2025 Archives - Grapeful Travelers

February 2025 was a quick and busy month for us 🙂 We had several tastings with friends as well as had a chance to try some amazing wines at our home. This month, we tasted more foreign wines in our tastings, that’s why we have fewer Turkish wines than in January’s list.

*The highlighted photo is from our trip to South Africa in September 2023. This photo is taken at Gerakaris Family Wines, which has a really cute boutique winery at one of the delightful places in the middle of the chaos of Johannesburg.

Here are our top picks from February 2025:

Local Wines of Türkiye

2013 Kayra Cabernet Franc Versus Dedeçeşme – Türkiye, Thrace (2/7/2025)
The color has turned slightly brick-red, with significant sediment. The nose is exceptionally intense, offering aromas of cassis, spices, earth, black fruits, blueberries, dried plums, violets, and green pepper. It has a perfumed character that makes the mouth watery.

On the palate, flavors of black pepper, flint, violets, and cassis stand out. The finish is long with outstanding aroma intensity and complexity. This is an outstanding wine.

It is at its peak for drinking today—smooth and highly enjoyable. Tannins are still present but silky, acidity is high, alcohol is well-balanced with the palate, and barrel integration is well done. The body is medium+.

It’s a Cabernet Franc with an aroma profile remarkably close to Carmenere. The explosion of flavors on the palate makes you want to keep drinking. (94 points)

2011 Château Kalpak Twin – Türkiye, Thrace (2/20/2025)
The color is deep dark ruby. The bottle has a few sediments as it is an aged one. It has a strong aromatic intensity on the nose and opens up beautifully after some aeration, revealing notes of blueberry, blackberry, and cassis. Pleasant oak-derived aromas of vanilla, tobacco, and coffee are also present.

On the palate, it is well-matured, with still-powerful tannins and even a slight firmness. Acidity is high, the body is full, and the finish is long. Additional flavors on the palate are: clove, cinnamon, smoked meat, black olive, and dried fig.

I didn’t get the tertiary aromas I expected from aging, but other than that, it’s a very satisfying wine. It will continue to age well, but drinking it now wouldn’t be a loss either. (92 points)

2004 Kavaklıdere Narince Tatlı Sert – Türkiye, Northeastern Anatolia (2/9/2025)
The color is amber. On the nose aromas of coffee and caramel are quite highly noticeable. On the palate, there are very nice port-style caramel and lovely tawny aromas. Alcohol is quite high, it burns a lot, but the drinking experience is quite enjoyable in a different style. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel are the dominant aromas. It paired perfectly with white chocolate and honey cake.

Balanced, high aromatic intensity, long finish, complex. Superbly lightened, the alcohol doesn’t feel heavy at all comparing to its level, very enjoyable to drink. (92 points)

2019 V’Asbos Grenache Expression Edition 1 – Turkey (2/19/2025)
The aromatic intensity on the nose is excellent, with subtle smoked meat notes, and additional spices such as mint, thyme, and menthol. On the palate, the tannins are well-softened, and the acidity-alcohol balance is well-executed. The aromatic structure on the palate is remarkable, featuring spices and a sweetness derived from the fruit. It is well-balanced, with strong aromatic intensity and a medium+ finish. A complex wine. One of the most successful and complex Grenache wines I’ve ever had.
(92 points)

Wines from Abroad

2013 Matuško Royal Selection Barrique Dingač – Croatia, Dalmatia, Srednja i južna Dalmacija, Pelješac (2/14/2025)
The color is deep garnet. A Strong aromatic intensity on both the nose and palate. Prominent aromas are: baby biscuits, coffee, licorice, caramel, brick, dark cherry, vanilla, tobacco, and dried fig. On the palate, there is a noticeable fruit sweetness, particularly from the dried fig. The tannins are firm, with a slight angularity, but they may soften and balance out with further aging. Barrel integration is well-executed.

It is a well-balanced, full-bodied, and complex wine with a long finish. It can age for at least another 10 years, but it is also quite enjoyable to drink now. (95 points)

1988 Moselhaupt Gondorfer Fuchshöhle Optima Beerenauslese – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2/17/2025)
The color is brown but lightish. The nose is quite floral with high intensity: Notes of cucumber, linden, honey, coffee, honeysuckle, and quince. On the palate, it has significantly softened, and the sweetness has mellowed considerably, I would say it’s dry on a blind tasting. The alcohol is almost imperceptible. The flavors remain vibrant, with a beautiful intensity on the palate. The aromas from the nose are also present in the taste. The body is medium, slightly lacking due to the low alcohol content.

A well-balanced, highly intense, medium-plus finish, complex wine. It would be even better with a slightly higher alcohol level, but the richness of aromas is outstanding. Well aged. (93 points)

2019 Villa Mottura Primitivo di Manduria Stilio – Italy, Puglia, Primitivo di Manduria (2/9/2025)
The color is purple, quite intense. On the nose, the intensity is superb with the aromas of black pepper, and caramel. On the palate, caramel, baby biscuits, cherry tart, black olives, espresso, and latte. It is quite complex on the palate. The finish is long.

Long finish, complex, high intensity of aromas, and balanced. It is fine wine compared to the price. (93 points)

2014 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve – Chile, Aconcagua Valley (2/9/2025)
The color is quite dark. On the nose, cassis, green pepper, roasted red pepper, mint, eucalyptus, coffee, and dark chocolate are highly noticeable with high aromatic intensity. Black fruits are quite prominent. Very complex on the nose as well as well-developed on the palate. Black pepper, cassis. A clear Carmenere touch is also present. It’s very nice to drink today as the tannins have softened. The aromatic structure is beautiful. The only drawback is medium+ finish. It is a well-balanced, enjoyable to drink, and complex wine. (92 points)

2023 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Vermentino Casanova della Spinetta Toscana IGT – Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (2/25/2025)
The color is golden yellow. On the nose, the intensity is quite strong. Pronounced aromas are melon, pear, peach, honeysuckle, and jasmine. On the palate, minerality is quite pronounced. High acidity, with strong aromatic intensity on the palate as well. Minerality, florality, and fruitiness are in harmony. Medium+ body, long finish. Extremely enjoyable and easy to drink. Well-balanced. (92 points)

For more tasting notes:
Cellar Tracker Profile – Özgür: Link
Cellar Tracker Profile – Gülfiye: Link

After taking a break from wine tastings in 2024, we decided to make a strong comeback in 2025 and set some goals for ourselves. The first was to write detailed tasting notes for all the wines we tried using the Cellar Tracker app. The second was to share our favorite wines each month.

With the pride of fully achieving our first goal within the first month, we also proudly put together our end-of-month favorites list 🙂

To highlight the local wines we enjoy, we decided to separate the ones we rated 90+ into two categories: local and imported. Here are our top picks from January 2025:

Local Wines of Türkiye

2009 Vinkara Kalecik Karası Mahzen – Türkiye, Mid-Northern Anatolia, Ankara (1/29/2025)
Tasted it within a vertical tasting of vintages 2009-2012-2014-2018-2020.

It has a little sediment. The color is quite pale garnet with a slight brick hue. The nose is very layered—pepper, tomato, light smoked meats, and deep clove notes. Pronounced. On the palate, the intensity of aromas is high, acidity is still strong, and alcohol is noticeable but balanced. Medium body, long finish. The aromas from the nose are present on the palate as well—caramel, pepper, tomato, smoked meat, and eucalyptus. Ripe red fruits—cranberry, raspberry. Tomato paste. Earthy. The richness of aromas is phenomenal.

A beautifully aged wine that should be enjoyed today. A fantastic example of how Kalecik Karası can mature under the right conditions. Drink today. (94 points)

This wine was an answer to all prejudice for Kalecik Karasi grape which would have been expected to not age well.

2019 Suvla Karasakız İyi ki – Türkiye, Thrace, Gelibolu (1/27/2025)
The color is deep-gold, bubbles are really nice and stable. On the nose, yeast dominates with notes of biscuit—it’s not heavy or unpleasant, but a beautiful aroma. On the palate, the bubbles are quite high; with a high-intensity flavor of quince, peach, linden, pineapple, and a touch of grapefruit bitterness.

It has an oily texture and is quite medium to full-bodied. The finish is long. The acidity is high and the alcohol is noticeable yet not discomforting. It also has a mineral character, slightly salty. The wine is well-balanced and complex. (93 points)

Full-bodied traditional sparkling wine, great for Turkish variety Karasakiz

2023 Chamlıja Riesling KARTALKAYA – Türkiye, Thrace (1/3/2025)
While Turkiye does not have solid Riesling examples, this is one of the few good examples. Best vintage so far. One of the best examples of the Riesling from Türkiye. Really interested to see how it will be developed.

The wine looks light gold colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like lemon, peach, mineral, and petrol. It tastes like petrol, mineral, lemon, lime, orange, and orange blossom. The body is medium/full. The wine has a silky texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity. (92 points)

One of the best examples of Riesling in Turkiye

2016 Hanchalar Öküzgözü – Syrah – Türkiye, Western Anatolia, Denizli (1/15/2025)
Hanchalar is a sub-brand of Erdel Sarapcilik, which produces mostly table wines for 5-star hotels. However, this sub-brand has made its own way. This wine has a really complex structure, is well-aged, and very rich on the palate. It does not have more aging potential, but perfect for drinking today.

The wine looks garnet-brick colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper, blackberry, raisin, flint, dust, forest floor, vanilla, coffee, and meaty. It tastes like black pepper, meaty, blackberry, forest floor, espresso, and black cherry. The body is medium. The wine has a satin-like texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity. Tannins are medium and softened, but balanced. (91 points)

Well-aged, full-bodied, price & performance wine from Denizli

2022 Kuzubağ Sultaniye Hür – Türkiye, Western Anatolia, Denizli (1/19/2025)
Kuzubağ has experimented with producing a semi-sweet wine from Sultaniye, the most commonly cultivated seedless grape in the region, for the first time using the on-vine drying technique within late harvesting.

The color is pale lemon. No sediment. Medium legs. On the nose, there are notes of petrol, clove, quince (cooked), pear, and hints of lightly oaked white wine-vanilla and another sweet woody aroma, as well as pear. Both on the nose and palate, there’s hazelnut, likely from the oak. The palate is quite elegant, with a slight sweet wine tanginess. High acidity. Flows like oily. Medium body, with a medium to long finish. The intensity of flavors on the palate feels a bit low, but it has the potential to evolve significantly with aging. The palate is balanced, and the sweetness is not overwhelming. It sparks great curiosity about how it will develop with age. Great wine! (91 points)

A different style of a semi-sweet experiments of Sultaniye

2013 Vinkara Kalecik Karası Yaşasın – Türkiye, Mid-Northern Anatolia, Ankara (1/29/2025)
Tasted it within a vertical tasting of vintages 2013-2015-2017-2019-2021.

The color is medium-lemon. The mousse is delicate yet stable. On the nose, there are notes of bread and ripe yellow fruits such as quince. On the palate, the bubbles are quite high, with noticeable minerality in the form of saltiness. Despite being claimed to have high residual sugar, it does not feel on the palate at all. Quince is the dominant aroma on the palate. The alcohol is well-balanced and not disturbing, though it lingers on the finish. The finish also has a slight bitterness, in the form of grapefruit. Overall, it is well-balanced with high complexity and a medium finish. As it opens up, caramel and tawny-like burnt sugar aromas come up, which are also present on the both nose and palate. (90 points)

Another Turkish grape, Kalecik Karasi, is well used for traditional style sparkling wine

2022 Mesashuna Rkatsiteli Qvevri – Türkiye, Central Anatolia (1/14/2025)
Although orange wine and amphora techniques have started to gain popularity in Türkiye in recent years, finding good examples can be still challenging. Mesashuna has achieved this, creating a highly complex and drinkable wine. It would definitely pair wonderfully with a nice meze platter.

The wine looks orange-colored. The legs are fast. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. It smells like grapefruit, orange, papaya, dust, orange blossom and honey. It tastes like grapefruit, orange, raisin, apricot, dust, cedar, lavender, sherry and leesy. The wine has a bright texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity. You can feel the tannins coming from both amphora and lees contact, despite it being a white wine. (90 points)

One of the best Qvervi examples from the origin region, is full-bodied natural wine

Wines from Abroad

2021 Castillo de Molina Carménère Tributo Gran Reserva – Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley (1/20/2025)
If you like the Carmenere variety, then this wine is perfect for you. It offers high intensity of aromas on both the palate and the nose, with a remarkably quite good finish. Clean, balanced, and highly delicious.

The wine looks inky colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, blueberry, forest floor, light toast, black pepper and bell pepper. It tastes like blackberry, blueberry, plum, coconut, black pepper, meaty, flint, and bell pepper. The body is medium/full. The wine has a satin-like texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity. (91 points)