Your January 2022 Turkish Wine Horoscope
Goodbye 2021, hello 2022! Last year wasn’t so bad…I think 2019 taught us that things can always be worse. But here’s to hoping 2022 is a continued improvement!
What does your horoscope say you should try drinking in January? Read on and find out!
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
Aquarians – the big lesson for you this month is: stop getting in your own way! Self-doubt and judgement may be holding you back. You may find, if you take a step back and think about it, that you’re also letting yourself get tied up in other people’s drama to avoid your own issues.
Break out of this cycle. Maybe throw in some physical exercise (or a new activity if you’re already pretty active) to let your body send new endorphins to your brain. Try running, weight lifting, yoga…some kind of activity that also leaves a little room for simultaneous meditation.
The wine for you …
To help you achieve clarity this month, try sipping on something bright and linear like the Hus Emir.
This Urla-based winery sources its Emir fruit from Cappadocia. Lively and zesty with lots of lovely fruit and mineral, this is a charming expression of one of Turkey’s best (in my opinion) grapes. Available at Mensis Mahzen in Osmanbey and Santé Wine & More in Etiler.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
The beginning of 2022 is the time to focus on your friendships and social life. However, you need to put in the work to get what you want out of those things. Don’t sit around and wait for stuff to happen. That means no whining about not getting invitations…make your own!
On the flip side, if you feel like you need some time for yourself as the year begins, by all means take it. But don’t just drop off the radar. Let your nearest and dearest know you’ll be M.I.A. from social media and gatherings for a while.
The wine for you …
Try something fun to get you into the social mood, but not anything that will break the bank this early in the year, like the Kayra Leona Bubble. A simple CO2-infused sparkler made from a blend of Muscat, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, it’s fresh, light, and utterly quaffable. And if you want to get social with it, certainly no one will hate you for sharing!
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Patience and endurance are your key words. Keep those things in mind as you commit yourself to working on making your dreams come true. Don’t be unrealistic in how quickly those dreams will come true (that’s the patience part) and keep plugging away at it (and there’s endurance).
A good tip for getting in the right space for this: create a game plan that leaves you feeling recharged and motivated without taking passion and excitement out of grinding.
The wine for you …
If anyone knows about being patient and dreams coming true, it was Cinderella. So this month, try a bottle of Turkey’s Cinderalla grape Çalkarası. Specifically, try the Paşaeli Merman Çalkarası (available at La Cave in Cihangir, Mensis Mahzen in Osmanbey, Santé Wine & More, and likely elsewhere). A grape that has been ignored for years, Paşaeli uses it to make no less than six wines! The red, the ‘Merman’ is full of spicy-savory-fruity goodness.
It’s a little pricey but you’ll be glad you splashed out for it. Especially if you get it at Santé Wine & More. They have the BEST price on this.
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
We don’t all love our jobs. Probably most of us aren’t working our dream job or even in the industry. However, just because you’re not feeling fulfilled by your job does not mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, find fulfilment elsewhere. Turn that hobby you love so much into a full-blown side line. Volunteer, sign up for a class … find something that you’re passionate about and figure out a way to realistically make it a part of your life.
Happiness can be found by contributing to world issues and spending your time doing things that are aligned with your beliefs and values.
The wine for you …
This month, take a leaf from Bilge Yamen, owner of 7Bilgeler winery, who pursued wine while maintaining his dental practice. While all his wines are lovely, his newly released Bornova Misketi, the 7Bilgeler Vindemia Güz is a fantastic addition to his lineup. Dry, floral, pretty, charming… happiness in a glass! Find it at Mensis Mahzen, Rind in Moda, Comedus in Pera, Santé Wine & More, and Dekante in Istinye Park.
Gemini (May 20 – June 20)
If you feel that people have been pulling away from you lately, it may be because you’re trying to take too much control in your relationships, both personal and professional. There can be a fine line between taking the lead/being a leader and being a dictator. Take a look at some of your recent interactions with people and check that you’ve not started crossing that line.
The wine for you …
Something light and easy for you this month to try to loosen up those tight reins you keep. Open a bottle of Sevilen İsa Bey Chardonnay. Unoaked, easy drinking, lots of stone fruit, warm citrus, and flowers. This oh so pretty wine will put anyone in an easier frame of mind. This is also a bonus for the ABC (anything but Chardonnay!) drinkers! Give up that anti-Chardonnay control and give this a try. Trust me.
Find it at La Cave, some larger Carrefours, and Rind.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Not everyone expresses affection or love in the same way. Some expressions mean more to some than others or, on the opposite end, can some can even make people feel uncomfortable. It’s time to show your loved ones that you value them in ways that coincide with their love languages, rather than yours. Take a sec to think about the people in your life and make sure they know how much they mean to you – but in a way that they’re comfortable with. Don’t let your own (possibly unrealistic) expectations of relationships and people’s reactions to the way you express love cause friction where there needn’t be any.
The wine for you …
Undervalued Kösetevek went for a long time with people assuming it was Öküzgözü. When you assume things or force your own will on them, you miss out. Now we know better (at least about this grape) and Kösetevek is finally being given the love it needs as itself. So this month, try the Kuzeybağ Kösetevek. Medium-light bodied, low tannins, red fruits, and an intriguing streak of white pepper will give you some direction. Find it at Mensis Mahzen, Rind, La Cave, Santé Wine & More, and Solera.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
Balance is key this month. Leos love to play but you have to also make time for work and stop procrastinating. Conversely, don’t start out the year by charging ahead with work with 200% of your energy. Fine a way to strike a balance between play and work, your social life and all those things that need to be done. Try combining the two. Work out with or run errands with a friend, etc.
Not that I want to start talking about a new year’s resolution you’ll drop before February rolls around…but it wouldn’t hurt to make this a habit going forward!
The wine for you …
To help find your balance, grab a bottle of Doluca Karma Shiraz Boğazkere from Mensis, Carrefour, La Cave, Macro Center, and elsewhere. These blends find perfect harmony between the two grapes and offer flavors of coffee, brown spices, black fruits, and pepper. And at the same time this beautifully balanced wine gives you a great example of harmony, maybe it’ll bring you a little good karma too!
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Your December horoscope was a little bleak. Happily, January looks brighter. Not rainbows and butterflies just yet but better. You’ll have an easier time this month concentrating without overthinking. Look for new ways to combine your creative ideas with your work to make them more interesting. Mary Poppins had it right when she said that “for every job that must be done, there is an element of fun”! Once you find what it is to make work less boring, you’ll find new optimism and inspiration.
A wee caution though. Don’t let any new relationships/social activities distract you!
The wine for you …
Tempranillo can often produce dark, broody wines. Not so with the Buradan Fidan. A “young” Tempranillo, this lovely wine is meant to be drunk young and slightly chilled. Fire up your grill and let it sit outside while you cook up some burgers or köfte. By the time the meat is done, the wine will be at just the right temperature. Look for it at Mensis Mahzen.
Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Old year out, new year in! Appropriately for the start of the new year, take this month to let go of anything old, unwanted, or unused in your life; be that things cluttering up your closet or home, or old hurts, grudges, doubts, etc. cluttering your mind. Be it a physical or mental housecleaning, the result will be the ability to look more clearly at your life and set new goals.
The wine for you …
Oliver Garies knows about goals! Why else would he blend together grapes like Vasilaki, Sauvignon Blanc, Zlahtina, and Grillo if not to achieve something? Well he did achieve something, something delicious with his Amadeus MMX Cuvee Blanche. NOT easy to find, you can sometimes get this from La Cave and now also at Solera.
Fruity delicate but with a hint of seriousness, this blend is refreshing and will clear away the cobwebs in your brain if nothing else.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 22)
The scorpion’s hard exoskeleton should not be something that you take literally for yourself. Don’t close yourself off from others this month or be afraid to show those closest to you your vulnerable side. You may find that, consciously or not, you’ve spent the last year building up walls and rebuffing more and more invitations to share your sensitivity. The more people who walk away from interactions with you thinking that you’re too defensive to bother with, the fewer and fewer people you’ll have at all.
Take some time this month to reflect on why you’ve built these defensive walls and work on letting go of those issues. A little pain doing that now will save you a great deal in the future.
The wine for you …
To help get you into a space where you can look deeper….open a bottle of Likya Acıkara. It’s a little spendy…but this is a magnificent wine with layer upon layer of purple fruit, spice, leather, and flowers. With each swirl and sip you’ll peel back another layer. And just maybe find a way to journey through your own layers. Find it at Santé Wine & More, Mensis Mahzen, La Cave, and Rind.
Sagittarius (November 23 – December 22)
Stick to a straight course this month, Sagittarians. Insecurities, self-doubt, and nostalgic ghosts from the past my cloud your perception and create problems where there weren’t any … and where there’s no reason for there to be any. Don’t let this knock you off the course to accomplishing your goals. If you feel your drive and focus waning, pull up metaphoric bootstraps and keep on trudging. You’ll soon get back knowing that you’re moving in the right direction.
The wine for you …
If you’re about to strike out and march to your own drum, you should be drinking Mozaik Mahrem Ekigaïna. Mozaik produces wine with some of the weirdest grapes we see in Turkey and it’s hard to get weirder than Ekigaïna – of which there are less than five hectares planted around the world.
Aromatic but earthy with broody forest underfloor, forest spice, old leather, dried lavender, and thyme. This is the result when you don’t let insecurities get in your way. Look for it at Mensis Mahzen.
Capricorn (December 23 – January 19)
Capricorns, take January to examine what your core values are. Once you’ve got them (or if you already knew them) ask yourself how well integrated they are in your day-to-day life. Are you living by your values? Or do you let them slide a bit (or a lot) for work, relationships, etc? Sure it might cause a few bumps with people who disagree with them, but if you stay true to yourself and use that core to be the best you can be, you’ll see changes for the positive in your life.
The wine for you …
The folks behind Eskibağlar Öküzgözü know all about sticking to their core values. While most wineries are running around making wine with popular, international grapes, trying to compare their vineyards to Napa, Tuscany, or Bordeaux, Eskibağlar does not. The winery and vineyards are in Elazığ, the land of Öküzgözü. So they don’t try to imitate other wine regions. They make Elazığ wine and are proud of it.
Find it at Mensis Mahzen, Rind, and sometimes at Savoy Tekel in Cihangir.