Turkish Wine of the Week - Arcadia 2012 Gri

I bought this a little hesitantly since I had bad luck with Arcadia's Sauvignon Gris but my friends at Solera promised me it would be good and they have yet to steer me wrong. And I'll give another chance to anyone who uses peacocks on all its labels. At I think only 75 TL (minus the 25% take away discount) this one isn't cheap, but it won't break the bank.

Brilliant pale gold in the glass at least this Arcadia was starting off on a pretty foot. The nose was also quite lovely with white flowers, melon, and tropical notes with an underlying sweetness (probably the flowers). On the palate it was all zesty acid and citrus with tropical notes and more flowers.

The guys at Solera are rarely wrong, I did indeed like this one. This could pair very well with food but was also quite enjoyable on its own. I'm not waxing poetic as I often do for the red wines, but more white wines like this and the Kayra Viognier and I might stop drinking white wines only in the summer.

Turkish Wine of the Week - Amadeus MMX 2015 Gelber Muskateller

What is Gelber Muskateller? you ask. It's Muscat, or technically yellow Muscat. How is that different from any of the other Muscats I've reviewed? It's not really, it's the same grape. It just happens to be one of the German names (there are unbelievably almost 300 variations on the grape name!).

German white wines like Riesling and Gewürztramiener often get a bad rap as being syrupy sweet dessert wines when really that's not the case. German and Alsace Riesling, Gewürztramiener, and Muscat wines are usually produced as dry wines, not sweet. While Austrians tend to grow more of their native Grüner Veltliner, they also produce dry Riesling, Gewürztramiene, and Muscat. I assume that Amadeus chose to name the wine after the German name for the grape since they produced it in much the same manner as would the Germans and Austrians.

To be honest I was more than a little hesitant to buy this even though it was only 45 TL. I've had a bad Amadeus experience before which made me a little gun shy and the guys at the Cave are pushing this one hard. They do annoy me a bit sometimes. If I ask for a recommendation please give me one, but if I go in an tell you that I know exactly what I'm looking for and I want only those specific wines, stop trying fob other wines off on me.

Rant aside, honestly this wasn't too bad. At 14.5% it has a rather high alcohol content for a white wine but made for some beautiful legs in the glass as I swirled the bright gold wine. The nose was very tropical with floral, possibly honeycomb tones. It also felt really good in the mouth with a nice mouthwatering acid to balance the sweetness coming from the high alcohol and a smooth, clean, medium finish that carried through the aromas from the nose.

Honestly this was a lot nicer than I was expecting considering my reluctance to purchase Amadeus wines in general and the less than suave, beat you over the head with the wine bottle sales tactic from the guys at the Cave. I think I need to give Amadeus wines another try.

First Bulgaria Disinfected Me then Infused Me with Wine

I almost don't even know where to begin with this. E and I set off on what was to be a relaxing weekend break at a winery spa in Bulgaria-it turned out to be something rather different.

We left early so we could pick up our rental car at the airport and get the four-hour drive out of the way; unfortunately the travel troubles began right away. Enterprise's system was down ("system problem" are words we often hear in Turkey) so despite arriving at their service counter before 9AM it wasn't until 11 that we were finally on the road. With no traffic barring our way the drive through Turkey went smoothly and the border was upon us long before we even thought to expect it. Three check points later we were out of Turkey and entering the no man's land between it and Bulgaria.

That's where the trouble really began.

The 'green card' "office"

Approaching the first check point our car was unexpectedly sprayed with very chlorinated smelling water. I laughed and asked if we'd just been disinfected. Surely not, said E...but true enough there was a little booth just ahead labeled "disinfection fee collection point" where we were charged the cost of 3 Euros for apparently having Turkey cleaned off our car. Really thank goodness for that because it set a tone of ludicrousness without which we may have committed murder over the next two hours. After paying for our disinfection we pulled into a scrum of vehicles all attempting to cross the border into Bulgaria. In a space of maybe a square half mile were packed so many cars we couldn't even attempt to count them. Tempers were high, horns honked on an off, cars didn't inch forward...they centimetered forward. Suddenly we had so much time on our hands so we turned to Google to discover why everything was at a stand still. Apparently the Turkey-Bulgaria crossing is the second busiest land crossing in the world! That would have been good information to have before we left.

Todoroff complex

Two hours later, TWO HOURS LATER it was finally our turn. We handed over our passports, the car insurance, and the car rental contract but were absolutely flummoxed when asked for the "green card". Apparently saying words louder and more slowly is not just something English speakers do to foreigners because apparently shouting and over enunciating GREEN CARD at us was going to make us understand the Bulgarian border guard. Eventually someone with some English came over and instructed us to drive through the check point (while they held onto our passports) to "the last car and my colleague will help". Okay then. We drove through and parked by the final check point and asked everyone we saw "green card"? until we were directed to a small shack sitting just outside the border crossing area, where a woman sold us Bulgarian car insurance for 50 Euros. The green card.

We drove back to the original check point (no cars at all on this side of things!), parked, and walked to the booth where our passports were being held hostage. Being in the thick of things as we were it was easy to see why it was taking so long for each car to cross the border. After passport (and green card) inspection, the one customs officer shared by two lanes would poke through a car's trunk, rummage through luggage, and then pop the hood for a mechanical inspection. Every. Single. Car. We were spared this process after finally being able to provide the much-desired green card, given back our passports, and sent on our way.

Wine-infused jacuzzi!

Finally free to go we drove through the final final check point, slightly afraid we were going to be stopped and asked for another color card, we drove into Bulgaria-where there was no traffic. None. All those cars that got across the border before us were nowhere to be seen; it was very odd. About 100 kilometers in we stopped for gas. We probably could have got all the way to the spa without filling up but after 2.5 hours of running the AC while sitting in the hot afternoon sun we needed to fill up. Then began the next adventure of actually finding the spa. I don't know about other countries, but Bulgaria doesn't mark streets that have names like 'route 8602'. My Russian might be crap now but thank goodness I can still read Cyrillic because I was able to recognize the name of our destination village (Brestovitsa) and guide E to the correct street. Of course actually finding the spa in Brestovitsa was a whole different story. We had to stop and ask three or four different people being slightly hindered by neither of us being able to speak Bulgarian and me trying to speak to Bulgarians in Turkish.

Finally we arrived at Todoroff Winery and Spa. Sadly it was too late to take advantage of the spa or even join their tour/wine tasting. We were both so exhausted though-it had been 10 hours since we left home that morning-that we were happy to just have dinner and a bottle of wine and sleep early.

The next morning after breakfast we booked spa treatments for the next two days and while we waited for our appointment we sat outside in the cool Bulgarian country air playing with the sweetest kitten. From there E and I luxuriated for about an hour in Todoroff's Barrique Tub-a jacuzzi infused with bath salts and wine, actual wine, while also enjoying glasses of wine. We felt kind of bad because no matter how hard we tried to prevent it, the jacuzzi bubbled away so enthusiastically that the water ended up all over the floor. After pickling in the wine we each had body scrubs with grapes seeds/must (Cabernet Sauvignon!) and massages.

Processing the grapes

Bottling room

Fully relaxed, we lazed away the afternoon with spa treatments and naps until our tour of the Todoroff winery. The original winery was established in 1945 but nationalized in 1947. It was returned to the original family in the late 90s and bought and modernized by Ivan Todoroff in 2001. The winery produces wines made mostly from the same ubiquitous grapes everyone grows but they do also produce some very nice wine from the native Bulgarian grape, Mavrud.

Unfortunately it seems that many of the native Bulgarian grapes have been lost so Todoroff specializes in Mavrud, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the dreaded Merlot. Our guide told us that there are many traditional songs in Bulgaria about red wine and only one about white-which includes a line that goes something like: "Oh white wine, why aren't you red?" Love it.

In addition to making wine, Mr. Todoroff is also dedicated to supporting local artists and for several years has been running art competitions. Winners' works are displayed in the Todoroff tasting room and used for the wines' labels. The hotel itself is something of an art gallery with each floor also displaying the work of local artists, all of which are available for purchase.

We tasted five wines during the tasting: 2015 Boutique Rainbow Silver, 2015 Boutique Mavrud, 2013 Gallery Merlot, 2013 Gallery Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2013 Teres Merlot.

The Todoroff Boutique line is not oaked which made me very happy as the 2015 Boutique Rainbow Silver is a Chardonnay blend: Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc. In the glass it's nearly colorless, clear, and brilliant. The nose is tropical with melon, green apples, and floral notes. In the mouth it's soft with good acid and lots of that green apple. For such a light white wine I was surprised by how well it paired with a strong, salty cheese. It was really quite nice.

The 2015 Boutique Mavrud was by far my favorite of what we tasted. Brestovitsa, where Todoroff is, is located in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria's Thracian region. Mavrud is native to this area and while it's one of the few native grapes left it accounts for only 1.5% of grapes grown. Which to me is very sad because this was very much my favorite. Also aged in stainless steel, it was a bright purple-red color with a light-medium body. On the nose it was blueberry, floral, candy and the palate was very light tannins, well-balanced acid and more berry, candy, and honey flavors.

Up next was the 2013 Gallery Merlot (the line of Todoroff wines that feature the art competition winners). The Gallery-line wines spend four to six months in oak depending on the age of the barrel and there were definitely some light oak features in the wine with some smoke and vanilla in the nose. In the glass it was a brick red with medium clarity (sediment). The palate was very jammy with dried fruits especially prunes, smoke, vanilla, and oak with some light tannins and a medium finish.

The 2013 Gallery Cabernet Sauvignon was similarly treated with four to six months of oak. Todoroff uses their barrels (French, American, and Bulgarian oak) for only three years, a surprisingly short amount of time, before the barrels are sold off. The Gallery Cabernet is a dark, ruby-red in the glass with dark fruits and black olives in the nose. On the palate it's a medium body with nice, round tannins, integrated acid, and a medium finish with flavors reflecting the nose. It was nice...but there are Turkish Cabernets that are way better.

The last wine we tasted was the 2013 Teres Merlot which Todoroff is no longer selling. They have only a few bottles of their last Teres vintage left and they're saved for tastings. Although after the tasting E sweetly asked if it weren't possible for us to finish the bottle they opened for the tasting (it was!).  E really liked this one, me not so much. The Teres line wines spend eight to 10 months in the barrels which for the Merlot resulted in a deep brownish-brick red, medium body wine. The nose was very heavy dried fruits: raisins and prunes, along with smoke, vanilla, and baking spices. So-like a fruitcake that has spent some time in a smokehouse. It was quite similar to the Gallery Merlot in that the flavors were very jammy and while unquestionably a dry wine it had some very viscous, sweet flavors.

Roman amphitheater

Old city

Our last morning at Todoroff I had my last spa treatment: the Wine Mascarpone. After getting exfoliated again with grape seeds, I was slathered with a mask made out of wine and powdered milk, wrapped up in plastic and heavy blankets, and then the bed I was on turned into some sort of hot waterbed that filled up around me wrapping me in a waterbed burrito. It was pretty fantastic.

Old city-traditional painted Bulgarian building

Roman theatre-still used for events!

After my last spa treatment we packed up the rental car and headed into Plovdiv-Bulgaria's second largest city and one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world. Plovdiv is lovely and well worth the visit. The modern city, old city, and ancient ruins are all well integrated and, throwing in bright street art, make for a charming city. The Roman theatre is still used for concerts and events and the amphitheater has been cleverly built around to incorporate it into the pedestrian area of the city.

Plovdiv is full of museums and art galleries so E was in heaven. I was in heaven because the food was amazing. We had lunch at Pavaj, a trendy, hip little restaurant that served up killer barbeque pork ribs.

Getting back to Turkey was not as complicated as getting out, but we had a few bumps. Getting out of Plovdiv was one of them! A few wrong turns though and we found the rounds we needed. As long as we were going the opposite direction of Sophia we were fine and eventually we came upon signs directing us to Istanbul.

Not only we were worried about another two-hour delay but we realized that we were driving into Turkey with 11 bottles of wine. Why we didn't think to take them out of the winery boxes and put them in our bags I don't know; because we both knew better than to try this. Sure enough, while the crossing out of Bulgaria took no time at all, we were stopped at the Turkish border. The customs officer said we were only allowed one liter per person (which can't be right-you're allowed so much more flying in!). However a little stumbling Turkish about how we were on a girls' weekend; isn't there a fee/tax we can pay (the to you implied); and a little flirting later and we, and our 11 bottles, were allowed to cross. Sometimes it's good to be female in Turkey!

While our spa weekend getaway turned out to be a little more adventurous than I had planned it was a great trip! We were disinfected, infused with wine, got to try Bulgarian wine, ate pork, looked at art, and flirted contraband into the country. All in all it was a pretty great trip!

Turkish Wine of the Week - Sevilen 2010 Fume Blanc 900

I have never had a Fume Blanc before and had to Google to remind myself what it even was. A Fume Blanc is basically just a Sauvignon Blanc that has spent some significant time in oak. The process and name were popularized by Robert Mondavi of all people in the 60s or 70s. This particular bottle I found at Solera, no shock there. When they told me that it had been sitting on the shelf for three years, was the only one they had, and was in fact so forgotten that they didn't even know how much it cost I simply had to have it. And since they didn't know how much it cost they made up a price on the spot for me (67.50 TL with the discount).

Often when I buy wine it sits on shelf forever until I get around to drinking it. What I'm drinking as I type I bought a month ago at least.This one I opened almost immediately because I was so curious. In the glass it's a beautiful, intense gold; pretty much the same color as the label. After having spent 10 months in oak and a few years in the bottle I would expect no less.

I really have no idea what was going on in the nose. This wine drove me nuts. I had three different friends try it, two of whom thought the bottle had gone off until they got used to the intense aromas. It definitely had not gone off but for the life of me I have no idea regarding the aromas or flavors.  Smokey for sure, some citrus maybe? It's a big, full-bodied white with a long finish, low acid, and really creamy texture.

I have no idea if I liked this or not. It was my first Fume Blanc so I did not know what to expect. I now have another in my refrigerator and want to give that a try soon. I noticed that the Cave has the 2009 and I'm curious to try it...or at least ask how much it is! For the first time I have no conclusion one way or the other about a wine but I am curious to study this style more.

Turkish Wine of the Week - Bozcaada Part 2 and Amadeus 2013 Cuvee and Cabernet

On our second day on Bozcaada we shared a fantastic Turkish breakfast with our hosts that included products from the island and their own gardens as well my new obsession: tomato jam. But tomato jam Turkish style which means they were whole, kind of candied tomatoes in sugar syrup.Apparently they're soaked in lye to give them their crunchy texture?

Follow our hosts on social media!

After breakfast we headed for our first wine adventure of the day-to the Amadeus Winery. Amadeus is owned by an Austrian man who grew up in Turkey who turned a family hobby into a business. I was very luckily to be able to talk to the owner for a while about his philosophy behind wine making and the processes he uses. At Amadeus they do not age wine in oak. Partially because of the expense-barrels are not cheap but also because while oak imparts flavor components to wine, it also
takes away some of the natural flavors of the fruit. At Amadeus they prefer wines that are more fruit forward so at most they use wood chips in some of their wines.

Amadeus Vinothek on Bozcaada

From Amadeus we headed into town. Bozcaada reminds me a lot of Mykonos which, given the historic Greek population, isn't really surprising. The town is separated into two parts, the part that used to be all Greek and the part that used to be all Turkish. The Turkish side is organized typically, in that it's not; streets and buildings are laid out all higgledy-piggledy. The Greek side in contrast is laid out in very precise grids (however only because that side of town was lost in a fire and a visiting American made a city plan for them).

In our wanderings around town we ended up at Talay, the owners of the vineyard we hiked through the previous day. Talay produces a pretty wide range of wines but I'd never heard of them before. Since my trip I've noticed one or two bottles at La Cave but Talay is not a widely known name. They have a very laid-back island attitude in regards to advertising: people who we know who we are will drink Talay. Happily I was there on the island to try some of them. I went away with a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon because it took me a full 10 minutes to figure out the (to me) most outstanding flavor: green pepper. I can't believe it took me that long to put my finger on what it was but I have never had a Cabernet with such a clear green flavor like that.

 
After our visit to Talay it was back to Lavender Breeze Farm where I was put through my paces on a blind tasting of the house wines. I had two tasks:

1. Identify which was the Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon
2. Match them to three other glasses of Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon

I failed miserably. Miserably!! To be fair even my host seemed a little confused as to which was which. In any case there was a lot of laughter and fun. I need to start practicing this skill at home!

 

You would think that I would really love a wine maker who generally does not use oak and who lives by the fantastic motto of "Life is a Cabernet" would be one of my favorite makers-unfortunately not so. I've had a very up and down relationship with Amadeus and while I thought I liked a couple of their wines well enough to buy them and haul them home, I think I might have been partially under an island influence, making me perceive them more favorably than I normally would.

Quite some time ago I tried the Amadeus 2012 Cuvee and really did not like. Really did not like it a lot. And yet while at Amadeus I rather did like the 2015. Did I like it as much when I got it home and was no longer under a possible situational influence?

I actually rather did. I mean I only paid 30 TL for the bottle directly from Amadeus and I think it's a decent 30 TL bottle. Would I have liked it if I'd paid twice or more that amount at a shop in Istanbul? No.

The Cuvee Rouge is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. In addition to not aging wines in oak, Amadeus also doesn't filter its wine (again in order to keep as much of the fruit flavor as possible) but despite that the wine was a nice, clear red-no cloudiness. In the nose it was very dark cherries, cacoa, vanilla, and coffee. On the palate it's a medium-bodied wine with some soft tannins. Lots of red fruit and coffee flavors with a slightly sweet undertone from the vanilla. It went very nicely with strong Turkish cheeses.

The 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (also 30 TL directly from Amadeus) was also a decent wine for 30 TL. Like the Cuvee Rouge it's a medium-bodied wine, so it's not your typical big, full Cab.

There's lots of heavy spices in the nose including green peppercorn and I think some jalapeno. Once you get past that you're treated to both black and dried fruits like prune and a little baking spice from the oak chips used in the aging. On the palate smooth tannins accentuate the fruit and pepper flavors giving you a pretty decent drinking experience. Although like the Cuvee Rouge-a decent 30 TL drinking experience.

Turkish Breakfast Review - Saade Kahvaltı

I read about Saade Kahvaltı in the August issue of Time Out Istanbul. Ever on the lookout for a new breakfast place, I made a date with R for breakfast last Saturday. Saade Kahvaltı is located at the Darussaade Hotel in Sultanahmet near the Arasta Bazaar.

Because it doesn't seem possible for to provide full/helpful information on Turkish websites, nowhere on the hotel website or Time Out article listed Saade Kahvaltı opening times, reservation needs etc. So we went on the information provided on Zomato.com - which turned out to be wrong. According to Zomato Saade opens at 10:00 (nope, it's at 11:00) and they do not take reservations (incorrect-reservations required). However because we'd trekked there, getting lost several times, the lovely staff arranged for us to have the breakfast in their ground floor cafe while they set up the terrace.

We followed some very bad Google Map directions, getting lost at least three times before we found Darussaade Hotel but it was entirely worth the trek. So much so that R and I, this time accompanied by E&M, made a reservation and went back the next weekend.

The price is a little steep at 40 TL/person (not including drinks or extras like eggs) but for what you get it's a fantastic value. All of Saade's products are organic and come from across Turkey. Many things, like the cheese blended with nuts and herbs and cheese blended with peppers are made in house. Everything is incredibly fresh and delicious. The tomato paste is some of the best I've ever had, the Tulum cheese is sharp and delicious, and even I, raw tomato-hater that I am, fought over the fresh tomato and pumpkin seed salad.

My personal favorite dish is the soft white cheese topped with diced plums. The sweet-tangy combination is gorgeous. Even the seemingly never ending fresh bread was some of the best we've ever had at a Turkish breakfast cafe.

It was much easier to find Saade the second time around as they kindly sent me directions on What's App that were easy to follow. Basically, if you're facing the Blue Mosque, go down the road [that runs in front of the mosque] to the left. Turn right in front of the Blue House Hotel, then the first left, then the first right. At the end of that street you'll see the pale purple Darussaade Hotel.

E said she thinks this is hands down the best Turkish breakfast she's had here. I don't think she's wrong. The food alone was amazing but coupled with the terrace view overlooking the Bosphorus on one side and the iconic Blue Mosque on the other...yes. We will go back to this place and take everyone. Saade Kahvaltı is not to be missed.

Saadde Kahvaltı (make a reservation!)
Darussaade Hotel
Sultanahmet Mahallesi
Akbıyık Caddesi 90
+90 212 518 3636

Photo Walk: Gülhane to Karaköy

On Sunday I joined another photo walk run by Yas at the Istanbul Language Exchange Club. On the last walk I joined I discovered an area of the city I'd never even been to; this time I discovered hidden gems in areas I thought I new pretty well. I guess I was wrong!

 

We started our walk at the Gülhane tram stop, circling around the back of the Istanbul Governate to find the Hacı Beşirağa Camii. Built in 1745 this "new" mosque (new is a relative term in Turkey!) was quite different from any other mosque I've visited. For one thing, the women-only section is not only in the balcony but it has it's own entrance from outside the mosque. As our guide Yas pointed out I was lucky here as the balcony gave me better photo opportunities. The mosque is also decorated solely in shades of black and grey. My pictures look like they're black and white but I didn't use any filters-that's just what it looks like!

Privately-owned Byzantine cistern

Private prayer room for office workers

A twisty-turny walk that I likely couldn't replicate brought us to the Rustem Pasa Madrasa. Madrasas were outlawed in the 20s and while I think now some are reopening, many-like the Rustem Pasa Madrasa-are used as cultural centers where people can take classes in ebru (paper marbling), cooking, music, language, etc.

Syrian-style mosque & minaret

From there we continued our journey through the streets above Eminonu and down one of the many small side streets to peek into a barred window onto a privately owned Byzantine-era cistern. This would-be fantastic historic find is being used, for all things, as a private storage/junk container. Sigh.

Empty Eminonu streets

Europe's two sides viewed from Halic

Our wanderings took us to Eminonu where we pushed our way through the throngs along the Bosphorus and the balik emkmek boats to see the remains of a Roman tower. Once part of the city wall it was used as a dungeon and now houses the tombs of famous Muslim martyrs-including the originator of the name Ali Baba.

A view of Galata

In order to cross over to Karaköy we continued on foot towards Halic and crossed the Halic Metro Bridge on foot, taking advantage of the fantastic views of the European side of Istanbul. Once on the other side we came immediately upon a short section of wall. During the Ottoman Empire, the Genoese had control of much of the area that is now Karaköy, Galata, Beyoglu and surrounded it with their own wall.

Part of the old Genoese wall

Larger section of the Genoese wall

We crossed the main road that runs along the water Turkish-style playing chicken with traffic on both sides of the boulevard in order to follow the metro bridge up a blind alley. There we discovered a larger section of the Genoese wall complete with tower and the last remaining gate-the Burning Gate.

The Burning Gate in the Genoese wall

Passing through the gate we next made our way to the Arap Camii, or Arab Mosque. I've heard of this one but I've never been. I'm not even sure I could find it again, tucked away as it is in the depths of Karaköy. There are several stories attached to this mosque and I leave it to you to decide which you believe. The story on the mosque's information board says that it was built in 715, making it old even by Istanbul's standards and was converted to a Roman Catholic Church in the 14th Century when the bell tower (now minaret) was added and converted back to a mosque some hundred years later. If that is true then I think it is probably the only edifice in Turkey ever to have started as a mosque and then become a Christian church!

However, if you choose to believe Wikipedia, then the story is somewhat different. According to that website, "tradition has it" that there was once a mosque built on the site, as well as an earlier chapel dedicated to Saint Irene, followed by a replacement chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, and finally the current structure consecrated in 1325 which fell to the Ottomans and was converted to a mosque around 1475. Whatever its history, it's a beautiful building and the calm of the courtyard is a balm in the midst of the craziness of Karaköy.

Our wanderings then took us through the area of Karaköy around the old fish market that was unceremoniously, and once could argue cruelly, knocked down last year. Being so close to the fish market and warf it's no surprise that shops in this area are full of boat and fishing gear. In front of several shops reposed piles of anchors or all shapes and sizes.

We ended our walk at the new fish market (far less preferable to the old) after discovering hidden gems tucked away in what we thought was an already familiar part of the city with nothing left to discover. I'm hoping now that the weather seems to be getting cooler I'll be up for joining more of Yas's walks to learn about other sections of beautiful Istanbul!