Staying at a hotel as the first group of guests while it was still closed to the public has a surreal effect. Porta Caeli was at its opening phase when our press group was welcomed to indulge in all the facilities the hotel has to offer, including tasting the wines that were aging and the menu proposals that the restaurant was going to offer when … Continue reading Porta Caeli (Vinero) Winery, Hotel and Spa in Thrace, Turkey
Topaz Restaurant has something spectacular awaiting its guests upon entry. Its floor to ceiling glass wall frames a picturesque view of Istanbul. The Bosphorus Strait and its bridge, the whole city with some of its grandest sites and the Dolmabahçe Palace create a breathtaking scene. At night time, the restaurant’s lights are kept low (pardon the dark pictures) to emphasize the lighted city outside and … Continue reading Topaz Restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey
March has gone by quite fast and I didn’t even get the chance to write about my extraordinary experience with the Turkish wines in the Sommeliers’ Selection held in St. Regis Hotel in Istanbul last 25 – 26 February that was organized by Gustobar. I had a very fast-paced trip to Istanbul arriving from Rome at midday on the 25th just in time for a … Continue reading Sommeliers’ Selection 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul makes every inch of the food lover in me soar with anticipation. My first trip there had been a discovery of its food and wine culture with a group of press people. Even if Istanbul was the shortest stay on our way to another part of Turkey, the Northern Thrace, the markets, shops and restaurants we passed were enough to take a whiff of … Continue reading Vogue Restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey
While the sun was rising, we drove through Thrace countryside making our way from Vinero Winery to Arcadia Vineyards on the last day of our Turkish press trip. With 3 hours traveling time in between them (but just about 2 hours from Istanbul), we left Vinero with our boxed breakfasts at half past six in the morning, groggy from a very early start, with the … Continue reading Arcadia Vineyards and Bakucha Vineyard Hotel in Northern Thrace, Turkey
The Chosen Table 