Check out our homegrown, homemade Turkish wine
THROAT-BURNER is surely the most unflattering or frightening translation of any grape variety, but the mighty Turkish red wine boğazkere means just that. Don’t worry though – it won’t cause harm because the name refers to its powerful tannin structure. What’s really cool is that the boğazkere (pronounced bow-aahz-keh-re) I’m drinking is home-grown
– an Australian first. It’s a variety that originates in Diyarbakir in south-east Anatolia, about 150km from the Syrian border. It’s one of many regions where veteran Aussie winemaker Robert Paul has been working as a consultant for Doluca. As one of Turkey’s oldest and leading wine companies, Doluca was established in 1926 and remains family owned. Robert was lured there in 2005 to help establish vineyards and a new winery, and assist in crafting wines that could compete on the international stage. “In all the time I’ve been going there, I have been fascinated by Turkish grapes,” Robert says. “And I thought some would be great for Australia, particularly the ones coming from eastern Turkey, which are drought-resistant and grow in very hot areas.” That’s boğazkere.
Another Turkish red vies for attention – öküzgözü (oh-cooz-go-zoo) – but it is the polar opposite in terms of flavour and structure. Think fruitier with higher acidity and lighter tannins. Robert says it makes for easy drinking, so it’s punter friendly.
“But it’s not as interesting and doesn’t attract us the way boğazkere does.”
The ‘us’ in question is Lokum Wine Company, where Robert is winemaker in partnership with consultant viticulturist John Runting, who also works in Turkey, plus winemaker and viticulturist Richard Tallis, who is based in Dookie in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. In 2008, they took six cuttings of boğazkere, sourced from one of Doluca’s vineyards in Denizli, a region in Turkey’s south-west, bound for Victoria. Today, at Richard’s vineyard, about 600 vines thrive on a 2000 square-metre plot, which in 2018 resulted in 1000 litres. “That’s a good size, and enough, because we’re wanting to see how it works first and foremost,” Robert says.
The inaugural 2014 vintage produced a tiny crop with some wine made. “We just drank it!” he says. It was promising stuff. Then in 2015, Lokum squeezed 100 litres and made a wine, selling it all to one of Melbourne’s best Turkish restaurants, Tulum. The ’16 vintage also produced 100 litres – a more densely packed wine that will be used for special dinners – but 2017 signifies the first commercial release with 1200 litres. It’s out now.
So, what’s it like? Despite the difficult pronunciation (trust me, it gets easier with every mouthful), it’s hard not to make comparisons with other varieties, especially nebbiolo, given its tannin structure. But Robert says it also reminds him of grenache, as it has a jubey character and perfume. While he’s experimenting and fine-tuning Lokum boğazkere, he wants to make a fresher style while taming the tannins, although, personally, I don’t find those tannins unwieldy; they have shape. It’s clear Robert marvels at this unique grape and, while it’s early days, if a variety is drought-resistant, doesn’t mind the blasting sun and still produces flavoursome wine, its potential in Australia is enormous.
“It is a fascinating variety. While the tannins are malleable, boğazkere is the only grape I know that is so unpleasant and bitter to eat [picked straight off the vine],” Robert says. But transformed into wine, throat-burner morphs into something quite intriguing and beguiling. The proof is in the glass.