Over 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
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Normally 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
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Another day closer to Christmas! I kind of cannot believe that I managed to keep this going all through Advent. Well, almost all the
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It 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
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Halfway 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
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Time for more bubbles! This one post a day challenge I set myself is going swimmingly. Or maybe all the wine just makes it
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This particular wine is another review long in coming. I opened it last winter for Open That Bottle night. I bought this when I
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Of 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
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To begin, I must admit that I'm cheating a little on this one. I actually opened this wine ages ago but never got around
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My 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
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Week one of Advent challenge has been met and I'm still going strong! I bounced around the globe during the first week so decided
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I've had this wine for about a year and finally pulled it out. A gift from Austria from a friend who knows of my
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Yesterday's post wasn't part of the Advent challenge per say
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For December, Culinary Cam has invited the #WinePW group to talk about American Sparklers (or writer's choice). You can see her invitation here. Many
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Today'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
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Created by Göknur Gündoğan and Işık Gülçubuk, the Wine Experience Project was launched at the end of 2020. Per the group's mandate, The Wine
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Today'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
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Yes, I've set myself with this wine a day for Advent challenge (which I already regret) but today is also #CabFranc Day! So, I
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Several years ago, I tried to blind taste wine every day during Advent. That was a challenge. Partially logistically. I only thought about it
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The lovely Lisa Morrow, author of several books about life as an expat in Turkey and Inside Out Istanbul asked me to write a
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Since November seems to have forgot how to be autumn, we'll see what kind of weather December has in store. The seasons here can
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I 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
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Some months ago, I had the chance to re-taste a number of Arcadia wines with winery owner Zeynep Arca Şallıel and US importer, Sharap
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Did 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
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This month, I am hosting the #WinePW group's exploration of heritage and traditional grapes. I will attempt to host a chat on Threads tomorrow,
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This month, I am hosting the #WinePW group's exploration of heritage and traditional grapes. I will attempt to host a chat on Threads on
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This 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
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We leave behind the tricks and treats of Halloween and October for a new month. Hopefully one that is actually autumn-like. Every new month
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My friend Roy lives in Australia, mostly in Melbourne, and visits Turkey regularly. Has been doing so for so long, in fact, that he
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For many of us, our first encounter with amber wine, wine made in amphora, or "natural" wine was with a Georgian wine. While many
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Canan 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!
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Deanna of Wineivor has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore the Vento and the Wines of Romance this month! As Deanna pointed out in
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Autumn is officially here - on the calendar anyway. We've had such odd weather all spring and summer, here's to a properly cool and
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A 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
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Not all wine names are obvious immediately (or at all!) until you ask about the story behind them. One of my favorite Turkish wine
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Some time ago, I posted about a couple different Moschofilero wines I'd had, which you can find here. Then, at the urging of my
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Cindy 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
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Is summer over yet? Please?? I know I complained about that weird cold and rainy early July we had
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Really, what is the obsession some of the upper Thracian wineries seem to have with making blanc de noir wines with Papazkarası? Sure, some
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Even though I finally made it to Slovenia a few years ago, I barely got a taste of the wine! Despite the fact that
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Of all the grapes in Turkey, Boğazkere remains one of (if not the) most tannic and full-bodied varieties. So why am I talked about
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For August, Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles has challenged the #WinePW crew to find "unexpected white wine pairings". More than just food though, Robin
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Disclaimer: This post includes wines received as a sample. All opinions are my own. Some time ago, Midin sent me several of the wines from
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Jennifer 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
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My first introduction to Oenops was a few years ago at Athens' Oenorama. My friend, Anna Maria of Unravelling Wine and Chania Wine Tours
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Holy cats July was miserable! Horrible, hot weather including the hottest day Istanbul has had in years. During which, no less, my precious wines
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Last year I fell in love with Kuzubağ wines. They came out of the gate with seven very successful and reasonably priced (a miracle
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On 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
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I 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
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Bubbles 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
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Well we had a nice three-day spring before summer dropped on us like a ton of bricks. Hopefully none of us have anything serious
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We 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
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It's been absolutely ages since I did a wine bar review! A few months ago, a friend brought 316 Meze & Wine to my
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Some years ago, when I visited Ma'Adra, they told me that they were growing Bornova Misketi. It would not be until a few years
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This June, Camilla from Culinary Cam has invited the #WinePW crew to explore wine and cheese pairings. Any cheese, any wine, any region our
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As the Italian Food Wine Travel group continues its exploration of Italian wines this year, Katarina from Grapevine Adventures has invited us to look
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Hello spring! You have finally graced us with your presence. Huzzah! This month I say Happy Birthday to several very good Gemini and Cancer friends,
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Disclaimer: This post includes wines received as a sample. All opinions are my own. It's that time of the year again when wineries have begun
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When 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
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For May's #ItalianFWT topic, Linda of My Full Wine Glass has invited us to explore the wines of Abruzzo and Le Marche. You can
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If you've had only a few Georgian white wines, chances are pretty good that it was Rkatsiteli, that most ubiquitous of Georgian white grapes.
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Well 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,
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Of all the Turkish wineries producing wine with French grapes, Barbare has distinguished itself by leaning not towards Bordeaux, but the Rhône. Rather than
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Moldovan wine has been quietly moving into the Turkish wine market for a few years. Unsurprisingly, a fair amount from Purcari. The story of
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I 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
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It's been some time since Chamlija debuted its Teruar Serisi with rare white grapes Ten Göynek, Ak Üzüm, Hüyük Ak Üzüm, and Kuyucak Ak
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How many times have I said that I'm not a pink fan? I think for five times I say that, at least two wines
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Even 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
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Well March was all miserable and depressing weather. Here's to hoping April remembers that it is an entirely spring month. A few showers here
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This month, Katarina of Grapevine Adventures has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore the wines of Calabria and Sardegna. Check out her invitation here. Of
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I 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
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Papazkarası has been staging a quiet take over. When I first discovered the grape, maybe you could find two or three wines. Now, this
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Amber wine has quietly existed in Turkey for a number of years with previously off the radar, small producers like Gelveri. Then, a few
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Markogianni was not a winery with which I was familiar. A friend recommended this wine and, really, as soon as I saw the label,
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It'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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Arcadia, based in upper Thrace in Kırklareli, has long prided itself on its winemaking techniques. Including a crazy looking machine that very gently filters
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With woman still being marginalized in the wine world (although oddly enough not in Turkey which you can read about here!), it continues to
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I briefly mentioned the Yaban Kolektif during a previous post about Patkara. Since that collaboration with the Asmadan winery, Yaban Kolektif has partnered with
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[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image created by https://mycupofwine.com/[/caption] For March's #ItalianFWT chat, Jennifer of Vino Travels has invited us all to explore the wines of
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It sure felt like spring had sprung during the second half of February. Even my crocuses are blooming! But my experience both here and
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Granted we're going through a weird warm streak at the moment in Istanbul, but that's doesn't mean winter is over. It often makes itself
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Pamukkale really want to you to know that the Pamukkale YT Boğazkere is a special wine. Not only was it bottled in an overly
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I don't write much about Kutman wines (anymore). While the winery continues to put out new vintages, it hasn't released a "new" wine of
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When you hear the grape "Sultaniye", what comes to mind? Table grapes or raisins probably. If you live in Turkey likely also pekmez or
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Two years ago, I won a writing contest about Hungarian wine run by Hungarian Wine.EU. You can read my winning piece here! Part of
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I didn't have a horizontal picture of this wine so I hope you enjoy this picture of Sherlock lounging in one of my serving
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I don't know about you all, but the beginning of 2023 did not treat me well! Despite vowing to not participate in dry January,
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Several years ago, when I interviewed people from Asmadan winery for the book, they mentioned they were growing Macabeo. But then there was nothing,
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Foça Karası is a grape we still don't know a lot about in Turkey. In Greece, where it's known as Fokiano, it's grown mostly
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Wine trends may come late to Turkey, but when they comes they do it with a vengeance. One of the most recent to sink
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Akberg winery is off and running since its addition of "real" vs fruit wine (for more on that check out this post). While it
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Every year - well every year that I remember - I like to do a quick review of the wines I posted about during
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