Welcome to Havva!

After several months of silence, there appeared a new word on the blog, finally! I apologize for being so mute.

From now, this blog should be more alive thanks to someone who has just joined us. Indeed, the whole team Turasan joins me in wishing Sila Havva Sahin welcome. She will be your privileged interlocutor. If you have technical questions, difficulties to find our wines on the market, comments on a wine that you like or not, feel free to contact her on the following address:

shsahin@turasan.com.tr

By http://turasanwines.blogspot.com/, she will inform you of the release of new wines, new vintages and special tastings that we organize ...

Before the harvest, I told you much about this 2010 vintage. Now that the fermentation is completed and the ageing processes have begun, it is time to sum up the situation.

2010 was very heterogeneous that the different varieties have quite different behaviors across regions as it was even within the same region.

In Cappadocia, Greater White region in Turkey, we had a nice summer even if nights were less fresh than usual.

Our vines of Chardonnay, 8 years old now, were harvested on September 7, yields were low, only 23hL/ha and we feel it on quality. The various lots in barrel are full body. There is relatively little acidity but a beautiful fruit, for the moment on citrus and quince. Ageing on the lees with stirring “batonnage” brings a lot of roundness. So I look forward to the spring time when the wine is expected to express itself…

The Emir was very difficult this year. This grape variety had low acidity and low sugar levels. The rains that began around October 10 did not help us. We worked with grapes that have ripened over 1,350 meters altitude to find a nice balance. The Emir 2010 is less fruity than 2009 but more floral and finest. Maturation on the lees has brought a roundness that is well balanced with the mineral finish.

Call it a day. We will see other regions later...

TURASAN WON 4 MEDALS IN CONCOURS MONDIAL DE BRUXELLES 2010

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, for the very first time in its history, was held in 1994 at the biggest city of Belgium: Bruges… Created on impulse by Louis Havaux, the 1st Concours Mondial de Bruxelles could get 'only' 861 samples (an exploit in itself considering that they were gathered in 2 months). However, the international dimension, with 29 participating countries, the event was set to continue.

Following the joining of the Brussels Spirits Awards in 1999 it has gone beyond the borders in 2006 and made a premiere in Lisbon. After this successful start, Maastricht, Bordeaux, Valencia and Sicilia followed. Consequently, the Concours Mondial quickly reached cruising speed and success grew with each edition. Despite these peregrinations the Concours nevertheless remains faithful to its ‘AO’ and link with Bruxelles, the capital of Europe.

Since its creation in 1994, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has set itself up as the “wine world-championship”. Today it has proved its claim with almost 7000 participating products from the four continents representing more than 500 million marketed bottles. This gives us a good knowledge about the nobility of the championship.

Solely made up of professionals, the jury of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles brings together the best international wine experts such as oenologists, sommeliers, journalists, wine writers and international buyers and traders, every year. Their 40 nationalities guarantee the diversity and the unique character of the event.

The Most Controlled Competition

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is the first international competition which controls the award-winning wines after the event, to make sure that legitimacy is followed. As soon as the event is over, the awarded samples are compared with the product available on the market. For that reason, both of them are analyzed by a certified laboratory and tasted by a team of oenologists in order to compare them with each other.

“In case of inconsistency, the organizers reserve the right to prosecute via the relevant authorities.”

During the competition…

The competition is attended by the 250 tasters from 41 nationalities, and almost 7000 wines are tasted in 3 days/ mornings. Everything is considered including the temperature of the tasting room, the impulse of the music etc. 250 places are divided into 46 commissions having 5 or 6 tasters. On the table, there are a white cloth, 3 Spiegelau crystal glasses, and a bottle of plain water, unsalted dry biscuits to neutralize the mouth, a spittoon, a pen and the tasting sheets. The communication, even by the gestures is strictly prohibited to prevent the tasters be influenced by the other tasters.

They do not let the tasting other than mornings, since the taste-buds are too tired in the afternoons. Tasters evaluate each wine at the same time and give a point in between 0 to 100. only 30% of wines are awarded.

The evaluation criteria:

'Grand Gold Medal’	92,5 - 100
'Gold Medal'	87 - 92,4
'Silver Medal'	84 - 86,9

Our Excitement…

When we sent our wines to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles there was a point we believed:

“We will be awarded in such an objective competition!”

Any person who is in love with wine regarded how we listen to the whispers of the berries at the vineyards, how we coddle to our grapes & wines, and consequently how the berries thank us in a passionate way by dedicating itself to the beautiful wines. It was the best wine experts’ turn to embrace our precious children: Turasan Wines…

Despite being sure, doubtlessly we have been excited with the news from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles like a mother proud of her admired child. The next is, to share this honorable news with the wine lovers who are ready -waiting for invite and already honored to share this.

Wine	Award		Country		Region	Company
Seneler Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Syrah 2008	Gold Medal			Turkey	Aegean		TURASAN Bagcilik ve Sarapçilik +90 3843 414 961
Seneler Narince 2008	Silver Medal			Turkey	Central Anatolia		TURASAN Bagcilik ve Sarapçilik +90 3843 414 961
Seneler Öküzgözü 2008	Silver Medal			Turkey	Anatolia Orientale		TURASAN Bagcilik ve Sarapçilik +90 3843 414 961
Turasan Rosé - Cappadocian Wine 2009	Gold Medal			Turkey	Central Anatolia		TURASAN Bagcilik ve Sarapçilik +90 3843 414 961

Thank YOU to choose-love-encourage us to produce the better,

For the BEST,

CHEERS!

End of véraison and 2010 vintage

In Zeynep vineyards (Ürgüp) our Cabernet-sauvignon finished its véraison. It ran quickly and uniformly which is a good sign and this year it is pretty rare in Turkey.

Indeed, many vineyards have been hit by hail. I haven’t seen any totally lost harvest, but according to the date on which it hailed, the consequences are more or less serious. On many plots there is a big difference in maturity between the clusters. The vine has flowered twice which means that on the same vine, some clusters will be ready to be harvested while others would need another 15 days of maturation ... If this problem hasn’t been detected and resolved early, the impact on wine quality will be very important.

I heard that most of the Turkish wineries have already begun harvesting. This is not our case but it will not delay. Grapes ripen very quickly.

Weather is warm and dry. On good terroirs as Cappadocia and Güney nights are cool. The day/night temperature differences (15°C at least) that we have are very good for maturation, synthesis of flavors and anthocyanin (color).

The red grapes I've tasted so far are not yet ready to be harvested but the juices are already well-colored and fruity.

To be continued soon...

Emir 2009 & Misket Dömisek 2009

In 2009, Emir was harvested late, on October 15th! Indeed, summer 2009 has been mixed regarding weather: long days of rain alternating with some good weather. Late September-early October, we had a nice weather with not too high temperatures. Thanks to it the Emir vineyards benefited from a long period of maturation.

Its pale gold color is stronger than classical Emir wines which generally have a very light color.

The nose is rich with notes of quince, white peach, mango, pineapple, banana, vanilla and minerality.

In mouth, the attack is fresh with notes of pear, peach, quince and jasmine.

A short maturation on lees brings to this wine a nice balance with roundness and acidity.

Emir 2009 is perfect for aperitif, fishes, all plates of sea food and some cream cheeses.

    

The most significant fact with this Misket, or Bornova’s Muscat is its color. This wine is almost transparent.

Its nose is explosive with notes of mimosa, acacia honey, white peach and apricot.

On the palate, it has aromas of honey, apricot jam and peach syrup. In this semi-dry wine, sugar is well integrated. It's balanced in the final by a good acidity.

This wine is very aromatic and well balanced. It is perfect for an aperitif and get well with a fruit or chocolate dessert.

These two wines are now available at our sail points in Turkey : Ürgüp, Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara and we deliver everywhere in the country. More information on our website: http://www.turasan.com.tr/

Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008

Gold medal in the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010

The Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008 you’ve been waiting for so long is now available!

It's a blend of the finest red grape varieties. In the 2008 vintage, there is 45% Merlot from the region of Denizli (Güney). It brings body, roundness and notes of black fruits (blackcurrant and blackberry) to this wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon , also coming from Güney, represents 30% of the blend. It gives to the wine a great aromatic delicacy (notes of ginger, wild strawberry and gingerbread) and a nice tannic structure.

The 25% left are Syrah; 2/3 of it come from Cappadocia and 1/3 from Güney. Even if it is a small part in the blend, Syrah is truly present in the nose with lovely notes of violets and white pepper.

This great red wine was aged 12 months in barrel and 11 months in our cellar. You can either taste it now or wait for a decade.

It will accompany all your red meat, game and dishes prepared with a mushroom sauce ...

A new Turasan wine !

You already know our varietal wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in our Kav Serie. A Syrah is now available.

This wine, elaborated with grapes from Güney vineyards (Denizli), was vinified in tank with a cold maceration and a total maceration of 25 days. Everything has been done to preserve a lot of fruit in this wine.

Our 2008 Syrah has a dark color with hints of purple. A nose of black fruit, cherry juice, plum, blackcurrant, licorice and pepper.

The mouth, slightly oaked, is largely dominated by the fruit, cherry and blackcurrant.

This wine is an excellent accompaniment for all white and red meat (not too spicy). In this season, I recommend to drink it slightly cool (15-16 ° C) with grilled meat, a delight!

Seneler Öküzgözü 2008

Silver Medal in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010

What can I say about this wine?... I love it, it has got everything! Öküzgözü is certainly my favorite Turkish red grape variety. It gives incredibly fruity wines with fine tannins and a beautiful body. When, in addition, the grapes come from this small parcel of Elazig located on a beautiful “terroir”, I have all that I could wish for.

The Seneler Öküzgözü 2008 is an exclusive “cuvée”. The grapes come from a single vineyard in Elazığ. In fact, two small parcels next to each other rather different and very complementary.

It was fermented in tank and aged in French oak barrels for 12 months with a low percentage of new oak to preserve all the grape variety typicality.

Nice deep red hue, almost black.

The nose, of great aromatic richness, is expressed by typical black fruits of Öküzgözü: black cherry, plum and raisin. There are also more developed notes of cinnamon, coffee and black olive.

The palate is rich and concentrated with blackberry and cherry flavors.

A few touches of spicy and discrete oak (coffee, vanilla) bring complexity and smoothness to this wine with plenty of expression.

This wine is an excellent accompaniment for red meat, a beef tartar, a truffle cake…

Tasting with Stéphane Toutoundji

Today with Stéphane Toutoundji (our French consultant from Bordeaux), Hasan Turasan and Mustafa Seçen, we tasted all the 2009 wines that are still ageing in the winery.

This work requires great attention and concentration, because there are many samples to taste and they are analyzed by our noses and our mouths ...

We did the final blend of Seneler Chardonnay 2009. It has the concentration of 2007 but much more finesse and elegance. I love this wine of great complexity that combines typical notes of Chardonnay (quince, butter) with notes of barrel ageing (toasted, roasted, vanilla) and some flavors from our “terroir” in Cappadocia. In fact the last three vintages, each year we find a very fine aroma of fresh pine tree ... I associate it with the “terroir”, maybe the next vintages will confirm it ...

The conclusion of this tasting is positive. Stéphane was very satisfied with everything he has tasted. The 2009 has a lot of fruit flavors, soft tannins, a nice body and this difficult vintage has a nice freshness through acidity. A few months ageing more and we will prepare 2009 blends.

Some samples before tasting :

Stéphane Toutoundji, our French consultant from Bordeaux :

Visit to Güney

Late June / early July, I went to Güney, near Denizli. Since 2008, we closely work with some growers in this region and it is a real pleasure.

Located 900 meters above sea level, this plateau has a magical “terroir”! The influence of the Aegean Sea is very strong. Days are warm but with dry air. Upon nightfall, the temperature drops rapidly due to sea breezes. The soil is composed of red clay and limestone, whose depth is quite variable. The secret of this region comes mostly from the sub-soil; a thick stratum of limestone which has two major qualities. A good water retention capacity and the fact that this rock is friable, which means that the roots can penetrate it easily. Therefore vines have the water immediately available but it's hard to extract ... In summer, it does not rain in this region and the vine has to force to extract water. This put the vines in moderate water stress what is an absolutely essential condition for a good grape ripening.

Additionally, growers of the Güney region are very interested in their culture and always want to improve their work. They ask many questions and work very well. The result : beautiful vineyards, high quality grapes and exceptional wines : Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008 Gold Medal in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010!

Güney soil profile :

Soil composed of red clay and limestone

 

The top stratum of clay and limestone whose thickness varies



Sub-soil consists of a friable chalky rock where the roots can penetrate deep

Öküzgözü and Chardonnay

This week I went to Elazig to visit the vineyards of Öküzgözü we are working with. I spoke with the vinegrowers and I could give them some advices. In this region, the yields will be naturally low this year. The wines will be better!

The weather, like everywhere in the country, remains quite capricious. The spring has alternated between wet and nice (sunny) weather period. It would be good that summer really starts now. Excessive water is never good; it promotes diseases and makes too fat berries. We are only in late June, the harvest is not upcoming yet. So there is no reason to worry.

In Ürgüp, our Chardonnay grows with an incredible speed. There is no disease; the clusters are small, dense and well distributed throughout the plant. Shoot growth has slowed and should stop within three weeks that’s to say at the beginning of veraison (ripening). Then we simply need to wait for the harvest which is likely to be early this year ...

Growing bud :

Bud growth slowing :

Shoot (=branch) growth stopped :

"Relevage" of the Cabernet Sauvignon

Last week, the Cabernet Sauvignon from our vineyards located in Ürgüp were blooming. And last week we also had big storms... The bloom hasn’t taken place in optimum conditions and there is a lot of “coulure” : because of rain and cool temperatures, many small berries (as big as a pellet) fall down. It is still too early to do an accurate forecast, but overall it seems that yield losses will be quite small and quite beneficial.

Indeed, the potential yields were too high. This rain has regulated them naturally.

This week in the vineyard, our team is making a job that we call “relevage” in French. The branches grow in different directions, particularly in the rank, preventing the tractor to go through it.

before the "relevage"

The “relevage” is done by tying the branches between wires and thus a wall of vegetation is formed, whose thickness is controlled.

This allows to create a microclimate that’s favorable to photosynthesis, maturation of the grape and the good development of the vine.

after "relevage"

Bottling

Lately, I've spoken mostly of the vineyards. Let’s return to the cellar, the bottling chain precisely.  

The spring and early summer periods are favorable to bottling. This is the last technical step before selling the wine.  A bottling can not be improvised at the last minute, the wine has to be prepared. This job can sometimes take three months.

At this stage, the wine is "fragile" and the slightest error can have major consequences on the quality of the final product. A filter poorly prepared, a tank not correctly cleaned, a machine poorly resolved and it is a disaster! Our team ensures that everything goes well throughout the process.

The bottles are first cleaned and dried :

before being filled (Turasan Rose 2009 on picture) : 

corked : 

labelled, and then packaged in boxes of 12 bottles : 

During the corking, corks are compressed and must take their initial shape in the bottle to ensure a perfect seal. Therefore, we maintain bottles vertical during 24-48 hours. Then they are layed down and stored a few weeks or months depending on the wine.

The wine is aged in the bottle in our cellars. 

Satisfaction

A few days ago I had dinner with friends. One of them told me that he never drinks wine or very rarely white wine. 

As an aperitif we drank Turasan Rose 2009. At dinner we had red wine, Seneler Öküzgözü 2007.

The friend drunk both of them. Was it courtesy or did he really appreciate?

Well, yesterday, I learned that now, in restaurant, he orders the Turasan Rose instead of raki. It gives me a great satisfaction and gratitude for all the work done by the Turasan team.  

Thank you! 

May and release of a new vintage

May is now finishing and the weather was mixed during this month. We had hot days and some others cooler and rainy. Overall, everything went well and the vines are doing very well. After some sunny days, they have grown very quickly. The Chardonnay vines have even begun flowering. 

 

We’ll probably harvest them late August or early September. 

It is going like a relatively early vintage but the soils are well loaded with water and there’s no disease in the vineyard. It looks like everything is going well! 

In our “Kav” series, you can now find our Öküzgözü Bogazkere 2008 on sale. 2007 was scorching as you remember and we chose not to produce this blend in a so dry vintage. So we skip from 2006 to 2008.

 

This blend combines the fruit of the Öküzgözü and the spices of the Boğazkere. This red wine has notes of licorice, prune, cherry, orange blossom and toast. The attack is dominated by the roundness and fruit of Öküzgözü with black cherry, evolving then on licorice and more and more spicy and toasted notes, in a typical structured tannic finish of Bogazkere.

This wine is an excellent accompaniment to grilled red meats or lamb leg. 

Concours mondial de Bruxelles

First of all I would like to apologize for such a long silence on the blog but spring is a busy time both at the winery and vineyard.

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is one of the largest international competitions for wines and spirits. It is almost 7,000 different samples sent from all around the world.

The jury of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is composed entirely of wine professionals, known to be international experts. There are nearly 40 nationalities represented in the jury.

Only wines and spirits that obtained the highest ranking are eligible for prestigious medals.

Thanks to the seriousness of the organization, a strict selection of jury members and its international reputation, the Concours mondial de Bruxelles has in some ways become the "World Championship" of wine.

That is why we are proud to have achieved medals in the last two years. Indeed:

• The Seneler Öküzgözü 2007 and 2008 won silver medals
• The Seneler Narince 2007 and 2008 were also silver
• The Seneler Cabernet-Sauvignon/Merlot/Syrah 2008 was gold
• The Turasan rose 2009 was gold

As far as I know, it is the first time that a Turkish Rose wine wins a medal in an international wine competition. And we started with gold, what is not so bad, isn’t it?...

Most of these wines are already available on the market, the others soon.

Feel free to contact us if you want to taste them.

Turasan wines rewarded

We have the pleasure to share with you some good news.

The projects that we have undertaken to improve the quality of our wines since 2006 with our French oenologist consultants have begun to pay off.

In 2009, in Turkey, we were the only winery to be awarded at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of the most famous international wine competitions. We had sent 2007 vintage wines, which won three silver medals.

This year we also participated and our 2008 vintage wines have again been rewarded by winning two silver and two gold medals.

  

 

We are very proud to share our success with you.

Best regards,

Hasan Turasan

Zeynep vineyard

One of the Turasan vineyards is located in Ürgüp, Cappadocia at 1,050 meters, so it’s one of the highest vineyards in the world.

This 40 acres parcel is named Zeynep, which is also the name of Hasan Turasan’s daughter. She was born in 2001, creation date of the vineyard. 

Tomorrow is the beginning of May and the temperatures should warm up quickly. This will be good for the Chardonnay’s growth. At this time all the buds have broken and branches started to grow.

 Chardonnay vine at 4 leaves stage

To avoid excessive competition with the vines, every second row has been lightly plowed. The other one is still grassy. 

Thanks to a single pass with the rotovator the grass is slightly buried under a few inches of soil. It will be quickly converted into organic matter.

This practice is very beneficial, because it enriches the soil with organic matter, unpacks it and improves its structure. Water and air circulation is better and the soil life can develop itself more easily (fungi, bacteria, worms...).

We often hear that at least 80% of the quality of a wine comes from the quality of grapes. Well, we can say that 50% of the quality of grapes comes from the soil quality and its proper functioning. The soil must be alive to give good grapes!

For this reason among others, we do not use chemical weed killers in our vineyards. The qualitative result is there: the vines are beautiful; the wines are more and more fruity and balanced. As an extra, it's nice to have small flowers in our vineyard in spring...

Grassy inter-raw and biodiversity

Ladybig on a vine

Turasan Rose 2009

Rose wine is a product that didn't use to be so much drunk in Turkey; but the last two years it has begun to attract and seduce more and more consumers. And that is a very good thing. This wine is both cheap and very easy to drink with many common dishes.

Since the 2007 vintage Turasan produces a Rose wine, blend of Kalecik Karasi and Öküzgözü.
This Rose wine is produced by bleeding. It is the result of a short maceration of the juice with the skins. After only a few hours of maceration, when we get the desired color, the juice is separated from the skins and then vinified like a white wine.


Turasan Rose 2009 is a blend of 65% of Kalecik Karasifrom a vineyard located in Kalecik and35% of Öküzgözü from vineyards in the Elazig region.

 

This wine has a bright pink color with blue hints. Its nose is equally brilliant as its color: grenadine syrup, strawberry, black currant, black cherry and kirsch mingle with more spicy notes of pepper and licorice.

The mouth is a subtle balance between the acidity of 2009 vintage and the natural roundness of the wine. It is expressed by aromas of grenadine syrup, caramel, candied apple and a fruity finish of black currant and strawberry.

Like almost all rose wines, it should be drunk cool within three years. In summer at 6-8 °C, the rest of the year at 8-10 °C.

Öküzgözü 2008

Our Öküzgözü 2008 is available since a few days. This wine was made from a single grape variety: Öküzgözü, and all the grapes come from Elazig region.

 

Öküzgözü means “Bull’s eye” in English . This grape with large berries leads to deep color wines with an intense nose.

The nose is first expressed by typical notes of cherry, black cherry, prune, and then most original flavors of dried apricot and thyme.

The mouth is very round; it combines black currant and cherry jam aromas with more spicy notes of black pepper.

This very fruity red wine will get very well with white meats in sauce or not too spicy red meats.

For red wines, the ideal serving temperature is generally 18-20 ° C. The Öküzgözü 2008 can also be served at a slightly cooler temperature, 16 °C, to highlight the fruit of the grape variety and reduce the perception of spicy notes.

Have a nice tasting!

Springtime in the vineyards

In spring, there's a lot of work in the vineyard. This is especially true in Cappadocia where we do not work at all in winter because of cold and snow. 

To protect the vines from winter frost, they are formed into a mound in autumn. In fact, the plants are covered with soil up to the graft point. 

The weather has now warmed and the vegetation starts to grow. We must remove the mounds to prevent the grafts to free themselves from their rootstocks by doing their own roots. Otherwise it would become susceptible to phylloxera. 

We start with a machine and end up with picks. This allows to liberate the graft and to operate a first weeding on the rows. 

Removing the mounds

Liberating the graft point and weeding in the raw

The inter-row, meanwhile, remains covered. We do not sow, it is a spontaneous weed. So there are many plant species that coexist. It is a way of preserving the environment by promoting biodiversity. The microbial life in the soil is even better and this promotes the soil aeration and a good rooting of the vine. 

This natural weed is maintained as long as it does not exercise a too strong competition with the vine.

Natural weed between the rows

The Chardonnay is an early budding variety. In our vineyards buds are currently breaking. The winter buds have grown and the first green tips are appearing. 

 Chardonnay vine budding

Late budding Cabernet Sauvignon vine is at the stage of “crying”. The sap rise in spring provokes the apparition of these “tears” that drop from the pruned branches (see picture below). 

Cabernet Sauvingnon vine "crying"