Discover Top Posts Tagged with #gallipolipeninsula

The Helles Memorial (1924) overlooks the mouth of the Dardanelles Strait at the southwest tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. It commemorates 20,956 British and Australian servicemen with no known grave who died in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.

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High cliffs run along the Gallipoli Peninsula on the Dardanelles Strait southwest of Çanakkale, Turkey.

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The Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial (1960) in Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park commemorates the 253,000 Turkish soldiers who participated in the Battle of Gallipoli near here in 1915. A Turkish military cemetery is adjacent.

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Sunday Brunch with a Tribute to Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey

I have been home now for 10 days; but the memory of the tastes and smells of Turkey still haunt me. Chef Ali Baba Gang’s long green chili, tomato and egg “ragu”, served along with a million other things for breakfast at Vinero Winery and Hotel, was a show-stopper-rustic, traditional, yet super elegant and flavorful. I’ve made it twice and will make it again and again, as my cravings demand, with hopes to do chef’s dish justice.

Thanks to Suvla Winery, which also produces a line of regional, organic ingredients under the Kilye label, I was able to bring home some goodies to help duplicate the experience. Kilye makes a flavorful, low-acid EVOO that lends a uniquely Turkish flavor to dishes. I also brought home their pine forest honey, organic tahini and grape leaves for another meal.

My favorite white wine was the 2013 Kınalı Yapıncak made of the Yapıncak grape. Rich and aromatic with complex mineral and stone fruit qualities. it was reminiscent of Northern Italian whites from Alto Adige; but with its own strong Turkish identity and character. An obvious favorite all around, as the winery was out of all but a few 375m bottles. Their 2014 Grand Reserve Roussane-Marsanne blend made it into my suitcase, as well-a steal of a wine for just under $30.

Today, Turkey is the sixth largest grape producer in the world, with 1200+ grape varietals, many indigenous, with Turkish names, as well as international varietals; however only 7% is used to make wine, the rest consumed as table grapes. Not surprising, given the predominance of Islamic culture. Otherwise, domestic alcohol consumption is dominated by beer and rakı, a hard liquor similar to ouzo or grappa. Recent statistics reflect wine production at 60 million liters (3.5 million cases), only 4% of which is exported. A small but growing secular population gets to enjoy many excellent Turkish wines, while those of us on the outside await our chance. Should they pursue the international wine markets as they do real estate development, Turkey could undoubtedly become a major player in the wine world.