Three K's for the price of one leads me back to Turkey for this week's wine. I say 'back' as if I am a frequent visitor, but in fact I have been there only once and that was nearly four decades ago when my parents were generous enough to fund my second trip outside the UK, the first having been a day trip across the channel to Calais. The second trip, which included my 16th birthday, was described to my parents as an educational cruise and in many ways it was. There were around two thousand teenagers visiting six countries in the Eastern Mediterranean over the course of two weeks, on a ship that was later used as a floating hospital during the Falklands conflict, and calling into the last but one port of Antalya about 150 miles South West of where this week's wine was made. There were no vineyard tours on that trip but I am not sure I would have appreciated the idea at the time in any case.
Week K (2014) Anfora, Trio, 2012. M&S £8.00.
I first tried KK, as it is known for ease of pronunciation, at the London International Wine Fair in 2010 and I don't think I have tasted it again since.
Coming from Western Turkey in the Region of Denizli the grapes for this wine grow high on a continental limestone plateau where the combination of daytime heat and cooler nights suits the various grapes grown here.
Trio is, unsurprisingly, a blend of three varieties: Shiraz and Kalecik Karasi contributing 40% each, with Cabernet Sauvignon providing the remaining 20%.
As such it is a combination of the local speciality and two widely traveled international varieties that crop up everywhere and has characteristics that reflect the blend.
It is a medium intensity red wine, easy to drink but better with a meal than without (I know this because I sampled the first glass or so whilst cooking the lunch that accompanied the rest) and is a good every day red.
It has the blackcurrant flavours from both the Cabernet and Shiraz, a slightly spicy note, which I assume is the Shiraz, and moderate smooth tannins which the bottle notes claim are typical of KK.
It is another of those 'medium everything' wines, except for the alcohol of 13.5% but this doesn't really make itself felt. It is not expensive and not disappointing but won't make it to the mental list of crowd pleasers that I rely on when entertaining.
The front label has a little square golden icon at the top and centre bearing the name Pamukkale. This is a town in the region famous for hot springs and white walled hills that give the town its name. Pamukkale means 'cotton castle' because the spring waters are rich in calcium and a beautiful sedimentary rock, travertine, has built up over countless years to provide a landscape that has led to the area being listed as a world heritage site. The wine may not be sufficient reason to visit on its own, but I'd be happy to drink it there if I was ever fortunate enough to visit, even if this time I had to pay my own way,
I first tried KK, as it is known for ease of pronunciation, at the London International Wine Fair in 2010 and I don't think I have tasted it again since.
Coming from Western Turkey in the Region of Denizli the grapes for this wine grow high on a continental limestone plateau where the combination of daytime heat and cooler nights suits the various grapes grown here.
Trio is, unsurprisingly, a blend of three varieties: Shiraz and Kalecik Karasi contributing 40% each, with Cabernet Sauvignon providing the remaining 20%.
As such it is a combination of the local speciality and two widely traveled international varieties that crop up everywhere and has characteristics that reflect the blend.
It is a medium intensity red wine, easy to drink but better with a meal than without (I know this because I sampled the first glass or so whilst cooking the lunch that accompanied the rest) and is a good every day red.
It has the blackcurrant flavours from both the Cabernet and Shiraz, a slightly spicy note, which I assume is the Shiraz, and moderate smooth tannins which the bottle notes claim are typical of KK.
It is another of those 'medium everything' wines, except for the alcohol of 13.5% but this doesn't really make itself felt. It is not expensive and not disappointing but won't make it to the mental list of crowd pleasers that I rely on when entertaining.
The front label has a little square golden icon at the top and centre bearing the name Pamukkale. This is a town in the region famous for hot springs and white walled hills that give the town its name. Pamukkale means 'cotton castle' because the spring waters are rich in calcium and a beautiful sedimentary rock, travertine, has built up over countless years to provide a landscape that has led to the area being listed as a world heritage site. The wine may not be sufficient reason to visit on its own, but I'd be happy to drink it there if I was ever fortunate enough to visit, even if this time I had to pay my own way,
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