Wine tasting event of the year

For the first time, Turkish producers came together in London to display their wares. What better way for tasteAnatolia to celebrate its first birthday? Andrew Catchpole, who chaired the tasting, here gives his assessment of the wines There can be nothing as nerve wracking for a wine producer as attending a tasting at which a room full of professional tasters calmly swirl, sniff, slurp and spit their way through each carefully crafted wine all the while jotting down exacting comments about the liquid in their glass. But this was the challenge set when tasteAnatolia magazine, in conjunction with the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, organised Turkish Wines 101 in October, inviting nine of Turkey’s leading producers to London where each would show two wines at a tasting packed with wine journalists, prominent importers, sommeliers and Masters of Wine. Büyülübag, Corvus, Doluca, Gestin Chateau Kalecik, Kavaklidere, Kayra, Melen, Pamukkale and Sevilen were the wineries that rose to the challenge. Representing both eastern and western Turkey, including big and boutique wineries, the event was designed to give a snapshot of contemporary Turkish wine and invite critical comment – both good and bad – at the first ever dedicated showing of Turkish wines to members of the notoriously hard nosed British wine fraternity. And, if any producers showed a spot of nerves, it was hardly surprising as this was for most also their first foray into a highly competitive market that prides itself as being a shop window for the wine world. High profile attendees included Willy Lebus from merchant Bibendum, restaurant consultant Peter McCombie MW, specialist importer Mark Savage, journalist and lecturer John Downes MW, journalist and wine educator David Furer, plus many others besides including well-known faces such as Claudia Roden and television chef Ross Burden. continue