All posts by moshe.

Reviving the Lost Grapes of Turkey

Words and Images by Andrea Lemiuex

Infographics by Empathia Creative

A casual wine drinker for years, Andrea’s “come to wine” moment happened, paradoxically, in Turkey. Her journey began when she discovered that Turkey did make wine, that it could make very good wine, and that it had a rich tapestry of native grapes. Since this revelation Andrea has devoted herself to learning about and proselytizing Turkish wine, while giving some love to other underappreciated wine countries and garnering a few formal wine certifications along the way. She founded The Quirky Cork, a website devoted in large part to Turkish wines and her first book, A Turkish Wine Journey, will be available soon.

Turkey. The mention of this country evokes thoughts of sultans and harems, sticky sweet Turkish delights, thick coffee, and hot air balloon rides over the fantastical ‘fairy chimney’ cave homes of Cappadocia. Wine is not the first thing to come to mind. Nor is it usually the fourth or the tenth. And yet, Turkey is, and for thousands of years has been, a wine producing country.

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Jean-Marc Sélèque – Pierry, Coteaux Sud d’Epernay

Ask any 20 something what is one of the most annoying habits of his/her parents and they’ll tell you it’s meddling/ lecturing about their budget.

In the case of Jean Marc Sélèque, it wasn’t only his bank account he was responsible for when taking control of his winery in 2008, it was the entire family’s.

Soon enough he realised that a few pairs of keen eyes were scrutinising every move in the new winery’s balance sheet. He was drawn to biodynamism and quality grapes and they (the family…) were interested in profits, now. Talking of pressure!

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Episode 30 – Champagne Larmandier Bernier with Arthur Larmandier


During a visit to the Champagne region in December 2019, I was lucky enough to catch Arthur Larmandier from the grower, Champagne of Larmandier Bernier for a chat and a tasting.

Champagne Larmandier is one of the finest estates in the Côte Des Blancs. Pierre Larmandier owns 15 hectares of vines from Chouilly in the north, through Cramant, Avize, Oger and in their home village of Vertus, where the winery and family home are based.

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Episode 29 – The East Mediterranean With Demetri Walters MW and Adam Montefiore


In this episode I hosted two of the leading experts on the wines of the East Mediterranean. Demetri Walters MW and Adam Montefiore.

We hear about the ancient wine routes and the fame those wines achieved in the ancient world.

Fast forward to the more recent history of the last 400 years and the Ottoman rule and how it affected the region.

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Cap Classique – South Africa’s Shining Star with Cathy Van Zyl MW Zoom Video

It’s the perfect weather for a chilled bottle of something fizzy. In my glass, a delicious Methode Cap Classique (MCC) Rose from Paul René in Robertson, South Africa.

To many of us MCC is a relative newcomer on the ever-growing traditional sparkling scene but next year South Africa will celebrate 50 years since its creation.

Unable to use the term Method Champenoise (or any mention of the Champagne region), the South African growers who drew inspiration from the French region came up with the ‘Classic Cape Methode’ or in French, Methode Cap Classic. The pioneering credit goes to the Simonsig Estate.

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