There is a lot in my life that I take for granted. The word "Liberty" gets thrown around a lot these days. Sometimes, in our modern political discourse, the word is thrown around so much that it's trivialized or used as an excuse for selfishness. Society is always engaged in a debate about where personal liberties meet communal responsibilities. The obvious metaphorical answer is that my liberty to swing my fist ends at the point where it contacts your nose; but how to apply that metaphor in a given situation often leads to debate.
In the context of large issues of freedom and liberty, the right to wine may seem trivial. The right to have a glass of wine; the right to make a bottle of wine; the right to sell a bottle of wine and the right to teach people about one's vinous heritage are not as important as the rights to a freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to vote for one's leaders or a right to a trial by jury. We all see life through our own particular lenses and mine are rather rosé colored; so from my perspective, the thought of the state making it illegal to simply have a glass of wine is a very mundane, but a very real manifestation of oppression. The thought of a group of people out to destroy a wine tradition that goes back millennia makes me sick. Sadly, that's what's going on in Turkey right now.
You may not know much about Turkish wine, but that doesn't mean it's not great. While quality is beside the point of this discussion, the fact that Turkey is making great wine, and that its wines have been on a very steep trajectory of improvement makes this whole business all the more tragic.
Seven thousand years ago wine was already an important part of the culture of Anatolia, what is now Turkey. It is said that the Greeks and the French took the tradition of wine from Anatolia. When the Turks arrived and even after Islam, wine production continued. The Ottomans would occasionally crack down or prohibit wine sales; only to reverse themselves when the treasury felt the impact of the missing wine taxes. During these times of repression, vineyards were never pulled up. During the second half of the 19th century, when Europe's vines were being devastated by phylloxera, Turkish wine production reached an all-time high. Since 1928, the Turkish Republic has supported wine production as an integral part of the Turkish agriculture and economy. (see WinesOfTurkey.org). Though there is not a lot of it in America, Turkish wines have never been better. I first discovered this at The Balkans International Wine Conference in Sofia several years ago. There, I sampled many great bottles and met a new generation of excited, adventurous, entrepreneurial winemakers and vineyard owners.
When an oppressive power tears down the last park in a city or makes it impossible to simply enjoy a glass of wine, that can be the moment when people just say, "ENOUGH!" When people are sure now that the oppressor believes that his liberty to swing his fist continues well beyond the point that it strikes your nose. It's now illegal in Turkey to "advertise" wine or even have a bottle visible from the street. No one in Turkey knows if even just talking about wine is "advertising" under the law. It is illegal to teach about wine. It is illegal to have winery visits. The Turkish airline no longer serves wine, except on international flights to Istanbul. It is illegal to have wine-sponsored events and it's clear Prime Minister Erdogan's plan is to make it impossible for wine culture and wine production to survive in Turkey. While the government offers secular rationalizations for these policies, they are obviously based in the conservative Islamic beliefs of Mr. Erdogan and his supporters.
Turkey is a vibrant and (in many ways) modern country with vibrant minority groups and (in theory) a secular government, which seeks to become part of the E.U. What you see in Turkey is a bunch of good people who live in the 21st Century and would like to continue to live in the 21st Century. What they are protesting against is a fundamentalist government (and sizable portion of the population) that would force them back into an intolerant antiquity. And while I am a liberal thinker on many issues, I do not believe all cultures are equal. A culture that prohibits those within it who wish to enjoy a glass of wine from doing so is backwards in at least that regard and intolerant and simply wrong. There are good people in Turkey fighting for their rights in so many ways, not least among those is their right to be civilized modern people who live here with us in the 21st century.
What can we do? Well, when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. So I bought some Turkish wine and I'm going to sell it to you! The best way to support a winery is to buy their wine. Below I have listed two very good wines from Turkey and a few basics about them.
Stage Left will feature a red and a white, both from the Vinkara winery, located in the Kalecik region of Ankara.
Narince 2012; Vinkara ($12 Quartino - $35 bottle in restaurant) ($14.95 package)
The white grape Narince (Nah-rin-djeh, rhymes with Ninja) is native to Anatolia. This bottling is simple and straight-forward, bright, crisp and clean, smelling of tree-fruits and not dominated by oak. There is a reserve bottling but I prefer this standard one. It's perfect for the sidewalk on a summer day, as an aperitif or with white fish.
Kalecik Karasi 'Reserve' 2010; Vinkara ($17 Quartino - $51 bottle in restaurant) ($25.50 package)
The indigenous red grape Kalecik Karasi (Kah-le-djic-car-ah-ser, rhymes with father) is the most celebrated at Vinkara and in the region. This bottling is entirely from the estate's vineyard's in Kalecik. It benefits from 14 months in French Oak barrels. It's wonderfully structured and complex. The oak is present but does not dominate. There is a touch of smoke on the nose. It's delightful
Come in and have a glass or a bottle or order a case and we'll get it in for you; or buy some Turkish wine from somebody else! Ask your local retailer or restaurant wherever you are...and tonight, whatever wine you drink, be very conscious of the fact that you can do so ... and take it for granted.
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