrah, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Narince, and Roussane. While many of her wines are varietal reds and whites, she does make a few blends. Including this Vinolus Kalecik Karası Tempranillo blend and a blush with a similar make up.
The winery has a capacity of 45,000 bottles but production is much smaller than that. Finding Vinolus red wines in Istanbul is not overly difficult. But getting your hands on one of her whites is not unlike winning the lottery.
Oluş designed the label herself. She wanted something a bit feminine as she’s a female winemaker. She believes that, whether you’re religious or not, wine is something Holy. So the religious connotation of a haloed angel with outspread arms (mimicking a crucifix) really appealed to her. Don’t think that went without comment in largely Muslim Turkey.
We learned a new word the day my friend Istanbites and I met with Oluş. It was a word she’d used pretty frequently during our conversation when expounding on the ecological farm, the winery, the region, etc. But when we asked her what was her greatest strength as a winemaker her answer was just that one word: “Özgün olmak”. Our Turkish is…uneven to say the least so we both surreptitiously looked up the word on our phones. Özgün olmak means: to be genuine; to be authentic.
I’m not sure what benchmark is for being genuine/authentic. However we felt that not only was she herself a very genuine person, but that her wines also are.
Vinolus Kalecik Karası Tempranillo Blend 2010 Tasting Notes
I really like it when winemakers in Turkey get creative blending native grapes with international varieties. In this Kalecik Karası and Tempranillo blend from Vinolus, both grapes are given equal deference with a 50/50 blend.
The grapes were cold macerated for seven days before spending 20 days in cuvasion. The wine was aged for 10 month in stainless steel before bottling. For grapes grown at a relatively high elevation (1,150 meters) I was surprised the wine achieved such an alcohol level as high as 14% but there it is.
Big red fruits leap out of the nose. Lots of raspberry and strawberry rounded out with hints of dried herbs and black pepper. A medium plus finish with soft tannins and acid carry palate flavors that reflect the nose.
If you’ve ever wondered what the marriage between a Spanish wine and a Turkish wine would taste like this is your wine!