Which Turkish White Wine should I Order?

How do you know which white wine to order in a Turkish Restaurant, if you don’t recognize any of the names?

There’s so many Turkish wines available, and if you don’t know your grapes you can end up with a bottle that costs a lot of money but doesn’t taste delicious. Personally, I’d rather drink a glass of water than drink wine that doesn’t excite my taste buds.

I prefer a Pinot Grigio or even a Sauvignon Blanc – as long as they’re light, crisp and dry. Both of these wines pair well with seafood, and when I’m in Turkey I eat a lot of grilled fish and salad.

But which Turkish white wine should you order if you like a dry white wine?

Introduction to Buzbağ White Wine

Buzbağ has become my go-to Turkish white wine of choice. I discovered it on our 2nd trip to Turkey, when the owner of our favourite Yalikavak restaurant gave us a complimentary bottle for Red’s 40th Birthday dinner celebration. I was hooked!

After drinking a couple of bottles, I didn’t forget the taste or the name and I’ve remained faithful to it over the years.

Here’s what I know about my favourite Turkish White Wine:

• Buzbağ translates to Ice Vineyard, and it takes its name from Ice Caves of Harput which is the one of historic cities in Eastern Anatolia.
• Buzbağ has been produced by Kayra Vineyards since 1944, and is one of the oldest, classical and  best known wines of Turkey.
• Buzbağ is made from 50% Narince grapes and 50% Emir grapes.
• Taste: it’s a soft (not overly tannic), gentle wine with a dry, long finish (which means that the taste lingers on your tongue)
• Here’s a review of Buzbağ Turkish White Wine from “In Pursuit of Flavor” website:

The first course was a cheese table offered together with Buzbag Beyaz.

This is a very nice refreshing wine with citrus fruit aromas made of Emir and Narince grapes. Its acidity is moderate compared to most of the wines. It is both strong and delicate, as the names of the grapes suggest.

It had a great harmony with tulum cheese (a Turkish cheese that is encased in a skin).

Finding a Pinot Grigio Replacement?

I’m not ready to abandon Buzbağ completely, but I’d like branch out to explore some of the other Turkish white wines available.

I’m going under the assumption that the best approach for finding a comparable wine is to understand a little bit more about the original.

By familiarising myself with the elements of Pinot Grigio, it’ll be easier to find a Turkish replacement besides Buzbağ.

So let’s start this wine discovery journey….

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Here’s a summary of Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris Flavours and Tastes from Wine Folly:

The primary fruit flavors in Pinot Grigio are lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine and apple.

Depending on where the grapes are grown, Pinot Grigio can take on faint honeyed notes; floral aromas like honeysuckle; and a saline-like minerality.

It offers a refreshing twinkle of acidity and a weighty feeling on the middle of your tongue.

• Italian Pinot Grigio Usually totally dry with brilliant acidity with a bitter almond note
• French Pinot Gris Fleshy and more unctuous with faint honey notes from botrytis (a type of plant mould)
• American Pinot Grigio Often with more exaggerated fruit flavors and with less acidity than European counterparts

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So now that I understand more about my favourite European wine, I’m going to go in search of some delicious Turkish substitutes.  READ PART TWO OF MY TURKISH WHITE WINE ARTICLE