October 2024
Have you ever wondered, what is the Pope’s favorite wine?
Turkey is home to more grapes than any other country. Currently, there are roughly 1453 grapes identified in the country’s grape database. Most of the black grapes have names that end with ‘karası’ which is an old Turkish word for ‘black’ and are often named for the grape's origin. So, Kalecik Karası is the “black from Kalecik” and Ada Karası is the “black of the island”. Additionally, those many grape varieties are intertwined with the long and storied history of the region. Over 1500 years ago the Eastern Roman Empire came to power in Constantinople, the "old city" of modern day Istanbul. And when the Eastern Roman Empire ruled Constantinople and had its own Pope, rumor has it, the Byzantine Popes of Constantinople favored wines that came from one specific Thracian grape.
Meet Papazkarası: the black grape of the Pope.
Native to Turkey’s upper Thrace, Papazkarası grows from Edirne in the north near Turkey’s border with Bulgaria and Greece, and westward towards the Aegean Sea. Most vines are old, at least 35 to 40 years and older and grow in traditional bush vines. This is one of the few Turkish grapes for which we have a pretty definite lineage, being a natural crossing of Balkan black grape Prokupac and Romanian white grape Alba Imputotato.
This round, nearly black-colored berry grows best in clay-loam soils and dry conditions. It has the ability to make versatile wines that are semi-aromatic, fruit-forward, and naturally highly acidic with aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, olives, purple flowers, pepper, and spice. It takes well to oak and as such produces several styles of (usually) medium-bodied red wines, rosés, and blanc de noir white wines.
And so this October, we proudly bring you a special trio, showcasing why those Byzantine Popes were definitely on to something!
For years, Papazkarası was an overlooked variety until it slowly gained popularity with Thracian producers. Interestingly, it would be Papazkarası blanc de noir wines that spurred that popularity.
Our first feature wine this month, a blanc de noir from Odrysia, has been one of the most successful examples. Odyrisa takes its Papazkarası grapes and crushes them immediately, allowing for no maceration or color transfer. The wine ferments and ages only in stainless steel and is bottled with limited filtration.
Tasting Notes: Aromas of olives and zesty citrus fruits introduce this white wine made from the local black varietal. Juicy meyer lemon and green apple flavors merge with a briny tanginess lending balance to delicate dried floral notes, bright acidity, and a silky olive oil finish. A complex wine nevertheless suitable for easy drinking. Pairs well with light dishes and Mediterranean flavors often found in Turkish meze.
Our second wine comes from family-run Arda Winery. This is a particularly special wine from this winery, located in northeastern Thrace, near Turkey’s border with Bulgaria and Greece. The Saç family sources its Papazkarası from a 40+ year old vineyard near Lake Gala in western Thrace. Lake Gala is a bird sanctuary and Arda pays respect to the area by featuring different local birds on its Gala labels. The red Gala is made from 100% Papazkarası and aged briefly in largely neutral oak barrels which helps smooth out the wine without adding heavy oak flavors.
Tasting Notes: This lovely dry red wine begins with aromas of dried flowers and potpourri along with intense earthiness over black pepper spices. The palate brings gorgeous bright red cherry, crushed raspberry, and red currant flavors, cut with savory white pepper and olive brine, all rounded with a subtle musk and silky tannins to establish this medium bodied wine with a gorgeously long balanced toasty finish.
The final wine in this month’s trio is another 100% Papazkarası red, but this time showing you a bolder, more heavily oaked expression. Winery founder Akın Gürbüz sources his grapes from Edirne in northern Thrace from old, dry-farmed, bush vines. Extended maceration and 14 months maturation in a combination of American and French oak barrels create a fuller-bodied and rich wine demonstrating yet another personality of this beautifully versatile grape.
Tasting Notes: A wine driven by ripe cherry and black currant with notes of olive and tree bark, rounded out by smooth smokey vanilla and finished with a long rich earthiness. Can nicely compliment meaty or mushroom dishes and balsamic sauces.
You can enjoy and purchase each of these wines at the Fine Turkish Wine Bottle Shop + Tasting Room, located in Houston's Montrose District at 1909 Dunlavy Street.
Andrea Lemieux is an international wine expert with particular expertise in Turkish Wine. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine, the world's only comprehensive English language book on Turkish wine, and she is the founder of The Quirky Cork blog which is dedicated largely to Turkish wine.
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