Hi Marion

I do agree, wine here is so very expensive and as you say - 10 lira for a bottle of average vino is way too much. In the UK I remember sometimes drinking Bulgarian wine which was a very good price and actually very tasty. We are spoiled in the UK with good priced high quality wines from all over the world.

There is such high tax on alcohol here though and I always fall off my chair when I see the cost of foreign wines in Turkey.

Thanks to AKP. They want to discourage alcohol consumption in Turkey.

A few months ago, I have a small dinner for friends at home and they brought a bottle of Australian red wine with them. I have always love Australian red it is for me one of the best in the world. The wine they bought was so delicious. So I kept the bottle so I could remember the name of it and thought to myself, ok next time I go to metro I will check it - I went to metro, found the wine and almost fainted when I saw a price tag of 42 YTL.

So what is its name? I may try if I find.

It goes without saying that I don´t think I will ever taste that wine again !!!!

I reckon we should make our own !!! hahaha

It is quite great when the government is concerned with such issues. We should seriously abolish all governments...

So what is its name? I may try if I find.

Well, I am so much into viticulture hence my nickname. I have some land on Bozcaada that used to be a vineyard once. One of my ideals for the future is committing myself to producing great wines in my retirement.

In Turkey, the biggest problem with regard to wine production is the presence  of unbelievably highy taxes. Therefore, I have to postpone my dream until after a reasonable government takes over. Presently, the government is doing their best to discourage enterpreneurs. They probably think wine is merely alcohol which is not a good thing and which therefore needs to be made less accessable for common people.These guys waste the great potential that exists in this country for wine production.

(P.S. I am back half heartedly, another silly attack and I am off forever)