Blend: Karasakiz
From: Western Turkey
Taste: This dry red wine is made from the indigenous grape Karasakiz, grown in vineyards near the Aegean Sea on the western side of Turkey. Inside the glass you’ll discover charming red fruits; a vacillating sphere of cranberry to brambly raspberry and dried cherry wrapped up with bits of dried herb and baking spice. It’ll have you wanting to eat and party all at the same time.
Pairing: Reminiscent of Grignolino, this is lighter style of red wine that works best with smoked salmon or chicken shawarma. Enjoy lightly chilled. And, on that note, we’ll be pairing this tonight with a recipe for Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma by Sam Sifton, NYT Cooking. This particular recipe will yield 4 to 6 servings, and will take about 45 minutes to make (plus time for marinating).
Grape. The Karasakız variety is native to north Kaz Dağları and this indigenous varietal has grown as bush vines in this area of Turkey for centuries. While often compared to old-vine Zinfandel or Grenache on the palate, there is no genetic evidence to support the claim. Harvested from a single vineyard at an altitude of 550 meters, the wine is fermented with native yeast only before aging for 6 months in French and American oak barrels.
