Chez Rym: Tekirdağ, where Wine and Raki meet

On a day-trip visit to the city of Tekirdağ (about 130km away from Istanbul), thanks to my membreship to La Passerelle association, we had a very pleasant day in this region where Winemaking and Raki-making meet.

Our first stop led us to a vineyard producing wines from organic grapes by the name of Barbare wines (a tribute to the Barbaros village where the vineyard is located).

Upon our arrival, we were all mesmerized by the land, the vines and grapes maturing under the sun. A glass of Rosé was kindly offered as a welcome or should I say as "an appetizer" or in French "mise en bouche" to the selection of wines produced there.

Akın Bey, the wine maker, is native to the region and studied Oenology in the USA and worked in the Napa Valley, California. Upon his return to his homeland (literally), he helped establish with the owner the Barbare Wines Estate, from harvest to bottle.
As the winemaker, Akin Bey was quite helpful in providing a wind array of information to present the estate, the grape types, the wine-making process etc. I could have wrote most of this information, but decided to keep a certain level of confidentiality, and rather share some pictures (and wish I could share the "taste" as well).

In this 23 hectares estate, four types of grapes are harvested: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. We tasted most of the grapes off the vines, and felt the distinctive flavor, sweetness and to some extent the tannin levels of each grape type.

In 2010, two types of wines were added to the selection : a fruity yet not too sweet Rosé and a dry well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc.

But the main Red wines selection encompasses mainly two types of wine: Bordeau and Chateauneuf (if I understood correctly), which we had the opportunity to taste while having lunch in the property.
As a non-wine expert, I could try my best to describe the wines, but It is a tough exercise! so I will just say that all the wines were really and truly pleasant, very balanced, with a distinctive body (or "Robe" in French), beautiful color and withstanding aroma and scent.

My husband and I got the 2010 Barbare Sauvignon Blanc, 2 bottles of " 2009 Barbare Syrah Grenache Mourvedre" that would be outstanding when left to age a bit longer, and 2 bottles of "2009 Barbare Prestige"

(the prices were obviously way below what we pay in Istanbul wineshops and restaurants, although still high compared to a country like France).

As for the food part, we enjoyed for lunch, a very "fresh" dolmas, as of course the wine leaves are abundant around us and no need to be preserved in "salamura" or brine. This factor gave the dolmas a fresh, neat taste.

The next course was Tekirdağ Köfte and Pirzola, accompanied by garden salad from the house's backyard "potager".

And to finish the part on wine, there seems to be a saying in French referring to winemaking as "the Royal way to lose money"!

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The second and very rapid stop of the trip was at the store of the Mey manufacture (alcohol and liquor established manufacturer). Apparently, the manufacture visit in quite long so we were just lured to their shop in order to do some purchases.