Last fall I was lucky enough to travel with my better half, Robert "Sully" Sullivan, the famous bartender from Michel's at the Colony Surf for nearly 30 years.

We started our journey in Istanbul, Turkey, and on the advice of friend Donald Ebbert, we went to lunch at the Four Seasons. When the assistant manager found out we were from Hawai'i and also in the wine business, he proudly gave us a tasting of his favorite Turkish wines. We were surprised by the quality and picked up a few bottles to take home.

In Mykonos, Greece, at the Oasis Restaurant Bar, our server recommended a bottle of kthma xatzhmixaah from Domaine Hatzimicha. We couldn't pronounce it, but the wine, a local 2003 cabernet sauvignon, was delicious.

Then in Taormina, Sicily, we stumbled on Lido Europa, a quaint waterfront restaurant where we had the best pizza of our lives and carafes of the local red and white wines. The white was crisp and light with citrus notes and great acidity; it was perfect with Sully's mussels. Once again the proprietor, upon learning we were from Hawai'i, set down a bottle — this time it was the local Mandarino (like limoncello but tangerine flavored) with two glasses and let us go for it. We perused the local wine shops and found labels we were familiar with back home — Planeta being the best known.

Next up was Croatia. We visited a family-owned winery and farm, Seoska Kuca Cilipi. By law, everything they serve has to be self-sustaining — the cheese was made from milk from their goats, the bread made from wheat grown in their fields. The wine was good, especially the dessert wines, and we brought back a few bottles for friends. We had a blast singing and dancing, and did not want to leave.

We noticed the Croatian wine bars and wine shops all listed the name "Grigch," which we recognized from Napa's famous Grigch Hills winery. California vintner Mike Grigch is originally from Croatia, where he also produces wine. It's considered a "cult" wine there, much the same as his Screaming Eagle is in California.

Our vacation over and our wines rested from the journey, it was time to revisit them — would they taste as good or were we caught up in the time and place and wonderful food?

We recently sat down with visiting friends for dinner at Mariposa. The Turkish white wine Kav was a 2004 narince grape. It was floral on the nose and had a steely, stony up-front taste with a white-pepper finish. With an alcohol content of only 13 percent and nice acidity, it was easy to drink with our scallops.

Kalecik karasi is a noble black grape grown in central Anatolia, Turkey. The grape was on the brink of extinction until the Kavaklidere winery and the Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture stepped in. Roy Chung, Mariposa's assistant manager, said that it is almost like a fine French burgundy. I agree. These wines are definitely Old World and food-friendly.

We then tasted a Turkish Angora — a blend of cinsault, cabernet sauvignon and gamay. But our favorite wine of the evening was Plantaze Pro Corde Vranac, a little bottle we picked up in Montenegro. The blend of kratosija and cabernet sauvignon grapes had a velvety mouth feel, and rich dark fruit flavors.

The Mediterranean not on your itinerary? The next-best option is to head to Mariposa's resurrected Cheese Culture on Sept. 19. Chef Marc Anthony Freiberg has brought back the wine-and-cheese tasting event after a year's hiatus, and this month it will feature Mediterranean and Italian wines.

Cynthia Fenner is a certified sommelier and wine buyer for Neiman Marcus Epicure. Reach her at 948-7557.