Masters of wine to gather in Istanbul

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

‘Masters of Wine Weekend Istanbul’ will be held from May 3 and 7, hosting seven wine masters from the world. AFP photo

The number of masters of wine in the world today stands at 299. Between May 3 and 7, seven of them will be coming to Istanbul to assess Turkish wines at The Marmara Hotel. Organized by renowned wine expert and critic in Turkey, Dr. Yunus Emre Kocabaşoğlu, the “Masters of Wine Weekend Istanbul,” is one of the most prestigious wine events in Turkey, and its results have a profound impact on the wine market and fortunes of wine producers in the country.

The event started with the visit of master Jancis Robinson to Turkey in 2009. Then, 11 wine producers enrolled 40 of their wines. Five years later, the event has grown to a full five-day program, with 320 wines from 43 producers being assessed.

Masters

Among the masters who will join the event will be Tim Atkin of BBC Saturday Kitchen and the Times fame; master Charles Curtis, former Head of Wine for Christie’s in both Asia and the Americas; master Peter McCombie, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge, master Ronn Wiegand who is one of only three people in the world to have achieved the remarkable distinction of being both a Master Sommelier and a Master of Wine; master Roger Bohmrich shareholder and retired General Manager of the fine wine merchant Millesime USA; master Sarah Abbott who has been in the wine trade for nearly 20 years, working on sales and marketing for producers and importers of great, distinctive wine; and master Christy Canterbury of the New York Astor Center Wine School.

Besides assessing the Turkish wines, each master will also hold a Masterclass. Wine enthusiasts in Turkey will have the rare chance to taste some of the worlds’ most acclaimed wines with these masters.

The famous American wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. has only rarely given a wine a perfect score of 100, only 177 out of 220,000 red wines tasted received the honor. During the one-off Masterclass experience, 26 of these fine wines will be opened.

On May 4, Masterclasses will be organized under the title “How to Taste Wine” (Tim Atkin), “Merlots of the World” (Tim Atkin), “Chateauneuf-du-Pape” (Roger Bohmrich) and “Bordeaux par Excellence” (Ronn Wiegand); followed on Sunday by “Best of Nebbiolo: Barolo & Barbaresco” (Christy Canterbury), “America’s Cult Cabernets” (Charles Curtis), “Bourgogne’s Finesse” (Sarah Abbott) and the “Syrahs of the World” (Peter McCombie).

A very popular event amongst the wine enthusiasts and quick to get booked up, the Masterclasses are held in English and are open to all wine enthusiasts in Turkey. More information is available at Masters of Wine Weekend website: http://www.mwistanbul.com/?pages=masters.