News and Wine Blog
Wines from Turkey: VIno Mas April Wine Club
04/01/2026
Pasaeli was founded by Seyit Karagözoğlu—whose winemaking philosophy was deeply shaped by his travels through Italy—Paşaeli works with legendary Italian consultant Andrea Paoletti to create wines that feel both familiar and wonderfully exotic, desiring to bridge the gap between ancient traditions and modern craft.
The main red this month is the Pasaeli House Red: The 2024 Pasaeli House Red is a fresh, juicy, and aromatic blend from Turkey’s Aegean region, typically featuring Karasakız, pronounced "kar-ah-SAH-kuz", Cabernet Sauvignon, and Çalkarası "chal-kar-ah-SUH". It is a medium-bodied, approachable wine with vibrant red and dark berry flavors, baking spices, and silky tannins, often aged in stainless steel for a fruit-forward profile.
Deb paired the main red month and her thoughts: "The Pasaeli wines are so incredibly food friendly (although good luck saying the names of the varietals!!) I wanted to find a way to pair ground beef so meatloaf sounded delicious. This month’s Pasaeli red blend has fresh acidity and is fruity with a nice balance of spice and easy tannins. So I wanted the meatloaf to have a little lighter feel. This Italian meatloaf recipe, where you basically braise the meatloaf in a wine, tomato and mushroom liquid, was so moist and flavorful with tremendous amounts of leftover sauce to use. I chose to blend it smooth like a pasta sauce and served over egg noodles, but it also could have been left as is for a dunking sauce for garlic bread.
For the white and the complement red, Deanna found recipes to pair that included turmeric, cumin, paprika, garlic, and lemon which are classic mid-eastern spices and is used in many dishes made in Turkey.
The Main white is the Pasaeli House White: The white this month is delightful and will be perfect for spring and summer drinking. The "house white" is 100% Emir, pronounced "eh-meer", it is a light-skinned grape variety indigenous to Anatolia in central Turkey. Its name is a Turkish word for "order" or "command", which is thought to stem from the wine's popularity at the tables of the aristocracy since Roman times.The wine has lots of citrus, ginger and steely mineral notes.
It paired great with the grilled shrimp that I marinated in citrus, garlic and turmeric. The veggie medley the shrimp was topped on, was also spiced with turmeric and smoked paprika. This dish is light, flavorful and colorful, it’s absolutely perfect for warmer weather, al fresco dinning. A squeeze of charred lemon on top of the shrimp lifted the flavors of dish and matched well with this mineral derived white wine. I also served a side of Jasmine rice with this to make the meal more filling.
The complement red is the Pasaeli 6N: It is the Paşaeli 6N and is made up of Karasakız pronounced "kar-ah-SAH-kuz" with a small amount of Merlot. Karasakız, is a rare and indigenous Turkish red wine grape. The classic Karasakiz wine is definitely "easy-drinking", low in alcohol, acidity and tannins, and full of candied berry fruit flavors. When you pour it into your glass, you may think....this is wine? This wine is very light in color. The wine has similar notes on both the nose and the palate. It has lots of cranberry, pomegranate and cherry notes and is higher in acid than most reds are.
I paired the wine with an easy oven roasted chicken shawarma served over Jasmine rice. This dish is spicy and super flavorful. The fruity notes of the wine, helped to tame the heat in the dish. I did add a greek yogurt mint sauce on the chicken which for me, brought the heat level down, I am a bit of a spicey wimp. The wine absolutely should have a chill on it, put in in the fridge at least 30 min before you are ready to drink it. This will be a fantastic wine for the warm spring and summer days ahead and will go well with salads, seafood and all the lighter fare that we tend to eat in the warmer weather. If you dice the chicken, it would be fantastic with hummus, tomato and cucumber in a pita wrap.
Enjoy!
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Pasaeli House Red
NOTES: This wine is a fresh, fruit-forward ode to the bistros of Istanbul and beyond. It has inviting aromas of dark cherries and light baking spices. A blend of Karasakiz, Cabernet and Calkarasi. The wine is medium- bodied, offering savory notes of juicy black fruit and light tannins.Pasaeli House Red
Recipe to pair with Pasaeli House Red:
www.vinomas.com/Italian-Meatloaf-with-Pasaeli-House-red-blend
NOTES: Bright citrus and stone fruit aromas with hints of green apple, under-ripe pear and saline minerality. On the palate, it is medium bodied with racy acidity, and a clean, zesty finish that leaves the mouth watering.
www.vinomas.com/Italian-Meatloaf-with-Pasaeli-House-red-blend
Recipe to pair with Pasaeli House White:
www.vinomas.com/Grilled-Turmeric-Shrimp-Sauteed-Veggies-Pasaeli-House-White
NOTES: Rich aromatics of cranberries, plum and ripe fig. Hints of herbal, spicy and earthy notes. Lighter bodied wine with restrained flavors of cranberry & dried fig with a mineral driven spine and lingering acidity. A beautiful red to serve with a slight chill.
www.vinomas.com/Grilled-Turmeric-Shrimp-Sauteed-Veggies-Pasaeli-House-White
Recipe to pair with Pasaeli 6N:
www.vinomas.com/Oven-Roasted-Chicken-Shawarma-with-Pasaeli-6N
www.vinomas.com/Oven-Roasted-Chicken-Shawarma-with-Pasaeli-6N
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High Tier Wine Club Main Wine:
Robert Foley 2017 Pinot Noir
Making Handcrafted Wines since 1998. Learn all about Robert Foley here: www.robertfoleyvineyards.com/about
NOTES: Aromas of red cherry and raspberry fruit combine with a spicy note reminiscent of caraway. On the palate, lively natural acidity frames the velvety mid-palate which delivers bright fruit flavors in a super soft lingering finish.
Post By:
Deanna Albertson