We’re almost done with 2017. As a tradition of Wines of Nesli, I will share the best wine moments of the year. These were the moments that made this year delicious and unforgettable, and hopefully they can give you some inspiration for your future experiences.

Best Wines with a View

If you have an afternoon to spend in Toronto and you’d like to watch the entire city, the terrace of Hotel Park Hyatt is your place to be. There you can enjoy a glass of Moët & Chandon with a hibiscus flower inside with a breathtaking Toronto view. Hibiscus flower gives a soft pink color and its distinct aroma to the Champagne. If you love hibiscus tea, you should give this a chance.

Another great wine with a view of this year is in Chios island of Greece. You can arrive in Chios island in half an hour with a fast catamaran from Çeşme, Turkey. If you find yourself there, make sure that you walk until the mills, and eat a meal in the small restaurant just in front of the mills, called Oι muλoι (the mills). I drink a white table wine, simple yet nothing could fit better to this atmosphere.

Best Dinner of the Year

Good food, good company and good atmosphere are the factors making a dinner “the best”. The dinner in Kyrenia Castle in North Cyprus ticked all the boxes. Fresh seafood cooked to the perfection, paired with a glass of crisp white wine, accompanied by my beloved mom, and finally the amazing view of the harbour area. I suggest visiting the castle and have a meal in a restaurant around it.

Best Wine Travels of the Year

A day in Cité du Vin in Bordeaux is a day to remember for wine lovers. Cité du Vin is very interactive and visual, there are so many things to do that you’ll not even understand how the time passed. Once you finish your visit, you can go to the terrace with a wine bar to make a tasting looking at Bordeaux, and then you can go to the wine shop at the exit.

Another unforgettable visit was the trip to Champagne region, more precisely in Reims and Epernay. As it was my first visit to this amazing region, I made an itinerary to visit some of the most famous Champagne houses, Veuve Clicquot, Mumm, Pommery, Ruinart, Moët & Chandon, Taittinger.

Best Wine and Food Pairing

When autumn arrives in Nova Scotia, it’s hard not to fall in love with nature. All the trees were in different colors, all the shades of green, yellow, orange and red. Having been inspired from this view and from local products, I’ve created a dish with autumn veggies and Nova Scotia lobster and paired with a Sherry wine. With this pairing, I won the International Sherry Wine contest, and my prize will be a dinner in El Celler de Can Roca. I cannot wait to discover this world-famous restaurant.

Best Vineyard of the Year

I’m writing this article from Chile, where I came to spend the last weeks of 2017 and greet 2018. I got the chance to visit some of the most outstanding wineries and vineyards of Colchagua Valley. More about it will come in this blog next year.

Thank you for being a part of my wine journey in 2017, and I’m looking forward to continuing in 2018. Happy New Year to everyone!

Cheers,

Nesli

All images © 2017 by Wines of Nesli. All rights reserved.

Categories: Best of, Wines