Swiss wines haven't been heard much worldwide due to being neighbors with 2 giant wine countries like France and Italy. Although their own people consume their own wines plenty, we can say that it's not really possible to see Swiss wines in other countries. We too were unaware of Swiss wines until our visit to the region. While visiting our close friend who lives in Geneva, a trip we had been planning for a long time, we found the opportunity to taste the country's wines with our visit to the UNESCO-protected Lavaux vineyard region, which is only a 2-hour distance away 🙂
In Switzerland, wine is basically produced in 3 separate regions. In the regions neighboring the Italian, French, and German borders, production similar to the viticulture styles of their neighboring countries is carried out. In general, Swiss wines stand out with their local grape varieties and small producer tradition. During our trip, we saw so many different producers of all sizes that we were quite surprised by the number of producers in a country whose name isn't very well known in this regard.
Swiss Wine Regions Source: https://edibleswitzerland.com/calendar-of-events-to-plan-a-food-and-wine-trip-to-switzerland/Lavaux Vineyard Route Source: https://swissfamilyfun.com/lavaux-vineyard-hike/
The Lavaux vineyards, which entered the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 2007, are located on the shores of Lake Geneva. The route passing through vineyards established on quite steep slopes left us in awe by combining the unique views of the Alps and Lake Geneva. So much so that even the uphills we climbed didn't stop us from completing the route. We started our route from the lakeside town of Cully. Our advice for those who will visit on the weekend is clear: Don't go on Sunday, many places are closed. It makes much more sense to go on Saturday. We can say we were a bit victim of our friend's planning on this one 🙂
Historic houses and streets of Cully
Our second advice would be to definitely take the elevation into account when designing the route. Our route was to walk from Cully through Riex and Epesses to the Gaillard et Fils SA wine house, and from there to the village of Chexbres. However, this route was quite tiring; we climbed approximately 180 meters. If you're planning this route, it would make much more sense to do it in the reverse direction. Still, the views were so beautiful that they made us forget our fatigue.
Our route, which makes more sense to do in reverse
Our notes on the wineries and other touristic spots we had the chance to visit (Click to add to Google Maps):
The vineyard terraces truly offer magnificent views
Les 11 Terres
This charming wine bar located in Riex was one of the best venues we visited in Lavaux in terms of price/performance. This bar, which had 3, 5, and 6-wine tasting options on its tasting menu, offered a total of 6 to 7 different wine alternatives. We paid 12 CHF per person (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR) and did a tasting of 3 wines at 5 cl each, with each glass being generously filled during service. The accompaniments that came with the wines were also quite carefully prepared. The smoked fish and cheeses served with the white wine were both local and very successful as pairings.
This quite charming venue, with its attentive staff and local grape options, allowed us to make a wonderful start to our route.
Les 11 Terres, a small boutique wine bar, is quite beautifully designed
Gaillard et Fils SA
This winery near Epesses enchanted us with its view. For the tasting, they serve 3 different wines at 10 cl each; the price is 19 CHF. Snacks are available as extras, there is no pairing menu. The dried meat platter we ordered was large and filling.
We had a bit of difficulty communicating in English with the people serving at the venue 🙂 However, both the different local grape varieties and the beautiful view made all the misunderstandings forgotten. An ideal stop for getting an idea about classic Chasselas examples and local red grapes.
Sipping wines made from local grapes with the venue's lake view was quite enjoyable
Le Deck
This was the gastronomic peak of our journey. This restaurant, with a chef's restaurant concept, located right in the middle of vineyards in the village of Chexbres, offers a very enjoyable experience with its menu and views. They have a tasting menu with wines paired with local dishes. Although prices are a bit high compared to the regional average, it's definitely a worthy spot for its views and food quality.
Additionally, the fact that sparkling wines made from local grapes, which we couldn't find at other venues, are on their menu is a bonus. We especially recommend completing your day by having a glass at sunset.
The excellent caviar platter and sparkling wine from local grapes on the menuThe view encompassing the Alps, terraced vineyards, and the lake
General Comments and Notes
The Lavaux vineyard route offers wonderful views but it's a physically somewhat challenging route. The route planning needs to be done well, especially if you'll be walking with a stroller 🙂
If possible, we recommend visiting on a weekday or Saturday.
The most produced white grape is called Chasselas. It offers a palate with quite high minerality, slight effervescence, a citrus and yellow fruit profile, and buttery notes. It's suitable for oak aging and has aging potential as well; due to high production volumes, it's also used in wines intended for quick consumption. A different local white grape called Charmont is also quite similar to Chasselas.
Galotta and Gamaret are among the most commonly produced red grapes in the region. Both have intense dark fruit aromas, intense on the nose but quite soft and easy-drinking on the palate. Their tannins are quite balanced even in new vintages, and we think they are grape varieties without too much aging potential.
Favorite Wines
Our favorite wines we tried were:
2022 Antoine Bovard Chasselas Grand Cru Dezaley - Switzerland, Vaud, Lavaux, Dézaley (4/20/2025) On the nose; medium intensity of flavors, gas, minerality and the feeling coming from cold Alpine winds. On the palate, acidity is medium+, and intensity is higher compared to the nose; the prominent aromas are: Lemon, grapefruit, pear, gas, and minerality. The body is medium+, and the finish is long. A wine that reflects its terroir. A more full-bodied and complex wine. As you drink, more layered aromas start to show. The finish is slightly sweet, like fruit sugar. Peach and ripe nectarine notes on the finish. (91 points)
2022 Gaillard & Fils Galotta - Switzerland, Vaud, Lavaux, Epesses (4/20/2025) On the nose, leaning towards black fruits – dried plum, dried fig, slightly spicy structure. It has medium+ intensity- feels slightly intense. On the palate, tannins are intense but quite smooth, much easier to drink than it felt on the nose, finish is medium+, body is medium. Flavor intensity on the palate is high. Despite the dominant black fruits, it's a very easy-drinking red. Licorice and clove aromas also show up on the palate. They paired it nicely with smoked meat. Balanced, medium intensity, and body, not a meaningful complexity. (89 points)
2019 Gaillard & Fils Gamaret - Switzerland, Vaud, Lavaux, Epesses (4/20/2025) On the nose, high intensity of flavors including a mix of red and black fruits – dried plum, clove, blackberry, slightly spicy. On the palate, again very easy to drink compared to other local grape varieties. Strawberry jam, sweet spices, and cinnamon are further aromas in addition to the nose. The wine's intensity is medium+, and the finish is medium. It is another very easy-drinking red wine. Balanced, medium+ intensity, slightly complex, finish is medium+. (89 points)
2023 Alexandre Chappuis & Fils Mousseux Brut - Switzerland, Vaud, Lavaux (4/20/2025) Bubbles are consistent and balanced. On the nose, medium intensity of flavors including yellow fruits, predominantly apple. On the palate, the aroma profile is quite different – sesame, umami, finish is slightly sweet, full-bodied, finish is medium. The aroma profile is distinct from standard sparklings, but we liked the taste. More weighted towards pear and apple – stone fruits – but intensity is quite high. Finish is a little sweet, yet it adds a lovely extra layer. (89 points)
Before saying hello to our little girl, we chose Dubrovnik for what would be our last trip alone for a while. When choosing our destination, we never imagined that we would taste this much wine in Croatia and buy nearly a suitcase full of wine on our way home 🙂 We had so little knowledge about Croatian wines that it didn't even occur to us to look into it until the last days.
After the unexpected diversity and beauty of the wines we tried while relaxing at a wine bar very close to our hotel in the city center, our 4-day trip essentially turned into a wine journey. We really liked how Croatians take such pride in their own indigenous grape varieties, and we added a new wine terroir to our knowledge base.
Dubrovnik is a very suitable destination for those who want to try an alternative wine route, with its wine bar variety, wine museum, and proximity to regions where wineries are located (1 to 2 hours). It's possible to satisfy your wine cravings while doing a historic tour in this city, which is one of the best preserved ancient areas in Europe.
Our notes on the bars we had the chance to visit and the cafés/restaurants we really enjoyed (Click to add to Google Maps):
D'Vino Wine Bar
This wine bar, which we stopped by to relax on the first night, right next to our hotel, was the place that changed all our perspectives on Croatian wines. At this venue where quite high-quality wines are served by the glass, it's possible to taste 36 different Croatian wines by the glass! In addition to these, they also offer wine by-the-glass options that change regularly every week. If you're as lucky as us, you can taste an aged Croatian wine by the glass. Tasting a 2008 vintage wine by the glass was quite enjoyable.
In addition to by-the-glass wine service, the venue also has wine tasting menus available until 9 PM. This venue, which offers a diverse wine tasting menu with 7 different lineups, is at the top of our list if we ever revisit Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik Wine Museum
We approached the wine museum in Dubrovnik, an extremely touristic city, with prejudice. This museum, which we thought might have been opened with touristic concerns, proved us quite wrong. The museum offers quite detailed information about Croatian wine history, grape varieties, and wine regions. At the same time, after completing the museum tour, it also provides the opportunity to do tastings with 7 different tasting menus ranging from 10 to 100 EUR. This way, theoretical knowledge is reinforced with practical knowledge 🙂 Another feature of the museum is the ability to taste examples of wine aged underwater, which has recently become famous in countries like Croatia and Montenegro. Having access to tastings that include an underwater amphora example whose regular retail price is 340 EUR is an excellent service. At the wine sales section at the museum's exit, it's also possible to purchase wines from some producers even cheaper than from the producers themselves.
M'arden Dubrovnik
After spending 3 days in a city almost entirely made of stone, just being able to sit in a place designed amidst greenery is a wonderful feeling 🙂 The quality of M'arden wine bar stands out with both its venue and its alternative wine menu. At this bar, which has quite different grape varieties and wine types from other wine bars, it makes great sense to come to increase your familiarity with Croatian wines. We were particularly impressed by the fact that they include limited production wines from boutique producers on their menu.
We left this venue, where we opted for the orange wine tasting, quite happily.
Barka Tapas & Wine Bar
Although its menu is more limited compared to other wine bars, it's a venue that can be preferred especially for its food. The owner is also quite pleasant to chat with 🙂 It's possible to have detailed conversations about wines. Options offered by the glass: A total of 6 whites, 2 reds, 1 rosé, and 1 sparkling wine.
Bakus Wine Bar
It was the most touristic wine bar we visited. Definitely very beautifully designed, worth stopping by for a glass of wine just for the design alone.
The first wine we tried by the glass was faulty. Although the sommelier tried to make us drink it saying "this wine is like this," fortunately the owner was there so our money didn't go to waste 🙂
There are no tasting menus, and by-the-glass options are a bit limited. But it's worth stopping by for a glass of wine just for the ambiance.
Wine Bar Skar
A wine bar of a producer that does boutique production at their winery, located 15 minutes from the city. Therefore, only their own wines are on the menu. It was a wine bar that made us happy because we had the opportunity to taste all the wines they produce at their winery and chat about their production processes. If you go without having very high expectations about their wines, it will be a place you'll leave happy 🙂
In addition to the 3 wines on the tasting menu, the fact that they also offered 2 liqueurs, again their own production, as a complimentary treat was also quite thoughtful.
General Comments and Notes
Our general observations and different information about Croatian wines:
They express that the biggest reason the country's winemaking hasn't been heard much on the international arena is the Croatian names of the local grapes. While this seems a bit silly at first, the pronunciation of some grapes is really so difficult that you may not get used to them even after having them several times.
The most famous red wine grape in the country: Plavac Mali. It was formed as a result of crossing Crljenak Kaštelanski, the ancestor of Zinfandel, with Dobričić. The most produced and processed grape in the country, quite suitable for aging, and very delicious wines are made from it. It also became our favorite grape on this trip. Although its name appears as Dingač and Postup in regions with different appellations, when you see these names on the label, you can know that you're getting Plavac Mali.
Well-made Dingač wines are truly superb. The most notable characteristic of an aged Dingač is its tobacco aroma. Its tannins maintain their structure despite 10 to 15 years of aging.
After Plavac Mali, the 3 most famous white grape varieties in the country are Grk, Pošip, and Malvasia. While generally softer, more easy-drinking wines are made from Pošip, full-bodied whites are produced from Grk. Malvasia is a grape that will please aromatic wine lovers.
White grape options are quite abundant, while it's not very possible to find a variety other than Plavac Mali among reds.
Generally, restaurants have a very diverse selection of white and red wines. This alone is actually one of the details showing that the country is a wine country. We even saw Turkish wine examples on the menu of a quite elegant restaurant, which was one of the moments that made us happiest on this trip.
Favorite Wines
Our top 5 favorite wines were:
Matusko, Dingač Royal Selection Barrique, Plavac Mali, 2013, Red, Croatia, Dingač: Caramel, biscuit, baby biscuit, nougat ice cream on the nose. Matured dark fruits and intense sour cherry. On the palate, all the aromas maintain their nose intensity. Smooth drinking and the aromas that come with aging enrich the palate. It particularly gives a sensation like eating baby biscuits. An aroma intensity that makes your mouth water just by smelling it. Superb. 8/10
Radovanović, Heritage, Grk, Pošip, 2019, White, Croatia, Dalmatian Coast: Color is golden yellow, linden, honey, linden honey, ripe yellow fruits on the nose. Impressive aroma intensity. Slight saltiness on the palate, very well matured. Full-bodied, long finish. Oak aromas make themselves felt from deep as smoky and smoked flavors. A balanced blend. 7.75/10
Edivo Navis, Mysterium From the Sea, Plavac Mali, 2016, Red, Croatia, Dingač: Croatia's famous underwater-aged wine. Its color is darker compared to the non-underwater-aged version. Darker fruits on the nose. Oak is felt with clove but not dominant. Smooth drinking on the palate, much lighter and aromas more prominent compared to the non-underwater-aged version. The effect of the sea is truly felt. Spiciness is intense, tannins are denser but less angular. 7.5/10
Vinoteka Gracin-Kiridžija Kontra Babić, Plavac Mali, 2012, Red, Croatia, Dalmatian Coast: A slight paste-like aroma on the nose from aging. Tobacco, dried fruits on the palate. The tobacco on the palate is so intense it creates a sensation almost like chewing tobacco. Very high acidity, high but soft tannins, long finish. Quite nice intensity. 7.45/10
Bonus: Barba & Gianni
Although we generally don't write many non-wine recommendations, we couldn't pass without writing about these two special places. These two restaurants/cafés, which we visited two days in a row, are must-visit places in Dubrovnik.
Barba is an absolute paradise for seafood lovers. The restaurant, which mainly makes fried/fast food concept dishes, has excellent seafood burgers and fried calamari. It's worth not passing on the mixed seafood platter.
Gianni is a superb pastry/ice cream shop. What we ate was so good that we devoured them without even taking a photo 🙂 We especially loved the chocolate dessert called Black Forest. You can pamper your hungry bodies after wine tasting at these places 🙂
In honor of not letting April pass without a wine trip, we wanted to compile our experiences from the Vinitaly and the City Wine Festival that we attended last April. While preparing this post, it felt like we had visited again 🙂
Many historic buildings in Verona were specially prepared for the festival.
For those who don't know, Vinitaly is one of Italy's most popular wine fair organizers. This organization, which was founded in Italy and later became international, organizes wine fairs every year not only in Italy but also in the United States.
This fair, held in two different concepts in Italy every year, unlike other international fairs, focuses solely on Italian wines.
The first concept follows the classic fair format. With a 120 EUR ticket purchased for entry, you enter the fairground and can taste unlimited sample wines from different producers at various stands inside.
The second concept is somewhat outside the classic fair format. It takes place within the center of the city of Verona with the feel of an outdoor wine festival. Squares and historic buildings are prepared to host many events within this scope. You feel the festival atmosphere the moment you arrive in the city. There are many visuals to guide you to the Vinitaly event.
All roads in Verona lead to Vinitaly 🙂
At the stands set up within the festival, you can do a limited number of tastings with the tasting coupons included in your ticket. With a 16.50 EUR ticket, you purchase a total of 4 different wine tasting coupons and 1 coupon for participation in one of the non-wine activities. In addition to these, you can participate in Wine Talks, which are organized at different times sometimes only in Italian and sometimes in both Italian and English, by giving 2 tasting coupons. At these Wine Talks, wines that aren't available at the stands are offered, and generally 4 to 5 wines are served. Since there's no advance registration and the seating is limited, you need to grab an available seat as soon as the previous session ends. Otherwise, those who are left last are left out 🙂
At Wine Talks, Sisi Bratella presents wines from different producers.
Vinitaly and the City is designed for enjoying the city touristically while tasting Italian wines and chatting with friends. Although we loved this event as a concept, it's not very suitable for those who approach wine more technically and want to develop their palate through systematic tasting 🙂 For this reason, we couldn't experience a very great level of satisfaction. Still, we couldn't help but sigh wishing such events existed in our country as well. It would be quite enjoyable to taste wines from all corners of our country in a festival atmosphere on historic streets.
With the events continuing until late hours, it's possible to enjoy the city both day and night.
If you want to make a weekend getaway to Italy, including Verona, which has made a name for itself as one of Italy's most romantic cities, in your getaway plan and tasting many Italian wines in a festival atmosphere could be an enjoyable alternative. If your intention is more like "let me drink as much Italian wine as I can, develop my palate endlessly on this subject, and thoroughly cover Italian wine regions," then attending Vinitaly's classic fair could make much more sense.
Favorite Wines
When we attended this event, Grapeful Travelers didn't exist yet 🙂 and we weren't taking systematic tasting notes like we do now. Still, by taking partial notes, we were scoring and recording the wines we drank. Based on these notes, we created our favorites list based only on scores without detailed tasting notes.
If you haven't read it yet, we recommend reading our post WSET2 Education in France, which serves as an introduction to this topic, before reading this one.
As a couple who has just freshly received the WSET3 exam results, we wanted to summarize our experiences regarding this education/certification program, particularly our international experiences.
Are these courses available in our country?
Oenotrian Wine School and IWSA in Turkey offer WSET3 courses in English. Due to very high demand, these courses are essentially sold out on the black market, so registering requires diligent follow-up 🙂
Why study abroad?
Unfortunately, due to the limited availability and high cost of imported wine in our country, courses abroad offer greater wine diversity. Having the wine mentioned in the lesson immediately in our glass afterwards makes the theoretical knowledge much more permanent by nourishing it with practice.
Why England?
WSET is a UK-based organization, and their main school is located in London. We thought that the organization that created the education would be one of the best places to deliver it 🙂 Since our previous course in France (WSET2) was more focused on highlighting French wines, we went with England for WSET3, which we thought could be more objective. WSET London School more than met our expectations in this regard.
Course Content
The course program options can be examined in detail on their website. There are 5 different time scheduling options:
Day release course: Takes place on a designated day of the week as a full day from 9:00 to 17:00, lasting 6 weeks including the exam. Quite difficult for those not living in London as it requires 6 trips.
Consecutive (intensive) course: Conducted as an intensive program from 9:00 to 17:00 for 6 days including the exam. Although the course program is extremely challenging, it's the most time-suitable program for those coming from abroad.
Evening course: Takes place on a designated day of the week from 18:30 to 20:30, over a total of 16 weeks. Almost an impossible program for someone not living in England 🙂
Saturday course: Takes place on Saturdays as half days from 10:00 to 14:30 over a total of 9 weeks. This program is also not suitable for those not living in England.
Enhanced online course: Completed with 9 weeks of education through an online classroom. Wines are not included; students procure the samples themselves and conduct the tastings.
Consecutive (Intensive) Course
Although the 5-day course from 9 to 17 is extremely challenging, it is unfortunately the only suitable option especially for those coming from abroad for a short period.
The classrooms where we received our education were generally quite spacious
Positive Comments
One of the best aspects of the education we received was that a different instructor came each day. Listening to similar topics from 5 different instructors over 5 days also allowed us to see different perspectives. Additionally, the fact that an observer instructor entered each class just to take notes on the main instructor's presentations throughout the entire day showed how much importance WSET London School places on education quality. Although there were points where the instructors occasionally contradicted each other, even this was actually one of the indicators of how deep and complex the wine world is. Compared to our previous education, having a single instructor means you only have the chance to gain knowledge from that one instructor's perspective, which can be somewhat more limiting compared to multiple instructors.
Perhaps the most successful part we found during the education was that the instructors were completely objective. Since England is a relatively new country in terms of winemaking, they can approach all other countries neutrally. We were glad not to experience the bit of French wine propaganda we had experienced in France 🙂 In fact, quite the opposite, we loved that they made plenty of references to the unnecessary wine elitism practiced by the French 🙂
An example from our education tasting sets
Another successful aspect of the education was the wines included in it. Drinking over 80 quality wines from different parts of the world back to back over 5 days was both a great opportunity to develop our palates and a true feast for our palates. We especially appreciated that the selected wines closely followed the course content. Almost none of the regions emphasized in the education were skipped. Particularly being able to taste 2 different similar examples from certain regions (such as an everyday Australian Shiraz vs. a premium Australian Shiraz) back to back was good for comparison and palate calibration purposes.
Negative Comments
In the WSET2 education we took in France, during a similarly intensive 3-day course, although we occasionally struggled with the nearly 20 wine tastings per day, we managed overall across the total course. However, for WSET3, due to both the course content being extremely intensive and the additional 2 days of wine tasting and education fatigue, we can say it totally wore us out 🙂 While we had been able to turn our evenings into a trip by exploring the city when we went to Paris for WSET2, in London we had to return to the hotel early and study nearly every evening.
Unfortunately, the educational content relies heavily on memorization. Especially in the tasting section, rather than making wine-specific comments, they evaluate and comment on wines based on the grapes they contain and the geography the wines come from, in order to better calibrate the students. The possibility that any given bottle might have matured differently than others is overlooked; wines that don't show the characteristics they should generally show can be interpreted differently simply because they come from a specific region. In the tasting sections, different possibilities can often be skipped entirely without being evaluated, or a very different or unusual aroma can be passed over directly without delving into its cause. Wines that might be interpreted very differently in a blind tasting can be praised simply because they come from a more expensive or prestigious region. To give an example, a cheap Australian Shiraz is defined as "Good" simply because it's simply made despite being a price/performance wine, while a Grand Cru from the Pauillac region is ultimately defined as "Exceptional" simply because it's a Grand Cru, despite the entire class feeling it didn't meet expectations.
The theoretical education part is covered very quickly in classroom sessions. It's nearly impossible for a student to pass the exam based solely on the lessons. Because of this, at least 40 to 50 hours of self-study before starting the course is stated as a requirement. Under normal circumstances, an education that does justice to all the topics in the book would need to last at least 9 to 10 full days. Considering this, the lessons move very fast relative to the educational content. Similarly, since WSET2 is a prerequisite, the topics covered there are skipped much more quickly in the classroom sessions. For this reason, if you have the time, it's beneficial to review the WSET2 course content again before the education.
Summary
In summary, although the 5-day consecutive course is an extremely challenging education, it develops the palate very well, especially in terms of tasting. The fact that no expense was spared in the selected wines particularly deserves appreciation.
Exam
The exam is considerably harder than WSET2. It consists of 3 stages in total and lasts approximately 3 hours.
Exam day excitement
Theory Multiple Choice: This section with 50 multiple choice questions is in the format we were familiar with from WSET2. As with WSET2, there are very simple questions alongside quite detailed ones. Since the passing score is 55%, this is the easiest part of the exam to pass.
Theory Written: The hardest part of the exam. The questions in this written section, consisting of 4 main questions, cover topics requiring very detailed knowledge. Very specific definitions are expected as answers. So there's no benefit in writing long answers by speculating and hoping for the best on a topic you're not sure about 🙂
Although it appears as 4 questions in total, each of these questions has 6 to 8 sub-parts. So in total there are 20 to 30 questions that need to be answered. To pass, you need to score 55% in this section independently of the other sections. The fact that the time for both theoretical parts is combined also makes time management quite important. Since the written part takes considerable time, the multiple choice part needs to be completed as quickly as possible.
Blind Tasting: In this exam where a total of 2 wines are tasted, 1 white and 1 red, the accuracy of analyses such as acidity, body, alcohol, tannin, and aroma profiles is tested. If the exam features a simple white and a complex red wine, you're very lucky, because distinguishing these is much easier. But especially if a simple but not particularly bad red wine comes up, then there's a chance of being completely wrong 🙂
During the tasting exam practice held on the 4th day of the education, after they placed 2 curveball wines resulting in half the class failing and the other half barely passing, we as a class started worrying deeply about the tasting exam. Following such a scare, we spent the evenings of our last 2 days doing plenty of wine tasting at wine bars. Following our instructors' advice, we also made sure to calibrate ourselves before the tasting exam by tasting what could be considered the simplest white (Pinot Grigio) and a red (one of France's cheapest blends). We definitely recommend this tactic, which we truly found beneficial, to anyone taking the exam.
Favorite Wines
Although we drank wines from completely different regions of the world throughout the education, we didn't neglect to make our favorites list so as not to do injustice to these wonderful wines we tried.
Glaetzer, Bishop Shiraz, 2020, Red, Australia, Barossa Valley: Dark fruits, licorice, black pepper on the nose. Very high aroma concentration on the palate. Oak comes from deep, integration is nice. Complex. Has the potential to develop more tertiary characteristics with aging. Should definitely be tried after aging. 7.60
Disznókó, Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, Furmint, 2013, Sweet, Hungary, Tokaji: Complexity is superb. Very high aroma concentration. Apricot, baked apple, honey, everything is there. The intensity on the nose is top level. The sweetness level doesn't bother at all on the palate because it's balanced by the acidity, full-bodied with a long finish. 7.60
E. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie Brune & Blonde de Guigal, Syrah, 2018, Red, France, Northern Rhône: The aroma concentration on the nose and palate is very nice. Although the tannins feel a bit angular, the potential is very high. We were very curious about how it would change after aging. It has a classic Syrah characteristic: dark fruits and spices, clove, black pepper, licorice. 7.60
Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, 2023, White, New Zealand, Marlborough: Full tropical fruits are dominant on the nose, passion fruit in particular is felt very intensely. High aroma intensity on the palate. Complex, clean, aromatic. A perfect wine to drink today. 7.55
The first country that comes to everyone's mind when they think of wine is undoubtedly France. Since we fell in love with the world of wine, France has been one of the geographies we've been eager to explore. When we decided to develop our wine knowledge through professional education, we naturally started researching whether we could take our course in France first. With both its touristic richness and the availability of English-language education options, we decided to take our course in Paris.
Before getting into the details of the WSET2 education we took at The Wine School Paris, let's briefly summarize what WSET is for those who have no knowledge about this certification.
WSET
Wine & Spirit Education Trust is an educational institution founded in 1969 in England with the aim of providing education to meet the need for specialist individuals in the import, distribution, and retail of alcoholic beverages. Although England has a very small share in global wine production, it is one of the world leaders in wine trade and the training of wine experts. Today, WSET also organizes specialist education not only in wine but in different alcoholic beverages (beer, whisky, sake, etc.) as well.
WSET wine courses are planned as 4 levels, with each stage separately certified. The first level, WSET1, which serves as an introduction to the wine world for those new to wine education, aims to explore basic wine types and styles. If you're starting from scratch in the wine world, this certificate is perfect for you. If you already work in the food/beverage industry or have had a long-standing interest in wine, it's possible to skip WSET1 and go directly to the WSET2 education. There are no prerequisites for taking WSET2. We also decided to start directly from WSET2, trusting in our general wine knowledge.
The second level, WSET2, focuses on winemaking processes, the world's main wine regions, and systematic wine tasting. The best aspect of this stage is that it gives you the opportunity to get to know world wines up close. It's very enjoyable to experience the theoretical information presented throughout the education practically through wine tastings using wine selections from the same regions.
WSET2 and WSET3 Systematic Tasting Sheets
WSET2 Education in Paris
The Wine School Paris, with its quite central location, makes transportation easy while also allowing you to do a small Paris tour.
The historic building where The Wine School Paris is located
One of the best aspects of taking WSET education in Paris is that while taking the course, you also have the opportunity to satisfy your wine cravings at French restaurants with rich wine menus. Between the 48 different wines we tried during the WSET education and the wonderful wines we drank at different venues throughout our trip, we can say we were truly satisfied with wine during our 5-day trip.
The Wine School Paris classroom
Since the language of instruction in the small classroom was English, everyone in our class was very multinational like us. With our instructor being Iranian and the other students we shared the class with being Indian, Taiwanese, American, Russian, French, and Vietnamese, we can say we truly had a cultural exchange.
The program of the course we attended was conducted as a full day from 10:00 to 18:00 over 3 days. At the end of the 3rd day, the education concluded with a 1-hour exam.
In our time remaining after the education, we enjoyed the streets and wine bars of Paris. Interestingly, although the number of wine bars is quite low, at nearly every restaurant in Paris it's possible to taste 6 to 10 different wines by the glass.
Exam
In the WSET2 certification, to successfully complete the program you need to pass a multiple-choice exam given at the end of the education. You have only 1 hour to complete this exam consisting of 50 questions. Although it may seem a bit intimidating at first, you only need to score above 55% to pass. Because of this, there is already approximately a 90% success rate.
Although we had to wait about 6 weeks for the results of the exam we took after the 3-day education, the joy of receiving our first professional wine certification was wonderful.
The Alp Family who grabbed the certificate 🙂
WSET3
If WSET2 has given you a taste and you want more, don't worry, there's more 🙂 With WSET3, it's possible to make a deeper dive into the world of wine. While learning the characteristics of wine regions around the world (climate, soil, geography) in much more detail, understanding how these characteristics are reflected in the wines is the fundamental subject of this stage. In addition, the effect of different winemaking techniques on wine is also covered in detail.
Because it has a lot of theory, unlike other levels, this stage strikes fear into the hearts of those taking the education with its written exam 🙂 Additionally, at this stage, a blind tasting exam is also conducted, testing not only theoretical knowledge but also practical wine knowledge.
This stage and the subsequent WSET4 (Diploma) cater to those who are professionally involved with wine or, so to speak, are wine enthusiasts to the core. Although we haven't yet dared to move on to that level, we hope the days will come when we'll write about that too 🙂
Favorite Wines
Although we drank wines from completely different regions of the world throughout the education, we didn't neglect to make our favorites list so as not to do injustice to these wonderful wines we tried.
During our 1-week London trip planned for our WSET3 education, we of course didn't waste our evenings. In order to both prepare our palates for the exam ( 🙂 ) and make new discoveries, we tried to explore London's wine bars as much as possible. Although the intensive studying required by our course made these explorations difficult, we managed to stop by at least 4 wine bars and experienced firsthand why London holds an important place for wine lovers with the options it offers and the importance they give to wine.
The point that surprised us the most in our initial research was the abundance of wine bars in London. As an example, the density of wine bars found just around the WSET school:
Wine bars within approximately a 30-minute walking radius Source: Google Maps
London, with both its number of wine bars and the variety of wines from all over the world, is truly like paradise for a wine lover. After experiencing the lack of wine bars in Paris, we were absolutely amazed here. Since the British love to drink, the number of bars is incredibly high, and among them, the number of those focusing solely on wine is not insignificant. We took notes for planning a vacation focused solely on exploring these wine bars on our future trips.
Our notes on the wine bars we had the chance to visit and the ones we definitely plan to stop by on our next visit (Click to add to Google Maps):
Bedales of Borough Market
On Monday, when most of the wine bars we had previously researched and selected turned out to be closed, we redirected our route to Bedales of Borough Market, one of the rare places that was open. The venue was a quite local wine bar mostly frequented by the English.
At this wine bar, which has a total of 20 by-the-glass wine options on their menu, it's possible to find wines from different countries like Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, as well as less accessible wines from places like Georgia and Bulgaria.
The venue's diverse wine menu, it's pleasing that all products are available by the glass
We were extra pleased that it was one of the rare places we've seen that serves Prosecco, Champagne, and Crémant de Bourgogne options by the glass simultaneously. We found the opportunity to order Champagne and Crémant de Bourgogne and compare them with each other.
We really liked the venue's fast service and appetizers. At this place where they bring octopus and sausage together as a skewer and make their arancini with saffron, all the flavors were original and quite delicious. Especially if you want to visit a wine bar on a Monday, this could be the right choice.
Exterior view of the venue
Vagabond (Monument Branch)
At this venue, by far the best wine bar we visited during our trip, the drink service is entirely self-service. At this place where nearly 300 different types of wine can be self-served from wine dispensers, you can fill your glasses in 25ml, 125ml, and 175ml options. The venue, which houses many wines from different segments ranging from the most affordable to the most expensive, is a complete educational venue where wine lovers can find the opportunity to develop their palates. We especially loved that they serve premium wines like Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape by the glass. We strongly recommend visiting if your travels bring you to London.
Inside Vagabond
The Monument branch is one of the branches with the most options at Vagabond, where you can find similar venues with the same franchise concept at different locations.
Vagabond (Charlotte Street Branch)
After being more than satisfied with Vagabond Monument, we stopped by this venue for a glass of wine while wandering around Soho, and it made us miss Vagabond Monument quite a lot. The negatives for us were that it was smaller as a venue and had a bit of a ventilation problem. Still, this venue with approximately 100 wine varieties will certainly be more enjoyable during spring and summer months. While this place could be a difficult choice especially for winter days due to the ventilation issue, if you're very far from the Monument or another branch, it's still worth going to experience the concept.
Baccalà Seafood & Wine Restaurant
Although its main business concept is a restaurant, Baccalà is a venue that has put great care into its wine menu. Their by-the-glass wine menus, which change weekly, have approximately 10 different options. Their bottle menu is quite rich. Since the concept is Italian cuisine, only Italian wines are available. The regions where the wines come from are also described in detail on the menu.
The wine menu describes the regions where the wines come from in detail
At this restaurant owned by an Italian and Turkish couple, there was also a Turkish waiter working when we visited.
We were more than satisfied with both the food and the atmosphere of this restaurant, and we recommend visiting especially for their delicious seafood.
It's also possible to read wine books while waiting for your food or sipping your wineAlthough we found the prices a bit expensive, we especially loved the calamari and the seafood pasta.
Trivet
We also had one of our dinners at Trivet, a freshly 2 Michelin-starred restaurant (when we went it was still 1 🙂 ) in which İsa Bal, our national pride and the first and currently only Turkish Master of Sommelier, is a partner.
As fresh WSET3 graduates, while we had incredible fun examining the wine menus, we had great difficulty making a choice because the number of options is vast and the options are excellent 🙂
This wine menu called Cellar, where you can access wines from all over the world from Iran to Canada, is so rich that we could call it the holy book of wine lists. The menu starts by showing the historical flow of wine along with the names of the countries.
At this restaurant, one of the rare places in England where you can drink Turkish wine by the glass, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Turkey are at the top of the list in both white and red bottle options. This also stands out as one of the indicators of how much importance they place on the history of wine. Those who want to browse can access the online version of the menu here.
A 70-page wine menu that is practically a book: CellarTrivet has different wine glasses for all different wine concepts, and the glasses are from Paşabahçe.
General Comments and Notes
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday venues are incredibly crowded. Especially from the hours coinciding with the end of the workday (5 PM to 6 PM), it becomes impossible to find a place. At least 5 or 6 wine bars we visited as of 6:15 PM on Thursday (despite one of them having very large capacity) were all full. Although the venues start to empty out a bit later, the crowds are much bigger on Friday and Saturday. For this reason, making reservations is essential, especially for busy days.
If your trip falls on a Monday, most of the places you'll want to visit may be closed. Nearly all venues have their opening and closing hours up to date on Google Maps. We recommend checking whether a venue is open before going.
Favorite Wines
Although we tried many wines from different parts of the world at these bars, some of the wines we tried were so good that we couldn't resist adding our favorites list as well.
During our 1-week London trip planned for our WSET3 education, since we had come all the way to England, we didn't hold back from exploring this geography that is one of the world's newest wine regions.
Although England has only recently started to be associated with wine thanks to the effects of global warming, the wine history here is actually very old. The Romans, who invaded England in the 1st century AD, recognized the potential of the local climate and soil for growing grapes and established vineyards throughout the region. While wine production continued in the region for many years, it was disrupted particularly by the effects of World War I and II, and as it lost its importance nationwide, the country's vineyards were uprooted. In the 1970s, the sector began to revive. With the founding of Nyetimber in 1988, incredible momentum was gained. Today, there are more than 900 wineries within the United Kingdom.
In order to use our limited time effectively, we booked a private tour from the English Wine Tasting Tours tour agency. We were more than satisfied with this company throughout our entire trip, which also organizes open tours every weekend during spring and summer at more affordable prices. Our guide Justin, in particular, took great care of us at every moment of the trip.
Our notes on the wineries and other touristic spots we had the chance to visit (Click to add to Google Maps):
Wayfarer Wines
Wayfarer, one of the most boutique producers we have ever visited in the world, is a family business. When father Jeff Ashford shared his dream of this winery idea with his children, they embarked on this venture together with their 2 children. Today they have an annual production of between 3,000 and 5,000 bottles. They have 3,000 vines on a total of 7 acres of land. Their building is like a small container, incredibly boutique. They don't have their own production facility; they work with existing wine producers for their winemaking processes.
At this establishment, which is only open from Friday to Sunday, 5 glasses of wine with cheese pairing costs 25£ in total. At this venue where we tasted a total of 3 whites (Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Bacchus) and 2 rosés (Pinot Noir-Dry, Pinot Noir-Off-Dry), it's possible to experience the classic characteristics of English wines (high acidity, low to medium body). We thus tried the Bacchus grape, which is very famous in Germany and preferred for its cold resistance, for the first time 🙂
Woodchurch, approximately a 5-minute drive from Wayfarer, was the second stop on our trip. At this winery, which has a total of 6 different wines consisting of 3 sparkling and 3 still, the price of a 3x50ml wine tasting menu is 12.5£. This facility, which is slightly larger than Wayfarer, has a balcony and garden with a wonderful view.
During the tasting presentation, we were especially impressed by Graham, who is also the owner of the winery, and his passion for and command of his own wine. Throughout the presentation, he shared even the finest details of the production process with us. While the first fermentation of the wine is completed at other facilities, they have set up their own facility specifically for the maturation stage of the sparkling wines, meaning they do half of their production at their own premises.
We definitely recommend visiting this producer, who takes a more experimental approach to wine and tries different techniques such as co-fermenting different grapes, for both their pleasant conversations and delicious wines if you have the time.
Balfour Winery
The largest producer we visited in the region was Balfour. We were quite surprised to see the production tanks outside the building here, something we were used to seeing at some wineries in Denizli. The problem with this design, which is done due to insufficient space, is of course not heat here, but cold 🙂 They use temperature-controlled tanks especially during winter months so the wines can continue their maturation.
This producer, which is the most elegant and largest in terms of venue, had truly wonderful presentations and ambiance.
We definitely recommend visiting this winery, where you can access many different tasting options through their website, especially to try English red wine. It's also an ideal place for having lunch or dinner accompanied by a beautiful view.
Touristic Spots
The Sussex region is also home to many historic structures. Since you've traveled all the way to the area, if you have the time, we definitely recommend visiting these as well. We were enchanted by the landscapes of this relatively rural part of England.
Battle Abbey: This abbey, built on the site where the Battle of Hastings between France and England took place, is home to many relics from the time of the battle. Unfortunately, we couldn't tour the historic area, which they said takes 3 to 4 hours to explore, due to our limited time. Still, it was worth seeing the abbey from the outside. Additionally, the town of Battle that hosts it is a classic English town. With its very old historic houses and charming cafés, it's definitely a town worth seeing.
The building is practically covered in moss
Bodiam Castle: Unfortunately, we could only see this castle, located 15 minutes from Battle Abbey, from the outside due to our limited time. This castle and its surroundings, with their beautiful setting, are definitely worth seeing.
Even though we didn't get the chance to go inside, it was quite pleasant to see even from outside
The Bull at Benenden: We had our lunch, arranged by our tour, at a place called The Bull in the town of Benenden. If you're wondering what a classic lunch in a classic English town is like, this is the right address.
Although hamburger and rosé wine are quite a mismatched pair, they are very popular here. Must be due to the lack of red wine 🙂
General Comments and Notes
Due to the climate of the region, the most commonly produced wine types are whites, sparkling wines, and rosés.
The acidity of all wines is very high, and their aroma profiles are generally dominated by green fruits and citrus.
Most producers in the region who make sparkling wine prefer to produce using the traditional method.
Most producers in the region grow Pinot Noir grapes. Although it's predominantly used in sparkling wine production, it's also possible to find rosé wines at most producers.
As for red wines, they can only produce them after very hot summers, so reds are unfortunately not available from every vintage.
The vegetation of the vineyards is very original. There is generally a very dense grass cover, and its sponge-like texture with incredible water retention really surprised us.
Because it's a cold region, German grape varieties are very common. The Bacchus grape in particular can be found at every winery. Red grapes like Dornfelder are also reportedly grown, but we didn't get the chance to try them.
Vineyards generally have close planting, and the grass cover between the rows is generally maintained.
Favorite Wines
Our favorite wines we tried were:
Woodchurch Winery, Field White Bacchus, Chardonnay, 2022, White: The aromatic profile of the Bacchus grape has created a nice balance with Chardonnay's higher and oilier body. Intense on the nose, acidity-alcohol balanced on the palate, full-bodied, an enjoyable and elegant wine. 7.30/10
Woodchurch Winery, Classic Brut NV, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, White: Fruitiness is at the forefront on the nose, the bread-biscuit-pastry aromas typical of traditional method production are less present. Acidity is much higher than a normal sparkling wine, and fruitiness is also much more than other sparkling wines made with the same method. Nice fullness. A nice alternative sparkling wine for those who love aromatic wines. 7.20/10
Wayfarer Wines, Wandering Wayfarer, Bacchus, 2022, White: A quite floral and intense aroma profile on the nose, aromas like honeysuckle and orange blossom. Finishes very quickly on the palate but has high and balanced acidity. All the aromas from the nose also come through on the palate. High minerality. Could have been much more enjoyable if the finish weren't short. 7/10
As our Greek Islands Cruise Tour, which we had planned months in advance, was approaching, the only topic we were researching like crazy was: Greek Wines! The wines we had recently had the chance to taste in both Drama and Chios had gotten us more than excited for our trip.
Wine Regions of Greece Source: https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/the-wine-regions-of-greece-map/
Our only problem was choosing which wineries to visit in our limited time, especially since Crete and Santorini had a great number of wineries. Based on criteria such as accessibility to the ship and tourist areas, quality, and proximity to other wineries, we decided to visit 2 wineries in Crete and 3 in Santorini. The Mykonos and Milos parts turned out to be full of surprises, both positive and negative 🙂
Our cruise excitement (Kusadasi)
Notes we took about the wineries we had the chance to visit and other touristic points of interest (click to add to Google Maps):
Crete
Crete, with its 8,450 km2 surface area, is the largest island of Greece. Standing out with its olive trees, vineyards, rich cuisine and turquoise coves, one day is definitely not enough for this island. That is why we only focused on the wines of the island. Ships also dock at the port of Heraklion, the capital of this island. Unfortunately, there are no wineries in this small city, which can be covered in 1 to 2 hours in terms of touristic and historical sightseeing. You need to drive 20 to 30 minutes to get to the nearest winery. Since public transportation is not very common in these areas, it is possible to resort to solutions like car rental or taxis. Since our time in Crete was limited, after some hard bargaining with a taxi driver, we agreed on him accompanying us for the whole day for 100 EUR.
Cretan wineries are spread across a very wide geography
Lyrarakis Winery: They have an online menu on their own website, with both tasting and price details for all the different options. You can also make an online reservation, but if you show up at the door, they can also accommodate you depending on availability. As a couple, we shared the 7 wine tasting. Their single glass pour ratios are more than 5 cl, so it is more than enough. The staff are very warm, the atmosphere is quite pleasant, and the wines are truly very original. Lyrarakis saved two different white grapes called Plyto and Dafni from extinction, and they currently produce both as single varietals. Dafni in particular has a very unique flavor; you might suddenly feel like you are drinking a basil and rosemary essence. Their overall wine flavor performance is very good, and it is definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area. When we mentioned that we prefer red wine more, they swapped a sparkling wine, which was the 7th wine of the tasting, for a different red wine. As our conversation with the team got deeper and they asked where we were from, upon hearing the answer Turkey, they immediately brought out Kuzubag's Calkarasi wine 🙂 We had the chance to have a very enjoyable and informative conversation about the shared grape Liatiko/Calkarasi. We can say it was one of the places we were most satisfied with throughout our entire trip.
Flags are up 🇹🇷
Domaine Paterianakis: Just like Lyrarakis, this place also has an online menu on their own website, with both tasting and price details for all the different options. You can also make an online reservation. It was relatively less crowded compared to Lyrarakis, so you do not need to make an online reservation for this one.
One of the biggest features of Paterianakis is that they practice organic farming. Before the tasting, they bring various herbs piece by piece (thyme, rosemary, mint) and specifically have you smell them and ask you questions, so you can understand how much of these you pick up in the wines. They say that since there are a lot of bees in the area, these aromas transfer heavily into their wines. And indeed, especially in the first Thrapsathiri and Sauvignon Blanc blend we tasted, we pick up these aromas intensely.
Paterianakis's white wines are truly very good. We especially liked their Moschato Spinas, a local grape from the Muscat family, so much that we bought some to take with us. In addition to the classic aromatic spring flowers and tropical fruits, it is possible to feel the aroma harmony of the thyme, rosemary and mint flowers found in the region in every sip. We also did not miss tasting the grape raki made from various grapes that was offered as a complimentary pour 🙂 Their reds, however, still have some way to go. You can make your choices from the whites.
Santorini
Santorini's settlements are positioned 400 m above sea level. This island, formed as a result of a massive volcanic eruption 500 years ago, has incredible views. The wineries have also made the most of these views 🙂 Some wineries in particular have become a stop even for tourists who have no interest in wine at all, purely because of the scenery. This was the route we had the hardest time with since there were so many quality options. Due to ease of access, we decided to go with the 3 highest rated producers in the Pyrgos area. Santorini, like Crete, is an island lacking public transportation. If you are not renting a car, you are at the mercy of taxi drivers. Because of this, choosing producers within walking distance of each other can turn into an extra advantage for car free travelers. The fact that the roads are not suitable for bicycles also significantly limits transportation alternatives.
The most original aspect of Santorini regarding wine is definitely the shape of its vines. Since the island receives very strong winds year round, they shape the vines into a ring form from the very first moment of growth so they are better protected. This creates a very beautiful vine appearance. The name of this special method is Kouloura.
A ring shaped, old Santorini vine
Santo Wines: They have tasting menus with different contents in sets of 4, 5, 6, and 8, allowing you to choose one according to your preferences. Since we wanted to taste their higher tier wines, we got the 5 wine premium set for 35 EUR and shared it as a couple. Since they pour generously, one tasting set was enough for a couple. Santo, one of the oldest wineries on the island, definitely has an enchanting view. Even if we were not satisfied with the wines, it would still be a place we would definitely recommend, and the premium tasting set did satisfy us. At this winery where we had the chance to taste 3 different Assyrtiko wines, 1 red, and 1 Vinsanto (a sweet wine unique to Santorini made from Assyrtiko), we were more than surprised by the Assyrtiko wines in particular. We found the Santorini Assyrtikos, which we expected to be more mineral due to the soil structure, to be much more acidic and less mineral compared to Crete. The fact that such beautifully full bodied wines are being made from a local white grape absolutely delighted us.
Premium tasting set
Venetsanos Winery: Venetsanos, a cave style winery, is located within a 10 to 15 minute walking distance from Santo Winery. Although the walking path is not very comfortable, the views are absolutely spectacular. Santorini in general is designed around car transportation. We still preferred to walk.
This place was a bit more expensive compared to Santo Wines. Tasting sets were 32 EUR for the 4 wine set, 39 for the 6 wine set, and 41 EUR for the 6 wine sweet wine version. Although we found 3 of the 4 wines we drank to be average, we found the rose wine made from the local grapes Assyrtiko (white) and Mandilari (red) to be very original. The blend of grapes of different colors, which we first encountered in France with Viognier and Syrah grapes, earned a passing grade from us in Greece as well, with the selection of 2 very harmonious and balancing grape varieties.
Exterior view of Venetsanos, designed as a cave wineryThe magnificent view from Venetsanos
Boutari Winery: This producer, which has wineries in 6 different regions across Greece, stands out at its Santorini branch with its award winning architectural design. At this producer where you can also taste wines produced in different regions alongside the Santorini terroir in their tasting menu, the wine quality is what truly sets them apart.
There are different tasting prices available; the 4 wine set is 20 EUR, the 6 wine premium set is 28 EUR, and we went with the 6 wine set. You can choose the ones you want to taste from among 9 wines. We went without a reservation, and they accepted us since there was availability, but we can say we got a bit of a lecture from the tasting lady about how lucky we were 🙂 If you have the chance, we recommend going with a reservation.
In terms of overall value for money, Boutari was the place where we found the wines most successful. Although not from this region, the 2017 vintage wine called 1879 Boutari Legacy from the Naoussa region, which we had the chance to taste, entered our notes as one of the most successful reds we have had in recent years. If you are in the area, this will definitely be the place we recommend most.
Mykonos
Finding two wine producers on this island, famous for its nightlife in Greece, was one of the best surprises of our trip. On this island where no winery showed up in our Google searches, it turns out there are 2 places producing under the name of farm. We had the chance to visit a producer that practices biodynamic farming. The transportation problem we experienced on other Greek Islands was also present here, and we were only able to reach the winery by arranging a taxi.
Mykonos Vioma Organic Farm: Vioma is a quite humble producer. It was established on a vineyard area that formerly belonged to a monastery but was later abandoned. They utilized biodynamic farming methods to bring the vineyard to its current state. To protect themselves from the island's never ending winds, they used bamboo trees planted around the vineyard. Before going, you can make a reservation for both wine tasting and a winery and vineyard tour through their website. The 20 euro fee includes 4 wines and a vineyard tour. Being a quite different winery where you can only taste local Greek grapes, it definitely added color to our Mykonos visit.
Milos
Milos was an island where we found peace, giving the feel of a quiet fishing town. The excessive tourist crowds of other islands are absent on this one. Therefore, it is an island built around a more relaxed time and a beach holiday.
Milos is home to 1 winery. However, unlike the usual tasting hours, the tasting hours were between 5 PM and 9 PM. Since these hours did not fit our cruise schedule, unfortunately we did not get the chance to visit and taste. Let us leave below some information about this winery, which you can reach by taxi from the town center for 30 euros.
Kostantakis Winery: Kostantakis Winery, the oldest and still the only active winery established in Milos, continues production with its 3rd generation. You can find information about this cave style winery, designed to take advantage of the volcanic soil structure, and its tasting menu on their website. The winery also offers accommodation options.
Unfortunately, it was also not possible to access the by the glass wines of this winery, whose tasting we could not do, at different venues. After asking at least 10 to 15 different venues with no luck, we bought their wines from a wine shop in central Milos to try at home. Having had the chance to taste 3 different wines of this winery at home, we found their products to be average overall.
Due to the volcanic structure in Milos, there are many cavesSarakiniko Beach, a must visit place in Milos
General Comments and Notes
It is believed that the Liatiko grape and the grape we know as Calkarasi are the same, only their names have been localized to their respective regions. We quite liked the red Liatiko made from old vines that we drank at Lyrarakis, but its overall structure was quite different from the Calkarasi examples we have had in Turkey.
Mandilari is a grape with a lot of promise. Quality versions should be tasted in many different regions.
Overall, all producers have embraced their local grapes. The number of international grape varieties we tasted was very few. There is a lot we can learn from as a country 🙂
Interestingly, the Assyrtiko wines we drank in Crete were more mineral than the ones we drank in Santorini. The Santorini Assyrtikos were much more acidic. While on paper we would have expected the opposite, this experience surprised us a bit.
The rose wine made from a blend of Mandilari and Assyrtiko impressed us quite a lot. It is worth trying similar works coming from the region.
Santorini's reds did not appeal to us very much. They are good with whites and roses, but to enjoy their reds, you need to get used to their different styles a bit.
Although not from these islands, among the other wines we drank during our trip, our favorite white grape was Malagousia, and for reds it was Xinomavro from the Naoussa Region. The same grapes from different regions should be tasted in abundance whenever encountered. We quite liked Xinomavro both as a rose and as a red.
Vinsanto wines are a very nice alternative for those who love sweet wines. As a couple who does not prefer sweet wines very much, we liked all the Vinsantos we drank. We found the flavors of the aged versions to be much more settled. We especially loved a 2002 vintage Vinsanto we drank. Older vintages should be sought out and tried whenever possible.
Vinsanto is apparently an abbreviation of Wine of Santorini. We noted this as a nice piece of additional information.
On the island of Crete, every family apparently has their own amount of olive trees, and everyone living on the island has their olive oil pressed from their own olives. The boutique olive oil factory Kleanthi, which we had the chance to visit during our trip, produces its own olive oil and also helps people press the olives they bring in. If you want to try Cretan olive oils, you can stop by; it is on the wine route.
Favorite Wines
Since we had the chance to drink many wines both from within the region and from different regions during our Greece trip, we decided to make 2 separate lists, one for the region and one for outside.
Domaine Paterianakis, Moschato Spinas, 2022, White, Greece, Crete: Spring flowers, honeysuckle, jasmine on the nose. Same flavors on the palate. It has an oily texture on the palate, quite full. The combination of acidity and fullness adds a nice dimension. Long finish. A very aromatic, beautiful white wine. 7.5/10
Boutari, Kallisti Reserve, Assyrtiko, 2020, White, Greece, Santorini: Nose is extremely mineral, with fresh hazelnut and smoky vanilla aromas from the oak; palate is very smooth, then acidity comes through. The harmony of acidity with the wine's complexity works well; the acidity does not overpower. Nice complexity, oily, long finish, with a sweet minerality as well. It was the most successful Assyrtiko we drank during the trip. 7.4/10
Lyrarakis, Plakoura Vineyard, Mandilari, 2018, Red, Greece, Crete: Oak is felt on the nose. Ripe cherry, some dark fruits, a bit of spice. High acidity, tannins are strong on the palate but not angular. Could be magnificent after 10 more years of aging. 7.3/10
Lyrarakis, Psaredes Vineyard, Dafni, 2022, White, Greece, Crete: Fresh green herb aromas. Bay leaf, basil, rosemary. Same aromas on the palate, especially basil is dominant. Nice lemon aromas follow. Persistent, high profile. High acidity, medium body. A very original flavor. Similar in concept to Gordias Winery's Feslegen grape but definitely very different in flavor. 7.25/10
Other Regions:
Boutari, 1879 Boutari Legacy, Xinomavro, 2017, Red, Greece, Naoussa: On the nose there is a tomato paste aroma coming from the back, which the producer also emphasized. Ripe dark fruits are nicely blended with oak. Tannins are felt on the palate, slightly angular. Has the potential to be incredible with a bit more aging. Even in its current state, it is sufficiently balanced. Aromas explode on the palate. 7.75/10
Boutari, Domaine Roxane Matsa, Malagousia, 2022, White, Greece, Attiki: Floral on the nose, wet stone aroma coming from the background, high aroma profile. Very smooth on the palate, medium acidity. Nice balance, medium to long finish. We really liked the drinking experience. 7.5/10
Melnik is a tiny town with a population of only 300, located in the Struma Valley in southwestern Bulgaria, which we could describe as Bulgaria's equivalent of Sirince. The most notable feature of this town, where you'd find more people per randomly selected square meter in Istanbul, is that the surrounding region has a very suitable microclimate and soil structure for viticulture.
While the Melnik region had focused on what we could only describe as simple table wines for many years, especially in recent years, with incentives from the European Union, it has acquired many chateau-style production wineries. During our 2 trips to this region in 2022 and 2023, we had the chance to discover the region's touristic richness while also tasting its beautiful wines. One of the biggest advantages for us was that wine prices in the region were more affordable compared to both Turkish and European standards. The existence of many different grape varieties unique to the region also greatly attracted us.
Let's also add as a rather interesting historical fact that Melnik wines were a favorite of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. 🙂
This region, located only 4 hours and 30 minutes from the Ipsala Border Crossing, is home to more than 20 wineries.
Here are our notes on the wineries we had the chance to visit and the region's natural beauties (Click to add to Google Maps):
Rupel Winery
Wine tasting is free, but you need to make a reservation before going. We went without a reservation, but luckily they were already conducting a tasting for a different group and accepted us as well. You can taste all the wines they have open. The reds we had the chance to taste were generally aged between 5-8 years, and their prices were quite affordable for their quality. The whites, however, weren't performing very well. Our general recommendation would be, if you have enough time in the region, to stop by as a secondary priority and focus mainly on the reds.
Posing like we own the place
Rupel Winery's modest tasting bar
Orbelus Winery
With its building designed in the shape of a wine barrel, Orbelus is definitely one of the most interesting wineries on the Melnik Vineyard Route. Unfortunately, this winery doesn't offer English wine tasting commentary, but at least they have an English menu so we can choose the tasting we want. Options include a 3-wine tasting for 7 EUR, 4-wine tasting for 8 EUR, and 5-wine tasting for 11 EUR; the price includes a winery tour, though again without English commentary 🙂 If you choose the 5-wine tasting, you can also select from their higher-tier wines. One of the best things about tasting here is that they let you completely choose which wines you want to taste. Thanks to this option, you can customize your tasting according to your personal curiosity and preferences. Having first visited Orbelus in 2022, it didn't disappoint us on our 2023 visit either. While our 2022 tasting set primarily featured the 2015-2016 vintages, in 2023 we decided to go a bit wild and opted for older vintages, tasting from 2013-2014. Compared to our tastings from the previous year (2015-2016), we found the wines from older vintages (2013-2014) to have slightly passed their prime. Therefore, when putting together your tasting set, we recommend creating a mixed set with newer vintages rather than selecting the oldest ones. When comparing prices with other wineries in the region, Orbelus stands out as the winery with the best price-to-performance ratio.
Zlaten Rozhen Winery
One of the largest producers in the region, with a classic car museum next to the winery. Their tasting menus range from a 3-wine tasting for 7 EUR to a 5-wine tasting for 9 EUR; if you combine the tasting with the car museum visit, prices become more affordable. Since our time was limited, we couldn't visit the car museum. We really liked their wines, and visiting this producer again on our next trip to also see the car museum is definitely in our plans. Unlike the first 2 wineries we visited, their tasting menu features newer vintage and more affordable wines. Despite this, we found the overall flavor performance of their wines to be high. We especially loved their white wine made from Sandanski Misket and the rose wines made from Shiroka Melnishka, the local grape of the Melnik region. The strong performance of their affordable wines definitely gives courage to try their premium wines as well.
Villa Melnik
A very enjoyable winery where you can have both the tasting and winery tour in English. We paid 10 EUR per person for a 5-wine tasting and winery tour. Although it looks quite modest from the outside, in terms of content, Villa Melnik was definitely the most original, and in terms of presentation, the place we were most satisfied with. In the winery's technical design, they've tried to make the most of the ground level differences and gravity. Their natural underground cellars are absolutely magnificent, truly breathtaking. We can say we had the most original wines from the Melnik region here. They have a premium series called Rare Varieties where they process the original grapes of the Melnik region as single varietals. We had the chance to taste one in the tasting menu, and it became one of our most liked wines throughout our entire Melnik adventure. What impressed us most at this winery was definitely the attention and care of the tasting expert. By understanding which grape varieties interested us most from the questions we asked during the winery tour, they created a special tasting set for us. Additionally, they offered us the rose wine for free as an extra, increasing our wine tasting set to 6, fulfilling our desire to try a different wine instead of rose. With both the enchanting atmosphere of its cellar and the professionalism of the tasting, Villa Melnik was the place we left happiest.
Baba Vanga's Grave
In our search for touristic activities in the region, the complex housing Baba Vanga's grave and the house she used to live in always came up first. When we looked at its photos on Google Maps, it didn't look very appealing, but since 1,500 people had given it a 4.8+ rating, we decided to give it a chance. Despite going with prejudice due to comments mostly like "a very spiritual area, very high energy," we left this place feeling peaceful. As a couple who doesn't really believe in cosmic energy and such, we quite enjoyed every moment of our tour starting from the moment we parked the car. We noted it as a place that everyone passing through the region should visit without prejudice. The biggest contribution of this place to us was the homemade fruit wines made by street vendors located just before the entrance to the complex. While we were amazed by the flavor of the wines we tried, we didn't forget to take home our favorite wine, the fig wine. You never know where great wine will come from 🙂
Can't leave without kissing Baba Vanga's handOwners of the place, vol 3The amazing fig wine, 3rd in line
Melnik Town Center
Melnik is known as Bulgaria's smallest town. It felt like a miniature version of Sirince to us. In this tiny town of approximately 300 people, there are many historical artifacts and traditional historic houses from the Ottoman period. When you've come to the wine route, you can't leave without visiting this tiny town. It's also possible to taste wines at the shops selling wine, but the ones offered for free tasting are generally at table wine level. Although we couldn't visit the Kordopulov House and its cellars on this trip, we've already added it to our list for our next visit.
Our first visit to Melnik, June 2018
General Comments and Notes
Our general observations and different insights about Melnik wines:
The Sandanski Misket grape is similar in style to our Bornova Misketi. We liked it a lot at every place we tasted. It was the white grape that appealed to us the most in the region.
As a couple who normally doesn't love rose wine, we fell in love with the rose wines made from Shiroka Melnishka at 2 different wineries. It has elegant aromas on the nose and quite rich aromas on the palate. This grape should definitely be processed for this purpose. Since these were the last 2 wineries we visited, we couldn't try different examples, but we've noted to taste similar ones on our future trips.
Many sub-clones have been produced by crossbreeding from the Shiroka Melnishka (Broad-leaved Melnik) grape unique to the Melnik region. For example, the Melnik 82 grape was created through crossbreeding with Cabernet Sauvignon. There are a total of 6 different varieties. There's a whole different world waiting to be discovered.
The Melnik Grape Family Tree Blend, with all varieties from the Melnik region on its label
Although the Mavrud grape is common in Bulgaria, only one winery in this region processes it, and they made the decision to process it because of a very specific compatibility in the parcel they work with. However, Mavrud is definitely more successful in its own region.
There are wines with various fancy bottles sold in markets, shaped like cups and other forms. It's purely a marketing tactic, with terrible wines inside. You can buy it for the bottle if you want, but definitely skip what's inside 🙂
When you see this bottle, run without looking back; the dog that drank this died
In Melnik, whites have traditionally always been made as orange wine. Villa Melnik has continued this tradition and started producing wines in the same style for several years. Over time, feedback from tourists visiting the region indicated that these wines were too harsh for regular drinking. Villa Melnik's oenologist then softened this style in newer vintages. Although we were quite curious about the mentioned harshness in older vintages, experiencing the harshness in the newer vintages was more than enough for us. 🙂
Favorite Wines
Our most favorite wines were:
Zlaten Rozhen, Sandanski Misket, 2022, White: Spring flowers from the Muscat grape are prominent on the nose. The same aroma profile on the palate, complemented with high alcohol and acidity. A balanced and beautiful white. 7.5
Villa Melnik, Rare Varieties, Melnik 82, 2019, Red: Despite being young, this was definitely the best Melnik clone example we tasted. A wine with high fruitiness, noticeable tannins, and a strong palate. Black fruits, dark chocolate, and the elegant touch of Bulgarian oak barrel are very impressive. We would very much like to taste it again after a few years. 7.4
Bonus: Fig Wine Sold at Baba Vanga Memorial Park Entrance. Whether it's the energy of the place or not, a wonderful, slightly sweet homemade wine that we absolutely loved drinking. 7.5
We really loved this region. It's clear that we'll be visiting it many times in the coming years due to its geopolitical location. Being able to frequently visit a region with such high-quality wines must be a wine-loving couple's good fortune. Until we meet again with more detailed explorations in the coming years, Melnik 🙂
When we planned our 3-day trip to Budapest for the Sziget Music Festival, while thinking about what to do at the festival in the evenings, there was one topic we really wanted to integrate into our daytime city tours: Hungarian Wines! Although we had mostly heard Hungary's name in the wine world through Hungarian oak barrels used as alternatives to American and French barrels, we had never had the chance to do an in-depth research. This was a perfect opportunity for discovery.
Hungarian Wine Regions Source: https://tastehungary.com/journal/guide-to-hungarian-wine-regions/
Since we planned our trip to be limited to the festival only, we wouldn't have the chance to visit any wine regions. Therefore, we opted for wine bars to taste wines of different grape varieties and production methods in a short time. After a quick search on Google Maps, we couldn't believe our eyes. In terms of wine bar abundance, Budapest was almost on par with Paris.
Budapest Wine Bars Source: Google Maps
As a result of our research, we selected 5 wine bars that best fit our route (Click to add to Google Maps) and had the chance to try them:
Huncutka Bite and Wine
A bar with a menu predominantly featuring natural wines. Since we didn't have this information beforehand, we approached the wines with hesitation when we arrived, and as we tried them, we realized they didn't really appeal to us. Unless you have a special interest in natural wines, we don't particularly recommend stopping by here. Two out of the 3 wines we tried were excessively vinegary and oxidative. As a couple who doesn't prefer this style of wines, this place didn't appeal to us. There's no tasting set on the menu; you can order wines you choose by the glass. The cost of 10cl glasses is around 4-5 euros on average.
The wines served
Tasting Table Budapest Shop
If you want a guided tasting experience, this place offers English wine tastings by reservation until 6 PM. Since we didn't call ahead and couldn't find detailed information on their website, we missed the opportunity for such a tasting. But if you go without a reservation or after 6 PM, don't worry, you can purchase wine flights by the glass from open bottles. The wine tasting cost varies depending on the number of wines you choose. The person in charge also provides detailed information about the wines you're tasting. We had the chance to taste 5 wines here and we can say we liked all of them. This was our 2nd favorite wine tasting spot in Budapest. Although we didn't note the price and can't remember exactly, what we recall is that it was an affordable amount 🙂
The Hungarian Wine Map drawn on the wall and us
Drop Shop Wine Bar
This establishment only operates as a bar after 5 PM; before 5, they only do retail sales. Since we didn't have this information, we couldn't get a chance to taste.
Tokaj Wine Bar
A place where you can mainly taste Grand Tokaj brand wines by the glass. The biggest difference from other bars is its much more traditional design. Descending via stairs, with stone walls and traditional decoration, it felt like we were taken on a journey through time. The staff is an elderly couple and they are very sweet. Although their English isn't great, they still manage to communicate somehow 🙂 There's no tasting menu, but since the number of wines served by the glass is quite high, you can create your own tasting. Although glasses are listed as 10cl on the menu, if you ask, they can serve 5cl at half the price (provided you can communicate :)). The barrel wines are quite affordable. We chose our wines from bottles. 10cl white wines ranged between 1-2 euros, and 5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszu was around 6 euros. The wines we tasted were generally good wines. Even if you don't like sweet wines, you should definitely not skip the Tokaji Aszu, which is Hungary's unique style.
Champion Wine Vinarium&Gastro Boutique
This was by far the best wine tasting place we visited. Since we went just 1-2 hours after opening time, they didn't have many open wines, and the owner told us we could choose whichever wines we wanted from the bottles on the shelves. We were actually quite surprised by this; it was the first time we'd seen such a practice. Thanks to them, we had the opportunity to try 3 red wines from between 2011 and 2018. Finally, the owner brought us a 6 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszu, 2002 vintage, from his own uncle. We can say it was the best thing we drank during our entire Budapest trip. They have tasting menus in different formats. We went with 5 regular + 1 Tokaji Aszu, and the total cost was 20 euros.
Our favorite tasting venue, elegantly designed
General Comments and Notes
Our general observations and different insights about Hungarian wines:
The most commonly used foreign grape variety as a single varietal is definitely Cabernet Franc. We had never seen any place that makes so much single-varietal Cabernet Franc before. While there are many local white grape varieties, there aren't as many in reds. Whenever we asked any place for a full-bodied red wine, they directly recommended Cabernet Franc.
Among the white grapes, our favorite was Irsai Oliver. It's very similar to Muscat, one of our favorites; we could classify it as a slightly more mineral version.
Furmint is one of the most common white grapes in the country. Although it's generally used in Aszu wines, we also liked its single-varietal form.
Kadarka is the most widely used red winemaking grape in the country. It has so many similarities to Pinot Noir that in a blind tasting, I would definitely say this is a Pinot Noir. It absolutely needs to be tasted and compared side by side.
Tokaji Aszu is definitely a wine style that even people who don't like sweet wines will love. Comparing the 2 we tasted, the 2002 6 Puttonyos left a much less sugary taste on the palate compared to the 2014 5 Puttonyos. As it aged, a magnificent maturity had developed. In all Aszus, there's a very subtle off-grape taste coming from botrytis. While this subtle taste can be disturbing in similar wines, it's absolutely not disturbing in these Aszus.
The country generally looks like a white grape paradise. All the different white grapes we tried were very original. We tried Arany Sarfeher, Zenit, and Harslevelu as single varietals once each, and we loved the originality of all three. When you taste them, you say this is definitely a different grape. Especially for Arany Sarfeher, even though we asked different places afterwards, we couldn't find another example; apparently it's produced in very small quantities.
In general, the reds are much more elegant, medium-bodied wines, ready to drink. The single-varietal Cabernet Franc and Syrah examples we tried were similar in this way, elegant with soft tannins. Even one of the blends presented as the most full-bodied was at a level we would call light.
If you don't like natural wines, it's generally best to stay away from natural wines; in the examples we tasted, oxidative notes and vinegar-like character were prominent.
Havas & Timar, Franom, Cabernet Franc, 2019, Red, Hungary, Eger: A classic Cabernet Franc on the nose. Black fruits and violet are very noticeable, aromas are intense. On the palate, very elegant, tannins are very soft, oak is noticeable but not dominant. Long finish, high complexity. 7.5/10
Gedeon Birtok, Diofas, Arany Sarfeher, 2020, White, Hungary, Kunsag: On the nose, minerality, yellow fruits, linden honey, and herbal aromas like rosemary and green seaweed. On the palate, very original, linden aroma is dominant. From the first sip, you feel you're drinking a different grape. It has a slight sweetness coming from ripe fruits. Quite balanced, long finish, intense and lingering aromas. 7.5/10
Our overall impression of Hungarian wines is that they are definitely worth trying. There's a whole different world waiting to be discovered within. We definitely intend to repeat this surprise trip in the future.
