Karasakız Taking Center Stage in Turkey
While neither new nor lost, Karasakız has long been underappreciated. For a long time, there was only Suvla (which still explores the most expressions
Read MoreWhile neither new nor lost, Karasakız has long been underappreciated. For a long time, there was only Suvla (which still explores the most expressions
Read MoreI've mentioned my friend S. a few times here and there in my blog. A teacher here in Istanbul, she drives home to Austria
Read MoreIt's World Malbec Day! This French grape is a global people pleaser. While mostly known for the wines produced in Argentina, its popularity knows
Read MoreNihat Kutman, founder of Doluca Winery, was one of the first in Turkey to revive vineyards and winemaking after phylloxera destroyed many of the
Read MoreI've been to the Peloponnese a couple times now, but have yet to make it as far north as Patras. Although I would really
Read MorePossibly a better title for this would be, "Can you say Csókaszőlő?" LOL. Furmint, Olaszrizling, Kadarka, Kékfrankos
Read MoreSurrounded by mountains and the verdant forests of the Black Sea region, the district of Amasya lays about 120 kilometers from the Black Sea.
Read MoreWe, understandably, don't have a lot of Christmas in Turkey. I try to go somewhere in Europe every year for a Christmas market and
Read MoreCamilla from Culinary Cam has invited the Italian Food Wine Travel writing group to explore the vast world of indigenous Italian grapes this March.
Read MoreThe Budapest airport forever confuses me, regardless of how many times I've been through. Duty free is before immigration which I continuously forget meaning
Read MoreI had my first encounter with Sideritis at the Athens wine expo Oenorama a couple years ago. Only two or three examples were available
Read MoreI've written about a couple few wines now from Akberg. This winery emerged from less than savory "fruit wine" origins to create interesting (grape)
Read MoreIt's a little strange for me to post about wine today in Ash Wednesday. Today is a fast day which means I will not
Read MoreThis month, Camilla from Culinary Cam has invited us all to share our love for rosé wines - which are not just for summer!
Read MoreIn the September 2023 Turkish Wine Horoscope post, I promised a review of this wine and here it finally is! Yaban Kolektif is a group
Read MoreFor years I'd wanted to visit Santorini. All the beautiful pictures you see, the wine
Read MoreOver the last several years, 7Bilgeler has slowly released a series of wines, the Vindemia series, made with native grapes. Some have been more
Read MoreChampagne and Fries Day?! Yes, it's a real wine holiday! January 10 also happens to be the birthday of the creator, Anna Maria of
Read MoreOver the last two years, I've really enjoyed exploring some of the wines of Cephalonia (or Kefalonia, as you like). I've yet to make
Read MoreNormally I quite like the wines from Büyülübağ. Other than his Adakarası wines, I don't tend to drink them often because I don't really
Read MoreAnother day closer to Christmas! I kind of cannot believe that I managed to keep this going all through Advent. Well, almost all the
Read MoreIt came as a great surprise to me that I never seem to have posted about the Suvla Blush Karasakız. This is one of
Read MoreToday's wine is one I've had a fair few times. Two of my best friends live in Athens but her family is from Kalavryta
Read MoreHalfway through Advent and time for a rosé! We couldn't do just any rosé for this though. Clearly, we needed something different, special, new. Advent
Read MoreTime for more bubbles! This one post a day challenge I set myself is going swimmingly. Or maybe all the wine just makes it
Read MoreThis particular wine is another review long in coming. I opened it last winter for Open That Bottle night. I bought this when I
Read MoreOf all the wines I'm talking about this Advent, this one is perhaps the most appropriate. How can a wine be appropriate for Advent?
Read MoreToday's Advent wine takes us on a journey to Greece! I don't think I've done a Greek wine yet, how unusual of me. Most
Read MoreTo begin, I must admit that I'm cheating a little on this one. I actually opened this wine ages ago but never got around
Read MoreMy love of Ma'Adra's Pinot Noir and Carbonic Maceration Öküzgözü (one of the only Öküzgözü wines I like), I have document well and thoroughly.
Read MoreHow have I been doing this for over a week and I'm only just now getting to a bottle of bubbles?! This was well
Read MoreWeek one of Advent challenge has been met and I'm still going strong! I bounced around the globe during the first week so decided
Read MoreI've had this wine for about a year and finally pulled it out. A gift from Austria from a friend who knows of my
Read MoreYesterday's post wasn't part of the Advent challenge per say
Read MoreFor December, Culinary Cam has invited the #WinePW group to talk about American Sparklers (or writer's choice). You can see her invitation here. Many
Read MoreToday's Advent wine was a new release this year from Kuzubağ as part of its sophomore wine collection. Advent Day 5 Kuzubağ Öküzgözü, 2021 The winery's first
Read MoreCreated by Göknur Gündoğan and Işık Gülçubuk, the Wine Experience Project was launched at the end of 2020. Per the group's mandate, The Wine
Read MoreToday's Advent wine comes from Bazaltkő Pincészet in Hungary and features a favorite grape of mine: Kéknyelű. Found primarily in Badacsony, it's an old grape that
Read MoreYes, I've set myself with this wine a day for Advent challenge (which I already regret) but today is also #CabFranc Day! So, I
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I tried to blind taste wine every day during Advent. That was a challenge. Partially logistically. I only thought about it
Read MoreThe lovely Lisa Morrow, author of several books about life as an expat in Turkey and Inside Out Istanbul asked me to write a
Read MoreSince November seems to have forgot how to be autumn, we'll see what kind of weather December has in store. The seasons here can
Read MoreI get the feeling that people's minds mostly go to the Cabernets and Sauvingon Blanc when Akın Gürbüz's name comes up. To an extent
Read MoreSome months ago, I had the chance to re-taste a number of Arcadia wines with winery owner Zeynep Arca Şallıel and US importer, Sharap
Read MoreDid you know that I love Karasakız? Do you know the Karasakız grape at all?? Even if you live in Turkey and don't know, I
Read MoreThis month, I am hosting the #WinePW group's exploration of heritage and traditional grapes. I will attempt to host a chat on Threads tomorrow,
Read MoreThis month, I am hosting the #WinePW group's exploration of heritage and traditional grapes. I will attempt to host a chat on Threads on
Read MoreThis month, the #ItalianFWT group is exploring the wines of Piemonte and/or Valle d'Aosta. Culinary Cam will be hosting a Twitter (I refuse to
Read MoreWe leave behind the tricks and treats of Halloween and October for a new month. Hopefully one that is actually autumn-like. Every new month
Read MoreMy friend Roy lives in Australia, mostly in Melbourne, and visits Turkey regularly. Has been doing so for so long, in fact, that he
Read MoreFor many of us, our first encounter with amber wine, wine made in amphora, or "natural" wine was with a Georgian wine. While many
Read MoreCanan at Gordias doesn't make a lot of white wines. But when she does, like her Nana Narince and Fesleğen, they're worth tracking down!
Read MoreDeanna of Wineivor has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore the Vento and the Wines of Romance this month! As Deanna pointed out in
Read MoreAutumn is officially here - on the calendar anyway. We've had such odd weather all spring and summer, here's to a properly cool and
Read MoreA family winery located in the Balaton Uplands Laposa Birtok has a beautifully romantic story. In 1978, József Laposa and Eleonóra Barabás met on a
Read MoreThis week's post is a little different than usual - it's a guest post by my friend Karin! I met Karin about a year and
Read MoreNot all wine names are obvious immediately (or at all!) until you ask about the story behind them. One of my favorite Turkish wine
Read MoreSome time ago, I posted about a couple different Moschofilero wines I'd had, which you can find here. Then, at the urging of my
Read MoreCindy of Grape Experiences has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore the wines, food, and history of Friuli and/or Trentino-Alto Adige this month. Join
Read MoreIs summer over yet? Please?? I know I complained about that weird cold and rainy early July we had
Read MoreReally, what is the obsession some of the upper Thracian wineries seem to have with making blanc de noir wines with Papazkarası? Sure, some
Read MoreEven though I finally made it to Slovenia a few years ago, I barely got a taste of the wine! Despite the fact that
Read MoreOf all the grapes in Turkey, Boğazkere remains one of (if not the) most tannic and full-bodied varieties. So why am I talked about
Read MoreFor August, Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles has challenged the #WinePW crew to find "unexpected white wine pairings". More than just food though, Robin
Read MoreSome time ago, Midin sent me several of the wines from their new vintage. I previously posted about the white wines so let's crack
Read MoreJennifer from Vino Travels has invited the #ItalianFWT group to discover the wines of Emilia Romagna and/or Liguria this August! I've been waiting for
Read MoreMy first introduction to Oenops was a few years ago at Athens' Oenorama. My friend, Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine and Chania Wine Tours
Read MoreHoly cats July was miserable! Horrible, hot weather including the hottest day Istanbul has had in years. During which, no less, my precious wines
Read MoreLast year I fell in love with Kuzubağ wines. They came out of the gate with seven very successful and reasonably priced (a miracle
Read MoreOn my last trip to Georgia, one of my favorite discoveries was Baia's Wine. Baia Abuladze and her family are among those Georgian winemakers working
Read MoreI like Sevilen. Yes, it's one of Turkey's larger wineries and makes a slightly eye-popping amount of wine every year. But most of their
Read MoreBubbles bubbles everywhere! This month, Deanna from Wineivore has invited the #WinePW crew to explore Cava. Join us for a brief chat on Twitter
Read MoreA friend of mine drives back and forth from Istanbul to Austria and back every summer. Last year she drove through Romania on the
Read MoreWell we had a nice three-day spring before summer dropped on us like a ton of bricks. Hopefully none of us have anything serious
Read MoreWe don't talk a great deal about the ageability (or not) of white wine in Turkey. Frankly we don't talk a great deal about
Read MoreIt's been absolutely ages since I did a wine bar review! A few months ago, a friend brought 316 Meze & Wine to my
Read MoreSome years ago, when I visited Ma'Adra, they told me that they were growing Bornova Misketi. It would not be until a few years
Read MoreThis June, Camilla from Culinary Cam has invited the #WinePW crew to explore wine and cheese pairings. Any cheese, any wine, any region our
Read MoreAs the Italian Food Wine Travel group continues its exploration of Italian wines this year, Katarina from Grapevine Adventures has invited us to look
Read MoreHello spring! You have finally graced us with your presence. Huzzah! This month I say Happy Birthday to several very good Gemini and Cancer friends,
Read MoreIt's that time of the year again when wineries have begun (or have already!) bottled their early release 2022 wines. Midin once again kindly
Read MoreWhen the Oenotrian wine club was still active in Istanbul*, one of the wines I received from them was a varietal Narince from Selendi.
Read MoreI've had a few wines before from Szászi Birtok and now they're one of the wineries I routinely try to find when I'm in
Read MoreFor May's #ItalianFWT topic, Linda of My Full Wine Glass has invited us to explore the wines of Abruzzo and Le Marche. You can
Read MoreIf you've had only a few Georgian white wines, chances are pretty good that it was Rkatsiteli, that most ubiquitous of Georgian white grapes.
Read MoreWell April was kind of miserable, wasn't it? Hopefully it's true about April showers bringing May flowers. Given the amount of rain we got,
Read MoreOf all the Turkish wineries producing wine with French grapes, Barbare has distinguished itself by leaning not towards Bordeaux, but the Rhône. Rather than
Read MoreMoldovan wine has been quietly moving into the Turkish wine market for a few years. Unsurprisingly, a fair amount from Purcari. The story of
Read MoreI was so excited go see this new (well, not new anymore) Narince from Prodom last summer. For years I've enjoyed Prodom's wines but
Read MoreIt's been some time since Chamlija debuted its Teruar Serisi with rare white grapes Ten Göynek, Ak Üzüm, Hüyük Ak Üzüm, and Kuyucak Ak
Read MoreHow many times have I said that I'm not a pink fan? I think for five times I say that, at least two wines
Read MoreEven if the weather doesn't know it, we are barreling toward spring's warmer weather. That means it's time to ease into cheerful and easy
Read MoreWell March was all miserable and depressing weather. Here's to hoping April remembers that it is an entirely spring month. A few showers here
Read MoreThis month, Katarina of Grapevine Adventures has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore the wines of Calabria and Sardegna. Check out her invitation here. Of
Read MoreI can't believe my visit to Crete was so long ago now. I went a few Decembers ago for a friend's 40th birthday. According
Read MorePapazkarası has been staging a quiet take over. When I first discovered the grape, maybe you could find two or three wines. Now, this
Read MoreAmber wine has quietly existed in Turkey for a number of years with previously off the radar, small producers like Gelveri. Then, a few
Read MoreMarkogianni was not a winery with which I was familiar. A friend recommended this wine and, really, as soon as I saw the label,
Read MoreIt's been absolute ages since I've been to Lebanon. Luckily for me, even though Lebanese wine is not available in Turkey, I still get
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