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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2017 was a crazy year. It began with a last minute trip to Iceland where wine is even more expensive than it is in
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Barbare is one of Turkey’s really special wineries and the Ambiance 2012 is no exception. I cannot in down exactly what makes them stand
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I was unaware of the existence of Trajan wines until I saw the Trajan Rezerv Kalecik Karası at the Cihangir Suvla shop and bought it
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When I first started my adventures into wine here in Turkey I refused to buy imported wines like this Delibori Lugana. Because alcohol taxes
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Doluca is one of the largest wine outfits in Turkey. In 1926 the Maison Vinikol at Galata was founded and became the base for Doluca. they
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I was recently lucky enough to be invited to the Galata Anemon hotel for a tasting of Yanık Ülke wines. Yanık Ülke was established by the Akçura
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Porta Caeli is one of my favorite new wineries here in Turkey and its Ament Bordeaux is as hefty as the bottle is. But
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I don’t know why but there’s a fever among the expat population in Istanbul for all things Georgian. Both Pop-Up Istanbul and Popist Supper Club have held Georgian
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It feels like it’s been neigh on forever since I’ve had a wine by Gordias. So this winter when I saw a new bottle at Solera I
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I feel like I say a lot that such-and-such winery is one of my favorite wineries in Turkey. Does the expression lose gravitas for
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Saranta is one of the new kinds on the block of the Turkish wine industry. While established in 2007 and with a debut vintage
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When I lived in the US I never really understood the point of Duty Free shops; I never saw deals that were any better
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Perhaps my biggest beef with the Turkish wine industry (well aside from active government oppression) is that I feel that many of the best
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The Vino Dessera 190 has a special place in my heart. It, along with one of the Prodom blends, was one of the first wines I
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In August I went back to the States for the first time in two years. While I was there I gave a wine tasting
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The Sommeliers Selection Turkey 2017 is the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously. I discovered so many wines and wineries there that I hadn’t heard of
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In September I had the opportunity to visit Chateau Nuzun where I tasted the Chateau Nuzun 2011. The tour, through Piano Piano and lead by expert Turkish
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This bottle of Celler del Roure from Valencia’s Vermell DO came to me by way of my friend K. She spent the new year
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I don’t drink Kutman wines often. Every time I do though I am reminded that it’s something I should do more often. Like the Adnan
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Georgian wine has been gaining in popularity for several years now. Not even Istanbul can resist the charms of neighboring Georgia’s wine and cuisine.
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Turkish sparkling wine is fairly new to the market. While previously there may have been one or two, it feels like the industry exploded
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Located on Avşa Island, Büyülübağ is one of Turkey’s Marmara region wineries. Alp Törüner founded the winery there in 2003 with a view of continuing the island’s
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I haven’t yet dived fully into Kastro Tireli’s wines. Outside of the Narince-Viognier I previously reviewed I’ve only also had this Karkaia, a Bordeaux-blend style wine.
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As with the Suvla Sur, I’ve tasted multiple vintages of Suvla’s Reserve Petit Verdot Karasakız. Is the Petit Verdot Karasakız 2012 my favorite of the vintages? I
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Many people I know are turned off by the term: late harvest. “I don’t like dessert wine.” “It’s too sweet.” For many ‘late harvest’
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Tanini was one of my favorite winery finds at Tbilisi’s New Wine Festival this year. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a bottle of their rose
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Nıf Vineyards is one of the Turkish wineries I have only recently become interested in. This is due in large part to its 2012
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Before E&M left Turkey they had a going a way party that really was just a ‘eat and drink whatever is still around’ party.
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In the semi-recent past I led a tasting called the Four Faces of Papaskarası . We tasted four of Chamlija’s Papaskarası wines: the Blanc
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I love Italian wine. Red or white. I don’t care. I love it all. And when you find a trusted producer, like Marchesi Antinori,
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Barbare is perhaps one of my favorite Turkish wineries. Their wines range from perfectly lovely to truly special and the Libra is no exception. Sitting
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For years I avoided most sparkling wines. I found that almost all of them made me ill; instant migraine. Maybe I’m just getting more
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Even before our trip to Chateau Kalpak with Em and AJ I’d had a few of their wines. One of them being the AWC Gold Medal
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Spanish white wines are difficult to find in Istanbul; even in duty free. This Pazo das Bruxas Albariño was the only thing E&M could find
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In the spring I attended an Arcadia wine tasting with Murat Mumcoğlu of Şarap Atölyesi. We tried a variety or red and white wines; one
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Recent trips to Rind have netted me a few bottles of New Zealand wine; including this 2013 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc. One of the world’s foremost
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I have been lucky enough to try three different vintages of Suvla’s Sur: the 2010, 2011, and 2012. A few years ago I wrote
Read MoreTurkish wines really are good. Really they are. Often when I start talking about Turkish wines to people outside the country I’m met with
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Established in 2004, Chateau Nuzun is one of Turkey’s boutique wineries. Only an hour drive away (depending on the insanity level of traffic!) it is possibly
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On a recent trip to Athens to visit my friends E&M I had the chance to try a lot of Greek wine. Almost as
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In November I attended another wine tasting lead by Şarap Atölyesi‘s Murat Mumcuoğlu at the Historic Pano Wine House in Istanbul. We tasted eight wines all by winemakers Paşaeli
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I bought this bottle of 2010 Thracians Mystery Cabernet Sauvignon when E and I were at Todoroff in Bulgaria. I could see E rolling her eyes
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Saranta is one of those wineries in Turkey that I vaguely knew existed. However I had never seen any of their wines in Istanbul
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Georgia wasn’t my only wine-focused trip in May! E&M were spending the month in Athens sorting out E’s Greek citizenship (me = green with
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This Turasan Kalecik Karası was part of a shipment of wines I got from Turasan a while back. Kalecik Karası was the first wine
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This Telavi Wine Cellar Marani Tvishi was another great find at Rind. And worth every penny of the 70ish TL that I paid. Telavi
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In November I attended another wine tasting lead by Şarap Atölyesi’s Murat Mumcuoğlu at the Historic Pano Wine House in Istanbul. We tasted eight
Read MoreProcrastination is my first, middle, and last name. But I couldn’t wait any longer to write about the Zero Compromises and New Wine Festival
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My visit last year to Chamlija’s tasting restaurant near Kırklareli in Turkey’s Thracian wine region was more of a “flying” visit than anything else. However while
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Some time ago I posted a review of Flam’s Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Since I was able to visit the Flam Winery, located outside Jerusalem. While
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This lovely Hoşköy Cabernet Sauvignon I first had at a Paşaeli tasting with Şarap Atölyesi. I really like Paşaeli’s wines, the K2 being a general favorite,
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The Rèmole Toscana by Frescobaldi is one of my new favorite wines. And at only 61.50 TL at Macro Center it’s not all that
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One of the best, medium-priced Turkish wines I’ve had in a while was the Kybele 2011 from Şen Vineyards. I picked up the Kybele for 42 TL
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