My first introduction to raw wine happened before I even know what raw wine was. Georgia. Long before it became a Top 10 travel
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I grew up in a small town where I attended an even smaller school. While I did not enjoy great popularity, neither did I
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I go back to the States maybe once a year is all. For the last two years those have been work trips to DC.
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Having friends who travel frequently is a great boon to my wine collection. In particular, one friend of mine seems to travel constantly. Thankfully,
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O! learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit. Wine as Poetry In 2003 Can and Serpil Şener
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After six years of living in this country, my Turkish language is still pretty crap. Partially because my day job is conducted 98% in
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All of the teachers participate somehow and many of them wear traditional Austrian costumes of Lederhosen and Dirndl. As a rather typical American, my family is from
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Fumé Blanc and I are not friends. We do not get along well at all. I without exception prefer my Sauvignon Blanc fresh, clean,
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It feels like forever since my last post! While I try to post every Wednesday and Sunday, I missed the previous two weeks due
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Turkish Malbec? What? That can’t be right, you’re thinking. It pleases me to say that it is correct! Turkey makes Malbec. In fact, Malbec
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Chardonnay is a tricky beast. Or at least I find it to be so. I have been burned by so many cheap and overly and
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One does not immediately associate wine with piracy. Yet, Barbare, one of Turkey’s Thracian wineries, takes its name and inspiration from the famed (or
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While Turkish wine may be my raison d’être, that certainly doesn’t preclude enjoying wine from other countries. Greece in particular has captured me over the
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Just a few years ago, Papaskarası, a black grape native to Turkey’s Thrace, was something of a novelty. Very few producers worked with it.
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I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying several wines now from Domaine Porto Carras. Their P.G.I. Halkidiki Malagouzia is one of my favorite examples of
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Gemici Family Winery began as a couple of novice winemakers’ desire to share traditionally produced wine with visitors and wine lovers. It soon turned into
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Likya Winery in Turkey’s Mediterranean has a huge range of wines. From simple but quaffable entry level to complex high-end wines, Likya has something
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Established in 2002 by wine and beer importer Seyit Karagözoğlu, Paşaeli is, in my opinion, one of Turkey’s most valuable wineries. More than just creating quality
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Fortified wine is not so much a thing in Turkey. However, for a country that’s shown itself to be a scrappy innovator in wine,
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I have an excellent friend here in Istanbul who is Austrian. Through her generosity, I have learned a great deal about Austrian wine over
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The popularity of blanc de noir wines (white wine made with black grapes) is on the rise in Turkey. The wines are made with
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I was really skeptical about the Cantine due Palme Tessuto Salento Primitivo when I bought it. Any imported wine that costs only 50 TL
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Datça Vineyard and Winery, conveniently located on the same named peninsula in southern Turkey, is a small, family-run winery. Here they make wine for
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Despite its long history with wine, Turkey has little wine culture. A great many of the Turks who make or love wine developed this
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The Alamos Malbec is one of the few readily available foreign wines at my Carrefour in Cihangir. One of the readily available, not French,
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More and more Turkey is becoming a great country for Sauvignon Blanc. The diverse microclimates and terroirs contribute to a wide range of personalities
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Nearby the famous ruins of Greco-Roman city Ephesus sits the southern Aegean winery Yedi Bilgeler. It was almost fated that owner Bilge Yamen, who
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I first encountered Our Wine at the 2017 Zero Compromises wine festival in Tbilisi. The No Compromises festival features wines that are organic, biodynamic,
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I firmly believe that sparkling wines should not be drunk only on special occasions. However, they are still my first choice for celebrations! Happily
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Chamlija Winery is a huge pioneer in Turkey. They experiment not only with various winemaking methods but also grape varieties. Chamlija is responsible for
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Gülor Winery, founded in 1993 by Güler Sabancı, has the distinction of being one of Turkey’s first boutique wineries. It has grown a lot
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In Eastern Anatolia sits the city of Elazığ. Quite small by Turkey standards, the city is home to about 350,000 people with only about another
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Yes, Turkey makes wine! In fact, together with Georgia and Armenia, Turkey has one of the longest histories of winemaking. As far back as
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Öküzgözü Şarapçılık's name creates a bit of confusion. It is the only winery in Turkey named not after a family name or a vineyard
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Central Anatolia is famous for being the home of Cappadocia. Even if you’ve never been to Turkey you’ve probably seen pictures of the “fairy
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Nestled in the Şarköy district of Tekirdağ (southern Thrace) is a small village called Uçmakdere. Prior to the population exchange of the 1920s this village, like many
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Verona is one of my favorite cities. Medieval charm highlighted by Roman ruins all within reach of the Soave vineyards. When it comes to
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I am so pleased to say that I’ve had my first article on Culinary Backstreets published today! Culinary Backstreets does so much to bring attention
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MMG Winery, owned and operated by the Güner Atalay family began as a simple hobby. However, after friends and neighbors expressed how much they liked
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Konstantinos Lazarakis MW describes Palivou Estate (Ktima Palivos) as “One of the more low-key Nemea producers, but one always striving to improve his existing
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Seyit Karagözoğlu’s path to becoming a winemaker began in the early 90s when he started importing wine and beer to Turkey. While his career as
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Cenap And founded Kavaklidere in 1929 in the Turkish capitol Ankara. What started as a winelover’s dream to promote Turkish grape varietals has grown
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I don’t often have the chance to drink American wine. While I’ve bought probably every California Zinfandel in Istanbul’s duty free shop (there are
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To the surprise of many, there are over 100 wineries in Turkey. Some of them produce wine on a colossal scale and are known
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Nif Vineyards might look slick and modern – in fact it’s one of the prettiest wineries here I’ve visited – but at its heart
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I first learned about Saranta Vineyards at the 2017 Sommeliers’ Selection Turkey event. Then for some six months after said event I waited on
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For 90 years the Kutman family has been at the forefront of the Turkish wine industry. When Nihat Ahmet Kutman founded Doluca in 1926
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One of the reasons why I love Turkey’s Suvla Wines is not only that they make wine at all price levels. In fact many
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Family is such an important thing, be it blood family or the family you make. I have a fantastic family here in Istanbul. However,
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When was the last time you were really wrong about something? While I’m sure there have been so many more times; one that really
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One of the wineries making up the Urla Bağ Yolu, Mozaik Winery sits in a place of idyllic, pastoral heaven. Vineyards run alongside paddocks
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When I hear “Argentina” my mind goes immediately to Malbec (and beef but this is a wine blog!); and to Bodega Trapiche. However, while
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LA Wines holds the record for being one of (if not the!) largest organic vineyards in Turkey. Wines at this beautiful Izmir estate are
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Pamukkale Wines is a family company started in 1962 by Fevzi Tokat. Tokat began with a fairly small capacity of 100,000 liters. Pamukkale has
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Italy is one of the few countries whose wines I nearly universally like. While the country is I think more well known for its
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Together with Talay, Amadeus, and Çamlıbağ, Corvus is one of Turkey’s Aegean region wineries located on the island of Bozcaada. Corvus came about in 2002.
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When the Yürüt family began to make wine, they didn’t know that they would one day be sharing their dream with a considerably large
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I am lucky enough to have friends living in Athens who always have a couch for me to sleep on. For so many reasons,
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Turkey is home to hundreds, if not thousands of vitis vinfera grapes not found anywhere else. As with many winemaking countries some grapes are more
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Good wine shouldn’t have to be expensive. Unfortunately that is not always true in Turkey. Someone asked me recently to recommend a wine under
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My love affair with Ayda Winery began last fall in my local bottle shop. I’m in this shop a lot. Like, a lot a
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The wine world recognizes some eighteen “noble” grapes. The most common among them being: Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and
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While I have many favorite wineries in Turkey, Prodom holds a special place in my heart. The first year I lived in Turkey I
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Karnas Vinyards is a boutique, family run winery and farm which main goal is to farm “respectful of nature”. Engineering the First Turkish Zinfandel [caption id="attachment_11659"
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Urlice Vineyards is one of Turkey’s special boutique wineries. The husband/wife team Reha and Bilge Benisü Öğünlü oversee everything from vineyards to cellar on their own. The
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Diren Winery, located in the northern part of Anatolia in the Black Sea region is one of Turkey’s older wineries. Sourcing grapes predominately from
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Previously I have reviewed the Vino Dessera 190 2014 vintage. So it seems I’m moving backwards now with the 190 2013! Making Walnuts into Wine Vino Dessera was established
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Last summer was the summer of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for me. We get a surprising number of them here in Istanbul. Sadly they
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Porta Caeli came about as the result of a wine-loving Turkish family’s quest to prove that Turkish wine can compete with established Old World
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I’ve been to Greece a couple times now but it wasn’t until my second visit (last May) that I discovered Greek wine. The very
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Kuzeybağ remains one of those semi mysterious wineries. I’ve had their wine a few times, seen them a different events in Istanbul, and even
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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
Read MoreVinkara Winery, located in Kalecik outside the Turkish capital Ankara is either the “smallest of the big” wineries or the “largest of the small”.
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My tour of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc discovery continued with Villa Maria. And what a fantastic story it has. Villa Maria started with George
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I cannot count the number of times I’ve said that I don’t like rose wine. It is many. There have been a few here
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Yedi Bilgeler (also known as 7Bilgeler) is one of my absolute favorite Turkish wineries. Due in large part to this wine, the Pythagoras. I
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The Telavi Marani Rkatsiteli was another great find at Rind. I’m seeing Georgian wine in more and more shops here in Istanbul. However Rind
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Together with Corvus, Amadeus, and Çamlıbağ; Talay is one of Turkey’s Aegean region wineries located on the island of Bozcaada. In 1948, the Talay brothers
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Some time ago a friend of mine threw a dinner party. In addition to her amazing food she also had wines from one of
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Schloss Johannisberg in Germany’s Rheingau is more than just home to some brilliant Riesling wines. It is also the home to some of the Riesling
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The story of USCA Winery began some 15 years ago when a group of friends, fascinated by the world of wine, decided to open
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Nif Vineyards has quickly joined the ranks of my favorite Turkish wineries. With an impressive range of styles, prices, and grapes, Nif makes creating
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I tasted this 2012 Selendi Sarnıç Merlot at a wine tasting with Şarap Atölyesi. Of course I’m not going to buy a Merlot on purpose.
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In 2010 Lucian Arkas purchased Idol Wines, renaming it LA Wines. Subsequently he went on to plant one of Turkey’s largest organic vineyards. Located
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There is a fantastic, growing trend in Turkey to focus on being local. This affects many sectors in the country but most especially food
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The name Urla evokes not only images of the Izmir district of that name, but also of Urla Winery whose Nero d’Avola Urla Karası
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Boutique wineries seem to pop up apace with the Turkish Government’s attempts to repress the wine industry. Some are boutique due to their size.
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Piemontese wines are among my favorites. I’m currently reading Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine by Kerin O’Keefe. It’s really
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In 1993 Güler Sabancı of the Sabancı Group, established Gülor Winery in the fertile soils of Tekirdağ, part of Turkey’s Thracian region. Upon founding the winery, Sabancı sought
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Another February has come and gone, although you wouldn’t have known it were you in Istanbul. It’s been a few years since we experienced
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In my research into Turkish wineries I knew that there was one called Mozaik somewhere in Urla. It wasn’t until a wine tasting I
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I had a chance to visit Chamlija’s tasting restaurant a while back. While there I learned that they produce so many more wines than
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I have not explored Büyülübağ’s wines as much as I should have. My first introduction to them was with one of their Vedat Milor* wines. It
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Located in the village of Havsa outside Edirne, Edrine (not to be confused with the city Edirne!) is a family run winery. Founded in
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Chateau Kalpak is the love child of Bülent Kalpaklıoğlu who began developing the vineyard in 2003. It was not until 2010 that he released his first
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My Greek wine education began with my friends E&M. E’s family is Greek and her frequent trips to the country the last few years
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I have written about Chamlija’s Albariño twice now and will again with every new vintage they produce. This gem though is not the Albariño, but the Alvarinho Reserve. Before
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It has been years since I’ve written about Chateau Gali. Granted Gali doesn’t have the output some of the other wineries here do but
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Father and daughter team Ozcan and Zeynep Arca established Arcadia Vineyards in 2007 to make and showcase terroir-driven wines from Northern Thrace. On their
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I have long been an anti-Chardonnay person. It wasn’t really until my introduction to wines from Chablis that I realized why I dislike Chardonnay…and
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