Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
This week has been quite a hectic one, traveling (too much of it by walking) around Syria looking for Roman roads and other late antique, rather unpicturesque sites like like al-Andarine, with its newly found "basalt Basilica".
But I did have time to visit a few more picturesque sites, too, and to eat numerous very good meals (one needs energy for this type of work), and to try a couple bottles.
St. Simeon chose a rather nice place to sit on top of a pillar ... uhmmmm ... stub
In Tartus, previously called Tortosa, we had a lovely meal of only mezze and tried an awful Syrian wine, Al'Andalus Old Wine 1996 from Homs, Syria with a funny back label mentioning that it is produced in a grape factory! That should have been the first warning sign. Brown. Smells of vinegar. Tastes like our tabboule and fattoush used it as seasoning. Amazingly these two vinegar infused salads made the wine much less worse than it was, with the vinegar of the dish cutting through the vinegar of the wine to reveal a bit of raisiny fruit in there! I would rather drink spoofy wine than this.
Thankfully some Lebanese wines are available (though not Musar). Ksara's Blanc de Blancs 2007 is too oaky, but has lovely, strong acidity. Tries too hard to be something serious rather than just fun and gluggable.
Like the Bl de Bl, Ksara's Blanc de l'Observatoire 2009 is a rather strange blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat and Clairette, but it works. It isn't over-ripe though the Bekaa Valley isn't a cool region, they are only about 12,5% abv. Nicely aromatic, but despite some obvious Muscat aromas, the nose doesn't promise sweetness as do so many other wines with strong Muscat aromas. And, indeed, it is crisp, high in acidity and very moreish with some fresh fish in a herbal sauce during the hot period of day on Arwad island just off the coast from Tartus.
Anyway, now I'm back in Damascus for a few days before heading off to the colder, less civilized part of the world.
Enjoyed the sunset at Azem Palace in the old town
But I did have time to visit a few more picturesque sites, too, and to eat numerous very good meals (one needs energy for this type of work), and to try a couple bottles.
In Tartus, previously called Tortosa, we had a lovely meal of only mezze and tried an awful Syrian wine, Al'Andalus Old Wine 1996 from Homs, Syria with a funny back label mentioning that it is produced in a grape factory! That should have been the first warning sign. Brown. Smells of vinegar. Tastes like our tabboule and fattoush used it as seasoning. Amazingly these two vinegar infused salads made the wine much less worse than it was, with the vinegar of the dish cutting through the vinegar of the wine to reveal a bit of raisiny fruit in there! I would rather drink spoofy wine than this.
Like the Bl de Bl, Ksara's Blanc de l'Observatoire 2009 is a rather strange blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat and Clairette, but it works. It isn't over-ripe though the Bekaa Valley isn't a cool region, they are only about 12,5% abv. Nicely aromatic, but despite some obvious Muscat aromas, the nose doesn't promise sweetness as do so many other wines with strong Muscat aromas. And, indeed, it is crisp, high in acidity and very moreish with some fresh fish in a herbal sauce during the hot period of day on Arwad island just off the coast from Tartus.
Anyway, now I'm back in Damascus for a few days before heading off to the colder, less civilized part of the world.