Masters of Wine Weekend: Istanbul

Masters of Wine Weekend: Istanbul

I was recently invited to Istanbul to attend the second Masters of Wine Weekend. This is an event staged by Dr. Yunus Kocabasoglu, a local lover of wine and food, to highlight Turkish wine while facilitating discussion among winemakers and the five MW’s in attendance.

I enjoyed Istanbul’s languid glow and the ebbs and flows of its waterways; people coming and going in a celebration of upheaval and renewal, imbued with a skittish dynamism. After all, a strong economy hurtles Turkey toward Europe while its terse leaders remain guarded about the sociopolitical repercussions that this may have. While the country is secular, there is a strong religious pulse.

Subsequently, consumption of wine in Turkey remains very low at around one-liter per person per year, a great deal of which is consumed by tourists. Given the negative connotations of alcohol in an Islamic culture, particularly in rural areas, there remains a distinct separation between grape growers and vintners who, by definition, produce alcohol. One winemaker for example, told the tale of being the only winemaker in her village and the first person to ever to make wine there. She bought grapes from local growers who, worried about the association with the end product, sold her fruit through an intermediary.

Despite cultural strictures however, the conference room in which the event took place was near-capacity each day. Around 250 wines were tasted over the course of three-days although sadly, I missed a number of wines due to poor communication by Emirates’ staff and their failure to inform my connecting flight in Dubai that myself and six other passengers were on the way to the gate (and still on time). When I finally arrived in Istanbul, the enthusiasm of those in attendance mitigated my frustration and jet-lag, while the wines were a pleasant surprise indeed. Moreover, drinking nothing but Turkish wines for lunch and dinners was certainly educational and often invigorating. My question when determining the balance of a wine, ‘Do I want another two glasses?’, was mostly answered with a resounding ‘yes.’

Nevertheless, certain wines suffered from an over-exuberant hand with oak and poor choice of the type of oak used (insufficiently seasoned barrels and less-than-ideal toasting levels), which gave a green and raw aftertaste of wood tannins. This indicates the learning curve of many new to producing wine. Better to be zealous than timid, I suppose. Prudence comes with time. In other cases, dilute flavors alluded to excessively high yields, while volatility suggested over-extraction, with many makers indicating extremely long post-fermentation macerations. Dried dark fruit aromas indicated desiccated grapes, picked in what I call the ‘dead fruit zone’ after which grapes have been sapped of their freshness. In other wines, oxidative notes suggested lack of care during and after harvest, perhaps due to many wineries transporting their grapes great distances to be vinified, with scant attention to temperature control.

Yet my impressions of many wines were largely positive, especially with those from the intriguing indigenous varieties, none more beguiling than Kalice Karasi, or KK. KK melds the scent of Pinot Noir with a plumper, sweeter palate akin to Grenache, or Nerello Mascalese. Vinkara’s superb 2009 (see a previous article on this wine at http://tinyurl.com/65p7kzl) would make a wonderful addition to a blind Pinot Noir tasting, while Kocabag’s expressions were also lifted and moreish. The other noteworthy varieties include Emir, a white grape with an inherent freshness and redolent honeydew melon aromas; while among the reds, the suave Öküzgözü, together with its more obdurately tannic blending partner, Boğazkere, stood out. Wines made from these varieties were largely more interesting than those made with international varieties although that is an easy observation to make as somebody accustomed to tasting a great deal of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

For Turkish wine lovers, there is likely a great deal of pleasure gained from the globe-trotting grapes and certain Shiraz (the Australian term largely adopted by the Turks) from producers Kayra, Likya and the larger Kavaklidere, were delicious. The Kavaklidere 2008 was a particular highlight with a ferruginous core and an energetic thrust and parry in the mouth between peppery blueberry fruit, filigree tannins and bright acidity. Kavaklidere have new plantings on the Aegean coast where Shiraz, or Syrah, appears to thrive as a highly aromatic and spicy idiom, synonymous with solid bottles from the northern Rhone.

Given the large number of entries and the influence of international consultants working in Turkey, including Stephane Derenoncourt, there will soon be very fine wines from Turkey at large. Let’s hope that the tight fiscal regime allows us to afford them.