Exploring Turkish Cabernet Franc
In December I looked at several Turkish Cabernet Franc wines as part of #CabFrancDay (December 4), that month's #WinePW food and wine pairing event,
Read MoreIn December I looked at several Turkish Cabernet Franc wines as part of #CabFrancDay (December 4), that month's #WinePW food and wine pairing event,
Read MoreOwned and operated by the Romero Marcuzzi family, Bodega El Porvenir sits on the top of the world. Sort of. Located in Salta in Argentina's
Read MoreFoça Karası has slowly and quietly snuck its way into the Turkish wine scene. This Aegean grape, like many in Turkey, takes its name
Read MoreThis month Linda of My Full Wine Glass has invited the #ItalianFWT group to explore Italian grapes grown outside of Italy. You can view
Read MoreVin Amoris is a very special wine from Vino Dessera. Winery owner Doğan Dönmez, in partnership with his oenological consultant Xavier Vignon, created this
Read MoreFor our February #WorldWineTravel event, Susannah Gold of Avvinare has invited us to explore Catalunya - Emporda, Alella, Pla de Bages, Penedès, Conca de
Read MoreYanık Ülke Bağları translates as “vineyards of the burnt land.” Located at 924 meters above sea level on the rocky volcanic slopes of the
Read MoreWe spent Valentine's Day in Istanbul under both our regular weekend lockdown and a blanket of snow this year. Since we couldn't go out
Read MoreFriday heralded the Year of the Ox in the Chinese calendar. The day before happened to be a good friend's birthday. She usually holds
Read MoreFlipping through my wine notes recently reminded me that I haven't written about my favorite pirate-themed winery lately. Well, okay no, Barbare is not
Read MoreIn Georgian white wine, Rkatsiteli reigns supreme. If you've had Georgian white (or amber) wine you've likely had this grape. Or maybe a Mtsvane.
Read MoreTo kick of 2021, the #ItalianFWT group is embracing the cold weather. Host Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla has invited us all to
Read MoreI've been taking the Wine Scholar Guild's (Northern) Italian Wine Scholar course. Even though I have a million other things I should be doing,
Read MoreToday is Furmint Day! I love, love, love Furmint. Dry, sweet, and everything in between. Sadly, my extremely limited supply of Furmint has dwindled.
Read MoreKaraoğlan is one of those Turkish grapes few people talk about and even fewer have heard about. However, I think that will soon change.
Read MoreIf Turkey has a traditional wine blend it would be Öküzgözü Boğazkere. These two grapes native to Turkey's eastern provinces (of Elazığ and Diyarbakır respectively)
Read MoreIt seems difficult to think of a time when Greece and Malagousia were not synonymous. Granted my entrée to Greek wine is recent. But
Read MoreWe're kicking off the new #WorldWineTravel blogging group with a trip to La Rioja! Well a virtual trip in any case! You can read
Read MoreHere in Turkey we have a grape called, Öküzgözü, which means "bull's eye." Hungary goes one step further with a wine they have: Bikavér
Read MoreYusta Bursa is one of Turkey's newest wineries which debuted its first vintage (2017) last year. With vineyards and the winery based in Bursa-"just"
Read MoreTo follow on my recent post about Turkish Bordeaux blends, I thought I'd write about two vintages of Arcadia's Finesse Bordeaux. I received these
Read MoreTo kick off the 2021 #WinePW calendar, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is hosting our discussion about Saké and other pairings for Asian
Read MoreThe Renčel family has always had a homestead in in Karst. Each generation added to the homestead somehow. And while the family produced wine
Read MoreSyrah is the most popular international grape planted in Turkey. Not only is it the most popular international grape, it's one of the top
Read MoreEven before I visited one of Estate Gai'a's wineries I was a fan. While I went to the winery in the Nemea, Gai'a also
Read MoreWhile not the most widely planted native variety, Kalecik Karası holds a firm position as one of Turkey's Big Three black grapes. However, in
Read MoreIt's Christmas Eve!!! Huzzah! Based in the Kalecik village outside Turkey's capitol Ankara, Vinkara owner Ardıç Gürsel laughingly described the winery as "the largest of
Read MoreIt's almost Christmas! Really really almost Christmas! This was the second to last bottle of wine in my Advent box 'o wines. This was
Read MoreMuch like I couldn't not include a sparkling wine in the Advent boxes 'o wine; I had to also include a sweet wine. I
Read MoreYeah, I've lost track entirely of how many of these I've done. Based on the color alone I'm guessing young. Turkish. I think this a
Read MoreFor today's post I'm taking a slight departure in that these bottles did not come from the pre-selected Advent wines. I was asked to
Read MoreThis morning I got my second white wine designated for blind tasting. If I recall correctly, I put in only three whites for blind
Read MoreThis lovely little number has been showing up in shops around the 'Bul lately. I've had it before and from that experience knew I
Read MoreYou might perhaps notice the different Christmas tree. I took to the road for this particular wine tasting challenge. Which in reality was far
Read MoreTo be honest, this wine did not come out of my boxes 'o Advent wine. I happened to be at a friend's for dinner
Read MoreCompletely by coincidence did I include this bottle in my Advent boxes 'o wine. December has seen both #CabFrancDay (December 4) and a #WinePW
Read MoreAfter several days of no blind tasting I felt sufficiently recovered to tackle another today. As I spent all weekend making Christmas goodies I
Read MoreThe third white wine out of the Advent box o' wine yielded another import from South Africa - a Chenin Blanc. I've had this
Read MoreNo blind tasting for today, huzzah! That gives my brain a little bit of a break. If you read the title and thought to yourself:
Read MoreWe celebrated #CabFrancDay on December 4. To keep the Cab Franc love going the December #WinePW theme explores Cabernet Franc Around the World! You
Read MoreThe game is afoot! If my Sherlock (my cat) could speak Human that's likely what she'd have said to me this morning as I
Read MoreShould I decide to do a homemade Advent wine calendar next year I'm going to rethink a couple few things. One
Read MoreThis morning my box o' Advent wines offered up my first white wine blind tasting bottle. One of my preparations involved removing capsules from
Read MoreI absolutely "cheated" today while selecting a bottle from my box 'o wine Advent calendar. When I determined which wines to earmark as blind
Read MoreThis morning I finally managed to pull out a not blind tasting bottle! And the first white wine of the season too! What I
Read MoreIt seems, based on a quick inspection of my Advent boxes o' wine, that I wrapped MOST of them to disguise the labels. Which
Read MoreIt's #CabFrancDay y'all! In 2015 Lori Budd of Dracaena Wines and Exploring the Wine Glass created #CabFrancDay to celebrate her favorite grape. While I've still
Read MoreThis morning I pulled out from my Advent boxes o' wine another disguised bottle. Probably in punishment for how poorly I did at guessing
Read MoreMixed in my boxes of Advent wine I put a few disguised bottles. Because I don't have a wine geek community here I don't
Read MoreMy homemade Advent wine calendar consists of two case-sized boxes. About two months ago I pull 26 wines from my collection and put them
Read MoreEvery year I'm envious of friends in the States who get wine Advent calendars. When I was a kid I found those little chocolate
Read MoreGordias winery, based in Polatlı (near Ankara), rests in the hands of former pharmacist Canan Gerimli. The winery posses a cleaner and Canan brings
Read MoreMy brush with Jordanian wine comes thanks to my friend E who travels extensively for work. She bought me two bottles of Jordan River
Read MoreTurasan winery, based in Turkey's iconic Cappadocia, holds the spot as not only the largest winery in Cappadocia, but one of Turkey's most recognizable
Read MoreI frequently lament the vast amount of Bordeaux-style blends we have in Turkey. Partially because it does get rather tedious to drink the same
Read MoreEvery time I go to Tbilisi I look for new wines I haven't seen before. One of my favorite sources is g.Vino wine bar.
Read MoreWhile it has been some time since my birthday (August) I still vividly recall one of the wines we drank: the Chateau Kalpak Petit
Read MoreWhile 2010 is not really that old as far as aged wines go, it’s old for the Turkish market. Finding wine commercially (frankly sometimes
Read MoreToday is International Xinomavro Day! This new grape holiday was established only last year. While I missed my chance to post about it in
Read MoreIt's #Merlober! Earlier this month I participated in the #WinePW conversation about #Merlot which you can read about here. While my original intent was
Read MoreTbilvino, established in 1962, has grown into a leading producer of Georgian wines with a 6.5 million bottle portfolio. The company operates two wineries;
Read MoreThis week I'm continuing my #Merlober celebrations with wine pairings for two Merlots from the same Turkish winery: Claros. Claros winery comes to us from
Read MoreÖküzgözü Şarapçılık outside Izmir is one of those curious cases we see occasionally here. It is both a bulk and a boutique winery. The
Read MoreWe all know Sultaniye; whether or not we actually know we do! In America we're more likely to refer to it as "Sultana" and
Read MoreRecently I participated in the #WinePW group's #MerlotMe conversation. You can read all about that here. I thought that would be the end of
Read MoreBased in the coastal town of Alaçatı south of Izmir, Gemici Family Wines/Alaçatı Şarapçılık makes wine on a small scale. In this charming little city
Read MoreWhile probably half the wines I buy in Greece invariably end up being Assyrtiko, or Assyrtiko-lead blends, I am always on the lookout for
Read MoreThis month the #WinePW group is taking advantage of October being #MerlotMe month. See the original invitation from Jeff at Food Wine Click! here. I
Read MoreSummer is waning away here in Istanbul. While the forecast promises warmer days again, we're currently experiencing temperature drops and overcast skies. So while
Read MoreKayseri has developed a reputation for having some great food in Turkey. Manti - the tiny yogurt-topped Turkish ravioli - comes from here. Kayseri
Read MoreNestled in a bowl-like cradle in mountainous Bodrum and nearly lost in the riotous greenery of the surrounding agriculture grow vines of Cabernet Franc,
Read MoreLast Saturday I hosted another Turkish wine Taste Along. In addition to having a wee handful of people physically present with me, tasters joined
Read MoreWine writer turned winery owner Şeyla Ergenekon and winemaker husband Çağatay cultivate organic grapes on the Gallipoli Peninsula. There they concentrate on French varieties
Read MoreHailing from some of Turkey's most easterly vineyards in Elazığ, Öküzgözü is the number one planted wine grape in Turkey. As demonstrated in my
Read MoreThis month the #winophiles are exploring the Côtes du Rhône. You can view the preview here. Originally I was going to pass on this
Read MoreI stumbled across Kayra's Versus Viognier some years ago in a charming Greek fish restaurant here in Istanbul. Despite the recent surge of Viognier's
Read MoreI generally try to bring attention to wineries in Turkey that champion native grapes. However, some of the wineries here that focus on international
Read MoreFor this month's #WinePW, host Gwendolyn from Wine Predator has invited us all to Re/Consider Harvest: How will global warming change what we eat,
Read MoreI've been holding onto my notes of these two Saranta Chateau Murou Chardonnay wines for a while now. My hope was that I could
Read MoreMersin, along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast, brings to mind beaches and resorts. Not so much wine. And to be fair, only a very few
Read MoreContinuing my COVID quarantine virtual traveling down memory lane with Austria. I've already (re)visited Austria with my post about Steiermark. This time around I'm
Read MoreLocated in the northern reaches of Turkey's Aegean region, Selendi Şarapları prides itself on its many red wines. I, however, vastly prefer their whites.
Read MoreKösetevek is a "new" grape; or more accurately, newly reinvigorated. The grape comes from Elazığ in the east of Turkey where it has been
Read MoreMy journey to rosé progresses slowly. I still approach most pink wines with trepidation and distrust. However, last summer during a visit to Amadeus
Read MoreThis month the #winophiles are embarking on a no holds barred exploration of the Loire Valley. Lead by Jill at L'Accasion, whose original invitation
Read MoreAbout an hour's drive outside Izmir, arriving at Nif Bağları gives you the feeling of having found a desert oasis. Located off an unmarked,
Read MoreDespite the ever growing number of native white grape varieties in Turkey, Chardonnay along with Sauvignon Blanc remain very popular. Chardonnay here went through
Read MoreJust because the weather has turned hot and summery does not mean red wine lovers should despair of not comfortably drinking red wines! Many
Read MoreThe Turkish wine industry remains largely isolated. I still spend a lot of time saying "Yes, Turkey makes wine. Turkey has been making wine
Read MoreOn Turkey's Bozcaada shelters several wineries from the strong winds that sweep across the island. A mix of native and international grapes grow here.
Read MoreOne good thing to have come out of the Corona pandemic is that WSET now allows students to take the levels 1 and 2
Read MoreAs summer heats up Istanbul I remember with some fondness the bone chilling cold when I visited Graz a few years ago. I try
Read MoreI'm one of those annoying people who has to touch everything when they go through clothing and housewares stores. Although I am certainly trying
Read MoreCertainly we live in strange times now. I was one of those naive people who thought, or at least hoped, we'd achieve normalcy by
Read More[caption id="attachment_14586" align="alignright" width="300"] At Cinque with Baby[/caption] For most people Greece, especially Athens, means ancient gods, lots of marble columns, islands, and maybe gyros.
Read MoreI, like many people, have had my spring/summer travel plans interrupted by COVID-19. In May I was going to return to Budapest. I've been
Read MoreIt has been so long since I've been to Moldova that I don't even remember what year it was. 2009? Maybe 2010? For a
Read More[caption id="attachment_14549" align="alignright" width="300"] Park in Bad Homburg[/caption] As part of my ongoing meandering down memory lane, I can across a bunch of pictures from
Read More[caption id="attachment_14489" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chreli Abano sulfur baths[/caption] Georgia is a perennial favorite destination of mine. I like to go at least once every other
Read MoreWhile I have been extremely lucky during this COVID pandemic, in that I have neither been sick and have kept my job; it is
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