Dry Portuguese Wines: To stop at the red light when going for a revolution

Poster:cinema.sapo.pt

Have you ever seen the Portuguese movie April Captains? April Captains (Original title: Capitães de Abril) is the first full-lenght movie of the actress Maria de Medeiros as a director, which she has a role in the movie too, and it is a very fun movie about The Carnation Revolution of Portugal in 25 April 1974, which starts telling about a group of leftist military officers who are about to start a left wing junta against the fascist Portuguese government, to stop the recruitment for more massacres in Africa concerning the Portuguese colonization of Guinea, Mozambique and Angola in 70's (isn't it always the leftist who fights against the massacres?). Even though it is about a coup, the movie has such a humorous way and it is hard to stop chuckling, even sometimes laughing :) I would definitely recommend you to see the movie with a fine bottle of Portuguese wine during a calm, early evening.


But how come together this movie and wine? For me it is possible, if we are talking about wine, the metaphors are everywhere. In this movie, there is a funny moment which made me think about the dry Portuguese wines at some point and that moment is the scene where the tanks all stop at the red light in the city, which is told to be true when they come from Santarém to Lisbon in the morning to overthrow the government. Then while the tanks are waiting, we hear the officer Fernandes: "So what, the traffic lights will stop the revolution?" :)

Tanks waiting at the red light :)

It is very funny and surprising since "a revolution stops at the red light", even though it is succeeded, and I somehow connect this with the production of dry Portuguese wines. Just like the revolution in the movie which stops at the red light, it is surprising that the Portuguese dry wines were just not that much popular to produce and sell outside the country until 1990s(1986 Portugal in EEC and wine monopolies abolished) despite all the distinctive characteristics and deliciousness full of deep flavors and surprising acidity. I think it has kept a potential wine revolution for good value but the producers were somehow not focused on that revolution-maybe even did not care that potential- and kept it waiting at the traffic lights(monopolies might be the traffic lights). Even though the country has the world´s first wine region with a formal demarcation (Douro) the production and exportation were under the Port wine domination until the 90s and talking about Portuguese was always perceived as talking about Port or Madeira. Today still, the consumers do not have so much ideas about the dry Portuguese, since Port is still something prestigious for the ordinary customer. But this will change in future for sure, I think dry Portuguese wine merits serious attention and sooner or later, it will get the attention.

I believe that the Portuguese dries are such great value wines which will bring up a revolution to the wine world, and so to say, maybe in the 80s and 90s, some producers had believed that too, and then just like the officer Fernandes did in the movie, they also raised their voice: "So what, the traffic lights will stop the revolution?"... And then they started to produce the great dry table wines of Portugal in big volumes to promote also at the outside of the country.

The revolution day, barrels filled with beautiful carnations

In the beginning of 2000s and still today, the wine world, -professionals, importers, sommeliers, wine intellectuals-, have got into a new search of different wines made of indigenous grape varieties and Portugal started to rise among some other countries like Greece, Georgia, Austria, etc. The wine world has started to look for something different than Cabernet, Merlot or Chardonnay, though these are great varieties which unfortunately have had horrible industrial examples (especially in the New World) and have become ordinary for people who do not really know from which region to choose these varietals. Right here, Lets see what Jancis Robinson says about Portugal in 2010:

"Portugal's advantage in wine terms - its isolation, which has kept its inheritance of indigenous vine varieties intact and virtually unaffected by Chardonnay- and Cabernet-mania -... has also been its disadvantage. The Portuguese have had this strange habit of making wines to suit the palates of other Portuguese rather than making the sort of fruity, juicy-yet-structured wines that appeal to the majority of the world's wine consumers. The wines that have traditionally been most respected within Portugal are incredibly tough reds that have typically spent rather too long in storage before being bottled and some slightly tired whites whose unfamiliar flavours may strike some outsiders as slightly rank."

Of course she talks about slightly a past age and maybe on some topics she is right, but still, considering all these truth, the Portuguese producers succeeded to stay more distinctive than other countries which have had planted the French/International varieties regarding the business point of view(Though these varieties might give gorgeous wines in specific areas, for example see Bolgheri in Italy).

Also another advantage of Portuguese, according to me-for sure the best about these wines-, is the price-quality ratio; today Bordeaux and Burgundy classics, Sassicia-like, Gaja-like Italians, Vega Sicilia-like Spanish fellows, Screaming Eagle- or Sine Qua Non -like Americans have prices up in the air, somewhere close to the Stratosphere, so, the price-quality ratio of Portuguese wines will always be a safe harbour for the consumers looking for the best value wines. From the quality perspective, the democracy to the wine shelves will be brought by the Portuguese. But in the movie "April Captains", we hear officer Gervasio saying: "Ah, democracy! The human ambition in all its glory... Vanity, revenge and privileges under the orders of high finance... The turn of the chieftains..." Hopefully these wines will not get too high prices in future and the democracy of Portuguese wines in price will never turn into what Gervasio depicts. But there are still very expensive Portuguese wines too; for example, Barca Velha, the cult of Portuguese dry wines, which I would love to taste someday, but the price... the price is a kind of oh my goodness...

But all in all, what makes the Portuguese special? For me the answer is that deep characteristics in reds which makes them strong, jammy but delicious and supple at the same time, and for the whites, the floral, citrus-like aromas with high acidity, especially from the Vinho Verde region. Being indigenous, original but still humble, rustic yet delicious, masculine yet elegant, robust yet feminine, serious yet enjoyable... There are still so much words to say for dry Portuguese wines and I believe the consumers will very soon be aware of the quality of these wines and the producers have already awaken and saw the interest of the world on their wines. As it is said on the internet portal Wines of Portugal: "It’s an ongoing revolution."....  I am sure everyday more and more, the Portuguese will rise, because no revolution stops at the red light!!!  ;)

From the movie, officer Maia´s first victory and his warm smile

Some tasting notes on few Portuguese wines, which some are available in Finnish Monopoly:

Photo: Alko

Cabeça de Toiro Reserva 2008: Pink rims with ruby red color, blueberry, blackberry and then black currant comes to scene. Jammy with black pepper notes with strong but integrated tannins. Maybe little bit woody with a relatively low acidity but these are definitely not casting a cloud on enjoyment. Medium to full bodied, an elegant wine with a log final. 2010 recolte is right now available in Finland. 87/100

Esporão Reserva 2010: Ruby red, almost black. The nose is a carnival of dark forest berries, baked fruits, then sweet spices, little bit cinnamon and vanillin reveal. Medium to full bodied, in the mouth, blackcurrant dominates in time. The final is long dominated by vanilla flavor. The balance is impressive. It makes me feel like keeping the wine in my mouth for some time to enjoy the feeling longer before swallowing. Strong yet balanced, an iron fist in a velvet glove. 2011 recolte is available in Finland. 90/100.

Quinta das Setencostas 2010: Dark ruby red, opaque. A feminine nose, rose hip jam, blackcurrant, then in the mouth it is more intense and masculine, blackberry aromas together with a refreshing freshness. The nose gets dominated by lovely vanillin in time and blackcurrant-like aromas reveal in the mouth. Integrated tannins, medium bodied, velvety, the sweet final is moderate. A classic Portuguese. Good price-quality ratio. Available in Finland. 87/100

Photo: Alko

Quinta da Garrida Touriga Nacional 2007: Dark ruby red, opaque. The first nose is strong and impressive in fruit. Rose hip, blueberry, baked fruits like cherry jam; animal notes dominates the second nose. The fruitiness is in a harmony with leather and earthy aromas. Full bodied yet elegant with a satisfactory acidity. The warm final is moderate to long. Roasted dishes, stews, barbecues might go well together and it can handle lightly-spicy dishes too. 2009 recolte is available in Finland. 90/100

Quinta da Ponte Pedrinha 2010: Purple rims with dark red color. Strong nose with the domination of dark forest berries; blackcurrant. In the mouth, dusty tannins but lush. Aromas in the mouth reflects the nose. Full bodied, deep, jammy with a long and delicious final. Satisfying and feminine with its own elegancy. Not available in Finland. 88/100

Opta Dao Reserva 2011: Dark red color, berry notes with a nice slightly spice at the nose. Lovely vanillin takes the scene in time. Little bit astringent, tannins are really strong, final is quite long under the domination of alcohol but that does not really disturb. Masculine yet fruity and balanced. Not available in Finland. 88/100

Vallegre Douro Reserva Especial 2005: A brownish red color, reminds me Piedmont. Nose has a nutty touch baked fruits and honey. Surprisingly very floral, too. Medium to full bodied with a desired high acidity, significant yet integrated tannins. Moderate final is delicious, interesting, different. This is a strange wine. I mean totally positively strange. Still fresh fruitiness and a strange similarity to Burgundy whites in the nose, this wine is a very different Portuguese. Not available in Finland. 92/100



May your glass be filled with good Portuguese wine. Cheers/Kippis!








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Barbaresco Tasting in Emo 26.02.2014

Last week Wednesday, there was a Barbaresco tasting in Gastrobar Emo´s wine bar in Helsinki. The Barberosco producer Montaribaldi was going to introduce their wines with the attendance of the winery respondents. I contacted Emo for the details and decided to go there. The entrance for the event was free of charge and that was surprising considering that type of wine (to make it clear, since it is illegal to serve free alcoholic beverages in Finland, during that event no one was served with a free glass of wine, only the entrance at the door was free, the glasses were filled up with about 1-2 cl of wine to taste and then after that they were on sale; it was possible to buy a glass of any desired wine, if you like).

When I arrived, I was expecting to see a crowd at the bar but it was little bit different than i thought, not that crowded, maybe because of the scheduling, that the event started at 16:00, or maybe some other reasons etc.

During the tasting, the owner of the Montaribaldi winery Luciano Taliano, the export manager Giorgia Tontodonati and the importer Gianluca Poggio were present too and after the introduction by Giorgia, we tasted the following wines:

Spumante Brut "Giuseppe Taliano": Citrus and green apple aromas on the nose, a nice, everyday´s sparkling.

Arneis DOCG "Capural" 2013: Fruity nose with reminiscent of mulberry, well structured in the mouth with a  buttery feeling. The medium body might handle more acidity too.

Barbera d'Alba "Frere" 2011: Opaque, dark ruby red with leather and tobacco aromas on the nose. Blackcurrant is dominant in the mouth with strong tannins but the tannins are integrated. There is a also a touch of salinity too. Still, I felt like it lacks a bit of balance.

Barbera d'Asti "La Consolina" 2011: Slightly transparent, dark red with purple rims. Baked fruit and blackberry with leather at the second nose and good acidity in the mouth with red forest berries aromas. This medium bodied wine has a long final with a satisfaction of blackberry and cassis. Delicious.

Barbera d'Alba "Du Gir" 2010: Transparent dark red colored. The first nose is floral with slightly honey and forest berries, very well balanced in the mouth. The fruity final has a touch of vanillin, for sure it had an oak aging.


Langhe Rosso "Trestelle" 2011: Transparent red color with fruity nose, light to medium bodied, good acidity with a little bit astringency.

Langhe Nebbiolo "Gambarin" 2011: Light red colored with a touch of brown -a typical look for Nebbiolo- The nose has raspberry and clove, medium bodied with a moderate final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Palazzina" 2010: Floral nose gets spicy quickly and licorice gives itself . The nose gets a fruity character in time. Medium bodied; very elegant, feminine, a very nice wine with integrated tannins and a long final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Sori Montaribaldi" 2010: First with ripe apple and leather aromas, the nose gets a berry character in time, medium bodied with strong tannins, more masculine compared to Palazzina. Very nice wine to enjoy with a fine balance and long final.

Barbaresco DOCG "Ricu" 2009: Licorice and leather on the nose, fruity with earthy notes, with significant but integrated tannins, well balanced, a fine wine. Delicious and elegant with a long final.

Barolo DOCG "Borzoni" 2009: Licorice is significant on the nose but all in all, the nose is little bit introverted.  Light to medium bodied, gracious, characteristic.

Moscato d'Asti DOCG "Righey" 2012: A classic Moscato d'Asti. What to say more? Just beautiful, just delicious with tropical fruit aromas. Some Moscato d'Astis´ sweetness obscures the fruitiness of the wine but this one does not have the problem at all. Such a nice wine.

All in all, it was a nice event with a Piedmontese touch in Helsinki, a city where a lack of wine culture helplessly exists despite the high consumption of alcoholic beverages. Also it was not an ordinary tasting since the wines are just great, as what is not great from Piedmont? :) I would like to thank everyone who had put effort in this organization and I salute them.

May your glass be filled with Piedmontese wine. Greetings.

Luciano, Giorgia and Gianluca

Gianluca and Emo´s sommelier Eleonora

Luigi Einaudi Barolo Terlo 2009

Transparent dark red with light brown rims. First nose has green notes like chives, anise then licorice gets the scene with leather. Blueberry notes are dominant in the mouth with a high acidity, which makes this wine crispy. in time the mouth gets a fruity structure. Medium bodied with nice, integrated tannins, following a moderate final with a touch of vanillin and gets closer to the balance in the glass after some time. 90/100 39,70/75cl/February 2014

Farnito Camponibbio 2007 (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon)

A Super Tuscan style wine. The color is opaque, dark ruby red with purple rims. The first nose is extroverted, it has baked fruits then blueberry, raspberry, fruit jam and slightly blood come to the scene. An almost perfection in balance at the palate, it is like chewing a bunch of dark forest berries in the mouth. Extremely fruity palate is a great fun with a medium to full body. The fruity final is quite long. Tannins are significant but integrated. A very easy, pleasurable drinking with a nice and surprising satisfaction of velvety texture. A wine of moment, not necessarily something to eat together, this wine might be enjoyed just reading a book together or consumed enjoying the night with a special person. Non-spicy cold cuts like Prosc.Parma might be a pair if needed. Decent price/quality ratio. 92/100  28,50€/75cl/February 2014

Lo Zoccolaio Dolcetto d'Alba 2012

Opaque with yellow rims. The nose is dominantly fruity, a hint of lingonberry followed by blueberry. In the mouth, the blueberry aroma continues together with blackcurrant. The full body is even more prominent with the robust tannins, followed by a slight astringency. The final is long with a satisfaction of deep dark flavors. The wine relaxes quite easily with decantation. Quite a good wine for its price-quality ratio. I think it is very young right now and I am going to buy few bottles to age for some couple of years and see how it develops. It might be good with heavy stews and butter fried fatty pieces of red meat like entrecote. 85/100 12,73€/75cl/February 2014

Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino 2008

Slightly transparent, dark ruby red with purple rims. The nose is a big surprise for a Sagrantino, it is extremely fruity and elegant, blackberry and blueberry followed by a slight rustic touch, a hint of leather. The nose is a great fun, I can spend my hours with sniffing this complex structure of aromas. In the mouth, the fruity background continues with strong tannins. Tannins are strong, little bit astringent but integrated and delicious. This beautiful velvety Italian has a medium to full body. It has a relatively masculen palate for its elegant, feminine nose. It is also possible to get hints of vanillin during the joyful final, which is long and pleasant. It might fit to red meat stews and cold cuts, or just, I would also love it to drink, enjoying the night reading my book. Delicious, complex structure, characteristic. Its a wine for nice moments. 92/100. Not available in Finland.

Reserve Naturelle Chardonnay 2012

Light straw yellow, first nose has a touch like gooseberry then it follows fresh grass and a hint of lime. Quite fresh in the mouth and velvety feeling with a touch of butteriness. It offers an easy drinking and a surprisingly balanced character for its price/quality ratio. The fresh final is short-moderate but fun with a touch of minerality. It can be a friend for a lot of dishes like salads as a main dish or seafood plates. With this price/quality ratio, this wine could be your daily white. It is also an organic product. 10,47€/75cl/Janaury 2014

Domenico Clerico Barbera d'Alba Trevigne 2006 (Barbera 100%)

Dark ruby red with light red rims. The nose is dominated by baked fruits, a hint of licorice, blackberry and cassis. In the mouth, strong, sharp tannins with a little bit astringency. Full bodied. The after taste has a touch of vanilla and chocolate. One of my favorite regions, one of my favorite varieties... A very pleasant wine by a good producer, like the Villa Matilde Taurasi... These are serious stuff... Not available in Finland.

Tasted among some other wines during a blind tasting.

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Villa Matilde Tenute Alta DOCG Taurasi 2008 (Aglianico 100%)

Dark ruby red with purple rims. A very fruity nose, red forest berries among jam-like baked fruits notes with a small touch of woodiness. Sweetish in the mouth, in the mid palate, there is a nice touch of clove. The tannins are harsh, a typical Italian rusticity there is. The strong fruity structure is made up by the tannin and a character. This full bodied wine had a nice, long final with a satisfaction smile on the consumer´s face... Not available in Finland.

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Austrian Wine Tasting Helsinki 08.10.2013

Last Tuesday, I was exploring the Austrian wines in a very wide range for the Finnish scale in Restaurant Sipuli which is nearby the Uspenski Cathedral in the heart of Helsinki.
Few weeks ago, I received an e-mail signed by the names Marketing Manager Barbara Arbeithuber and the Marketing Assistant Petra Kotlan. I was grateful to them for inviting me but after the tasting when I got back home, I was not only grateful to them but also extremely impressed by the Austrian wines.

Austria in Finnish is "Itävalta" which literally means "East Power". Such a masculine naming right? But for their wines, no, with few exceptions, it is not working at all... Such elegant, chic, characteristic, charming wines Austria has that from the first sip to the last, they state a nice smile of satisfaction on the face. It is beautiful, it is feminine, it is charming, it is entertaining, it is intelligent, it is caring, it has, "personality".


During the tasting, I had the chance to taste indigenious varieties of Austria such as Grüner Veltliner, Sylvaner, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent and international varieties like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and more, as monocepage and coupage. The coupage wines were mostly good examples but some of them really resembled wines made of industrial/commercial concerns. But only some of them. After all, when I left the tasting, the only thing remaining in my mind was how great characteristics the wines had.

If you would like to know the producers and companies which attended to that event, here is the link for the booklet of Helsinki Tasting:

http://media.austrianwine.com/pindownload/pindownload.do;jsessionid=6FD3E8E56C39400B96C28C6D750E4CA9

Uspenski Cathetral on top of us "like a boss"

Geyerhof

Birgit Braunstein

I have visited the stands of several producers and I am totally surprised how producers can reflect themselves in their wines. There are "7 Elements of Uniqueness" attributed for Austrian wines and one of them is stated as "The People". That is not just a show of fancy words, that is true, totally true. I have met some of the representatives or producers of the wines and I felt the visions of the people at my palate. For example Birgit Braunstein. When I started to taste her wines while listening her kind voice and watching her warm and friendly eyes, I could see that, this stylish and kind person was "the mother of the wines". As much as she spoke and I taste, the wines became a part of her, or she became a part of them. There was a strong reflection/relation between. The same words I can really say for Ilse Maier of Geyerhof. Great wines, elegance, kindness, the warmth and care of a woman´s friendly eyes... She is definitely another "mother of wines". Geyerhof is also an Organic Wine producer, unfortunately, they are both not available in Finnish Monopoly yet.

Beautiful Design

Esterházy was another producer with great wines presented by the charismatic representative Susanne Janotka. The wines were very "Austrian" in sense of the significant character and elegance. But there is one more thing, that the great label designs. The bottle design is one of the most important reasons for the average consumer and Esterházy has great modern designs; it is not "new", it is "modern"( as everything "new" is called "modern" on these days, nonsense). Here 2 bottles to see, from the producer´s internet site www.esterhazy.at (Click on the pictures if you want to see bigger).


Among the producers that I had time to visit, H.u.M. Hofer, Winzer Krems, Umathum and Zantho are all very good producers for their price-quality ratio with great floral notes, cherry/berry aromas, high acidity with a satisfying minerality. Quite a lot of the producers do not have importers in Finland yet, so I hope in the near future, we can have a wider range of Austrian beauty.

Another Beauty

I left the tasting event with a smile on my face and some new visions with a deep understanding of how one can put his/her personality into the wine. I got a better vision of indigenous varieties too which made me very greedy for Austrian varieties like Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch. For sure I knew that Austria has big, crispy, delicious whites with high levels of acidity and minerality but I did not know that they had developed a very high level of quality for red wines, especially Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is such a variety that you might hate it if you taste a lil bit lower quality one and the PNs in Finland which are under 15€ are usually such examples of PN that can make one hate it. So, look for some Austrian one if you want to have an elegant Pinot Noir, if you do not have enough budget for a Gevrey-Chambertin. After all, I will spend more time in front of the Austrian stand in the monopoly stores. I suggest you the same! Thanks the AWMB again!

May your glass be filled with Austrian wine. Greetings.

Austrian Wine Tasting in Helsinki by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board

2 days ago, last Tuesday, I have attended the Austrian Wine Tasting organized by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board in Restaurant Sipuli (Ravintola Sipuli) and I am totally impressed by the elegant, chic, characteristic, charismatic Austrian wine. Soon I will write about the tasting event and the wines I tried.

May your glass be filled with Austrian wine. Greetings.

Soundtrack to your glass of intelligent wine:

While a bottle of Brunello, which is unexpectedly feminine for an Italian, talks to me tonight, I salute the master Neruda matching wine and music at the same time:

"I like on the table,
when we´re speaking,
The light of a bottle
of intelligent wine."

Pablo Neruda

Matching Music:

The Cinematic Orchestra - The Awakening Of A Woman

While the wine goes through the mouth with music into the ear, the beauty of the night is there with its pure starkly nudity.

May your glass be filled with happiness. Greetings.

Luigi Righetti Amarone Classico 2008

Light red at the rims and slightly brown in the midpoint. First nose has the hints of black pepper and quite fruity. Second nose has blackberry and blueberry and slightly woody. In the mouth, licorice and leather is accompanies by baked fruits like rose hip jam. It is not "the big Amarone" but still satisfying. The strong but integrated tannins are little bit astringent but no harm for the enjoyment. The nose reveals some vanillin in time. The final is moderate. It might be enjoyed alone or with cold cuts as well as spicy barbecues. 87.5/100 Not available in Finland yet.

Collina del Sole Amarone della Valpolicella 2009

Slightly transparent crimson. First nose earthy and has notes of licorice. Second nose dominated by licorice stronger and tar comes out in time. It is slightly fruity in the mouth, good high acidity, raspberry and blackberry aromas are accompanied by blueberry aroma. The leather sensed at the mid-palate is combining with spicy notes and tobacco insignificantly. Tannins are not that strong. This wine with moderate final should be decanted at least one hour before consumed. All in all it is still a nice wine to enjoy, even though you might not feel the expected iron fist in the velvet glove of an Amarone. It can match all kinds of red meat dishes, spicy casseroles and cold cuts. 87/100 Not available in Finland yet.

Whisky Tasting we held last week in Helsinki

If you start to get into the knowledge of wine, in time, I think it is inevitable to get into the knowledge of beer and finally, whisky. So me and my friend Eric, decided to set up a whisky tasting and got ready for the evening after a big barbecue lunch on Saturday last week.

We decided on a single malt tasting and choose three Scotch single malts from his big collection to taste with the fourth one which is brought by me (Singleton of Dufftown).

Then we started the tasting with our tulip glasses proper for whisky tasting. we first tried four Scotch and compared each other, then tried an Irish single malt "Connemara" and the Finnish whisky "Teerenpeli".

1- The Singleton of Dufftown 12 years, Speyside: Light amber color with a very fruity nose, dried fruits, caramel, honey, daisy flower. Fruitiness still exists in the mouth, lemon and berry-type of aromas. Vanillin with a floral touch during the long final. Rich but smooth, velvety. Better without adding water.

2- Lagavulin 16 years, Islay : Dark amber color, the nose is strongly dominated by smoke, then toast, smoked ham, wet wood. the attack phase is very strong in the mouth. Peat, little bit petrol, hay and salt strongly felt with a very very long final full of joy. Little bit of coffee is possible to get also.

3- Auchentoshan Three Wood, Lowland: This one has been aged in three different casks, Spanish Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Spanish Oloroso Sherry and American Bourbon finally. The color is dark bronze, fruity nose of lemon, orange, pear, apricot; in the mouth, vanillin and nutty aromas leaves the stage to bitter chocolate and toffee during the final. The body is weaker than Singleton but still a nice viscosity with sweet and fruity touches.

4- The Glenlivet 18 years, Speyside: Medium Amber color. Winey nose, cream; very sweet in the mouth, honey and butter notes,  little bit of vanillin. very easy drinking with a moderate final. The nose is quite extroverted.

Among the four Scotch single malts, with the strong smoke and petrol/tar aromas, Lagavulin had been totally different. Other three were quite fruity and Singleton of Dufftown was marching at the front among them with its thick viscosity, easy drinking and sweet fruitiness.

we had two more whiskies as I mentioned above and they were considered like the dessert after a big meal.





*Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whisky: Hay and floral nose, in the mouth, vanillin and caramel come to the stage with a touch of clove-kind of spiciness. Moderate final.

*Teerenpeli Single Malt 8 years: It might be funny for the Finns to read that, this is a very local product; that it has a porridge kind of smell at the nose. floral notes with buttery feeling and a reflection of the nose aromas in the mouth. Sweet-ish final is moderate and water changes it´s taste so much.


I am very much thankful for my friend for being with me to create this chance to taste and compare different whiskies and have a good occasion together.

By the way, interesting that together with sweet soft stone fruits like peaches, whisky goes well :)

May your glass be filled with happiness.

Little bit of Turkish wines

Exactly one month ago from today, I was in Istanbul and had a chance to taste some Turkish wines at the same time having a nice holiday, spiced with pepper spray and teargas by the Turkish police. The protests starting at Gezi Park against a despotic dictatorship-like government are now not only in Istanbul but in the whole country and the demand for real democracy and the need for feeling more like a human now take place in Istanbul streets. The police violently attacks people (not only protestors but any person they can see in the street) but the protestors seem like not leaving the place where they belong to. Turkey, seems like, more hopeful than anytime it seemed like before.

So, just one of the tens of reasons of that social explosion is the new alcohol regulations of the government, which mostly aims to finish the production of the beverages -like wine which contain alcohol- rather than protecting the public health. The wine producers in Turkey recently started to worry quite a lot because they are not anymore able to advertise their products, in any case. So I feel a bit lucky to taste some of the Turkish wines, as they might be the last ones in the world if Turkey continues like that.

I had a chance to watch the beautiful Princes Islands of Istanbul while having an amateur wine tasting. My hosts, who are two great women, were quite much into wine so a tasting with people who really take wine as a serious thing (as it is in nature) is always much more fun than tasting with people who do not care anything about wine but just the alcohol content in it.

My host and friend Hande with her mother and her cheeses :)

We had to taste 5 wines; a Turkish rose, a Turkish white and two Turkish reds with a French red too. I was mostly telling my hosts about wines during the tasting but I was still able to observe the wines and have some ideas as well as write some notes. What I saw again, as all the wine authorities say, was the great potential of local varieties in taste compared to international varieties. The local varieties always feels like close to an elegant, balanced wine while the international varieties sometimes feel like "forced to be a bottle of wine." Even though the wine quality is rising up in Turkey, it has been like that since a long time, as I had tasted several Turkish wines before. The taste, body and aromas are not showing that much typicity which might be a question of terroir, as the vineyards might be in too-warm areas in Turkey. This for sure does not mean that international varieties are not possible to grow in Turkey. But still, it really needs vision, time and experience in Turkey. Actually the French wine in that tasting (Guigal Cotes Du Rhone 2007) was a very good final and good example to prove how an average table wine should be.


With four Turkish and one French, the wines were:


1- Kavaklidere Selection Narince-Emir 2010: A coupage of two great local varieties. Straw yellow color with sour apple and lime aromas at the first nose with nutty and woody aromas coming after that. In the mouth liitle bit vanillin is felt during the elegant, easy drinking. Pleasant with a moderate acidity and moderate final.


2- Büyülübağ Iris Adakarasi 2010: Orange rims with a pink color. At the nose, surprisingly baked fruits, jam,  the acidity is satisfying (might be little bit higher), fruity and fresh at the mid-palate, moderate final. A good rose to enjoy cooler.


3- Doluca Antik Bogazkere-Shiraz 2011: This wine has been my favorite for the price/quality ratio long long time ago. The Turkish variety Bogazkere is blended with the beautiful Shiraz and created a fruity but structured wine to consume. It is a very average wine. But the price for that quality makes it very good. Color is almost purple with light crimson on the rims. The nose has blackberry and blueberry aromas with a hint of spiciness. Possible to get some cloves at the second nose. Nice, medium bodied an average table wine which is perfectly nostalgic to me.


4- Büyülübağ Vedat Milor Syrah Tempranillo Grenache 2011: This is from a series of wine which that producer created together with Turkish food&wine celebrity Vedat Milor and the series has his name. The reason they say that they wanted to create wines which have some level of quality with a reasonable price. But, what I can say, it is not balanced, it is a bit forced power to be wine I think.  Baked fruits and blackberry, little bit astringent, the tannins are strong but on the right way to be integrated, satisfying acidity with a moderate-long final. I think the strong body is overshading the joy of drinking. But that might make this wine match with strong meat stews or strong barbecued red meat, like lamb chops.


5- Guigal Cotes Du Rhone 2007: A classic for a good quality of daily consumption, At the nose rose, baked fruits, ripe pear; in the mouth blackberry, blueberry, cloves... Woody with integrated tannins with a full body. Final is long. A very good wine which sometimes I buy to enjoy, I haven't had 2007 before. There is also a tasting note here for 2009 recolte. 

All in all, Turkish wine industry has potential with a growing number of people who are interested in it. But the religious despotic government is ruling the country into a very scary way and that not might be only the end of wine industry in Turkey, but also the end of lots of political and social freedoms.

Still, for now, Turkey is hopeful, as its wines.

Wine Tastings in Helsinki, you wanna be a part of it?

If you live in Finland and if you are interested in wine in a serious way, if you read about it, write and eager to do more regularly, if it is a big hobby for you or more than a hobby, send a mail to this mail address wineandfinland@gmail.com in order to be a part of our tasting group --->>> There will a be a tasting group of 5 or 6 people maximum, totally non-profit. The idea is to taste, learn and share more about this magical beverage, more than paying membership fees to tasting groups. So you will not pay any membership fee but just participate in the cost of the bottles to be bought, which everybody in the group will participate equally. So you will have the chance to meet people who already know about wine and you will have the chance to taste fine wines which you probably don't buy regularly from the Alko shops when you are alone, because of several reasons, such as high prices. Send a mail and learn more details if you are interested, anytime, any date. An average wine knowledge is required. If you do not know such basics like, for example, what the tears of wine mean, if you do not know where the color of wine comes from, what salinity is, what minerality is, if you are not familiar with wine terminology/aroma definitions and things like that, these tastings might be a bit hard for you in the beginning. But still, do not hesitate to contact, do not forget that, non of us is a MW,  so, contact and learn more, maybe you can still join and improve yourself in time ;)

Wine Tasting: Bodega Atamisque 30.05.13

About two weeks ago, there has been another tasting that I had attended in Helsinki. An Argentinean producer, Bodega Atamisque´s Director General Jean-Edouard de Rochebouët was in Helsinki for a tasting with wine writers and journalists and me, the humble wine blogger, had the chance to attend this event. It happened in the office of Red Bev OY. Mr. Rochebouët and the Red Bev team were extremely kind and we all tasted really good wines during the following hours.

Please check the winery webpage:

http://www.bodegaatamisque.com/

During the tasting, I had the chance to taste seven wines of Bodega Atamisque. As it is Argentina, the predominant variety was Malbec. But there were surprises also. 

We have started with a white, then three Malbecs came following each other, then a Pinot Noir monocepage and two blends made the final:

Serbal Viognier 2011

1- Serbal Viognier 2011: This elegant wine has a nose of floral notes, a hint of honey and it is very fresh. Quite jammy and satisfying with a moderate finish. The altitude of the vineyard is more than 1000 meters so this means a 2-3 degrees of lower temperature, which makes the area proper for that white variety.

2- Serbal Malbec 2012: The nose shows a typicity for Malbec, black fruits and strong tannins in the mouth. Decantation might be better before drinking. 

3- Catalpa Malbec 2010: Very elegant nose and mid-palate. Blackberry and blueberry notes. Aged in French Oak, a very nice example of Malbec wine. Reminds me the Cahors Malbecs.

4- Atamisque Malbec 2009: A bit sweeter than previous wines, softer aromas; cassis, raspberry, medium bodied, good price-quality ratio, considering the estimated price.

Catalpa Malbec 2010

5- Serbal Assemblage 2012: Slightly tobacco at the nose, full-body with a high acidity, interesting, complex, it has it´s own character. Minerality, spices and fruity notes are coming out following each other one by one. Might be more elegant after decanting.

6- Catalpa Pinor Noir 2011: Claret, slight earthy notes at the nose, very soft and easy to drink, strong acidity with a long final. Spicy notes come out in time.

7- Atamisque Assemblage 2008: Nose is dominated by black fruits. Strong tannins but integrated, slightly astringent, good potential to age. 5 years old and very robust. Strong acidity with a long final.

Atamisque Assemblage 2008

During the tasting, there have been wine writers an journalists coming and going always and it has been definitely a busy day for Mr Rochebouët and the Red Bev Team. But I am sure everyone had a great time full of professional information and nice talk flavored by good wines. Frankly, the wines made me think that Argentina has a great potential not only for Malbec variety, but also several Bordeaux grapes and white varieties. Keep an eye on Bodega Atamisque and thanks Red Bev Team -Hadrien and Marina- a lot.

May your glass be filled with happiness. Greetings.