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(CNN) — As one of many world’s oldest wine producers, with historical past that goes again round 7,000 years, Turkey’s winemakers are thriving within the revival of a deeply rooted craft.
Vineyards all throughout the nation are discovering success within the cultivation and manufacturing of each native and imported grape varieties, profitable awards and making their mark on the worldwide market.
For wine fanatics, Turkey is a burgeoning and principally undiscovered vacation spot, from the Aegean coast all the way in which to the hidden corners of Anatolia.
Listed here are among the greatest Turkish vineyards by area:
Trakya
The family-owned Suvla vineyard close to the Çanakkale Strait has greater than 500 medals to its identify.
Yağmur Koç
Turkey’s first regional wine route, the Trakya Bağ Rotası (Thrace Winery Route) covers a big space that stretches from the northwestern frontier metropolis of Edirne all the way in which right down to Gelibolu on the high finish of the Dardanelles Strait.
Chateau Nuzun was based by Nazan and Necdet Uzun in 2004 with a conviction that good wines can solely come from glorious grapes. The property’s vineyards are grown utilizing natural strategies producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Noir.
A bigger producer of wines that vary from the Turkish Narince, Papaskarası and Kalecik Karası grapes to Riesling and Petit Verdot, Chamlija is among the area’s extra well-known names. Its bottles are at all times simply recognizable because of the authentic artwork on the labels, created by Irem Çamlıca, the daughter of the winery’s founder, Mustafa Çamlıca.
The Arcadia Vineyards, identified for its low-intervention terroir wines, can be house to the Bakucha Winery Resort the place wining, eating and strolling among the many vines and the orchards comprise an ideal keep for wine fanatics.
Aiming to reestablish Kırklareli as an essential area for viticulture, Saranta bottled its first wines in 2011. One of many first Turkish vineyards to supply varietal wines from Ökügözü and Sémillon grapes and rosé from Cinsault grapes, the vineyard is about to open a contemporary resort in 2023.
Prolific wine author turned winemaker Şeyla Ergenekon and her husband Çağatay run Chateau Ergenekon, one of many smallest natural vineyards in Turkey, specializing in French grape varieties similar to Syrah and Grenache. Simply this yr, the duo celebrated a gold medal win for his or her Bona Dea 2013 classic on the Korea Wine Problem 2022.
Umurbey is among the extra established Thracian vineyards, having been round since 1993. It is one among Turkey’s first vineyards to supply wines from solely its personal grapes. There is a distance of simply 500 meters between vine and manufacturing facility.
The story of Barbare started in 2000, when Can Topsakal bought land in Tekirdağ to start his personal winery after having studied in France. Alongside Xavier Vignon, a outstanding oenologist and wine marketing consultant for a lot of chateau wineries in France, Topsakal has turned Barbare into an award-winning wine typically matured in oak barrels.
Close to the bottom of the Gallipoli peninsula, Chateau Kalpak was established by Bülent Kalpaklıoğlu in 1991 after having lived in America and France and leaving the world of funding banking. Years of experimentation and analysis ensured earlier than the primary wines have been launched in 2013. They’ve since garnered a prestigious three-star score from the AWC Vienna, on par with Michelin stars in gastronomy.
One other heavy hitter within the Turkish viticulture world is the family-owned Suvla vineyard, situated in Eceabat, by the Çanakkale Strait. With greater than 500 medals to its identify, Suvla’s natural winery produces elegant wines together with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache Noir, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir grapes in addition to the indigenous Kınalı Yapıncak and Karasakız.
A wonderful location to style wine and linger for a couple of days is Caeli Vineyard and its winery lodging, Resort Caeli. Underneath the steering of the famed French wine marketing consultant Michel Rolland, Caeli was based in 2011 and concentrates on sustainable strategies of wine manufacturing in addition to innovation, together with a specifically designed cellar. Its resort, extra like a museum with 39 works of up to date artwork, makes use of elements from the Caeli Farm and Ecological Backyard in its connoisseur restaurant.
Aegean
Iki Deniz Arasi vineyard is the results of virtually 20 years of labor to revive viticulture to a once-thriving wine area.
Serhat Akbay
Accounting for greater than half of Turkey’s wine manufacturing, the Aegean area is ideal for wine cultivation and possesses a protracted listing of endemic grape varieties which are having fun with their second within the highlight.
The story of Sevilen Vineyards & Vineyard goes all the way in which again to 1942 when its founder Isa Güner emigrated from Bulgaria to Turkey. The third technology of the household now runs Sevilen in addition to the İsabey Bağları restaurant the place glorious Aegean dishes and Sevilen wines from Sultaniye to Karasakız grapes, Cabernet Franc to Petit Verdot, are paired.
As one among Turkey’s largest natural wineries, Lucien Arkas’ single-parcel winery is situated on 288 acres of land in İzmir. Preferring to reap its grapes throughout the cooler nighttime temperatures, the award-winning winery cultivates Tempranillo, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Marselan, Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Bornova Misketi grapes.
With every wine named after one of many seven sages, Yedi Bilgeler is one other standout of the Aegean wine area, particularly the architectural aesthetic of its resort and restaurant, a synthesis of European chateaus and the caravanserais of Anatolia.
Winner of the 2022 Gold Medal from the Decanter World Wine Awards for its Boğazkere 2017 classic, Perdix is a family-run natural winery in Urla the place wine tastings are loved by the pool, overlooking the fashionable glass-and-stone structure of its amenities.
Yedi Bilgeler is a standout of the Aegean wine area.
Bilge Yamen
Additionally it is in Urla that the realm’s small vineyards have banded collectively to create the Urla Wine Route, celebrating an area historical past of winemaking virtually 4,000 years outdated. A part of the route is the award-winning Urla Wines in addition to MMG, USCA, Urlice and the Mozaik vineyards.
Based in 2018 by Juan Pablo Diaz Leon and Ceylan Ertörer Diaz Leon, HUS is a family-run vineyard with a sustainable philosophy. Above the fashionable manufacturing facility, inbuilt concord with its pure environment, a tasting room and terrace look out over the vines and embody two visitor rooms for guests who need to keep a bit longer.
Identified for its wine manufacturing earlier than the 1923 inhabitants alternate between Greece and Turkey, the viticulture of the Yağcılar village had been all however deserted till Serhat Akbay started to work on its resurgence in 1999. With the institution of the vineyard in 2017, the Iki Deniz Arası winery finalized its evolution, producing wines and providing tastings upon reservation.
A hanging glass façade is the primary visible introduction to Nif, a winery identified for utilizing “gravity movement” strategies to guard the aroma of its grapes. Its personal Gastro Wine Bar can be the proper place to style the winery’s vintages, that vary from Italian Montepulciano to Turkish Narince grape varieties, paired with dishes ready from elements from the winemaker’s personal backyard.
Positioned in Balıkesir province, Madra was established by the previous architect Fikret Özdemir in 2005 with its first wine manufacturing going down in 2012. Remoted on high of the Madra Mountains, the vines profit from an altitude of 500 meters, producing aromatic wines like Bornova Misketi and Öküzgözü in addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all of which may be sampled within the Madra tasting room.
In fact, no point out of Turkish Aegean wines can be full with no journey to the island of Bozcaada, whose city middle is a set of wine outlets and bars presenting the very best of its endemic grapes. Among the standouts on the island embody the long-established Talay and Çamlıbağ wineries, and the award-winning Corvus winery.
On the Bodrum peninsula, vineyards are slowly popping up among the many panorama, experimenting with grape varieties and the temperament of the land. Karnas Vineyards, impressed by the wineries of Napa Valley, primarily produces Zinfandel wines, typically paired with connoisseur dishes in its winery restaurant. Different Bodrum winemakers embody the well-known Garova Vineyards, based by Mehmet Vuran, and Mor Salkım, based by the late Hasan Tahsin Erdemir in 2015 and continued by his household, who additionally host stay music days of their winery café.
Çal
Kuzubağ is among the youngest vineyards within the Çal area.
Aslı Kuzu
The Çal Bağ Yolu is one among Turkey’s latest wine routes, established in 2021 to type an alliance among the many space’s 4 vineyards and assist rejuvenate Çal’s historic viticulture.
One of many youngest vineyards right here is Kuzubağ, based by Salih Kuzu and his daughter Aslı Kuzu, locals of close by Hançalar village. Positioned at an elevation of 850 meters, the household vineyard produces the native Çalkarası grape in addition to Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Additionally on the route is Küp, one among Turkey’s most established vineyards, courting again to 1959. It is at present being operated by the Altıntaş household’s second and third technology, who dramatically modernized amenities, together with a tasting room, specifically designed cellar and absolutely outfitted laboratory.
Different members of the route embody Lermonos, based by Hürriyet Yılmaz, who restored one among Çal’s first wineries and introduced it again to life, and Erdel, which operates the Hanchalar vineyard with its Kalecik Karası rosé and Oküzgözü Syrah mix.
Anatolia
Based in 2018, HUS is a family-run vineyard with a sustainable philosophy.
Ceylan Ertorer Diaz Leon
One of many harder areas for wine manufacturing in Turkey nonetheless has profitable vineyards, together with the Kavaklıdere Vineyard, Turkey’s first personal sector wine producer based in 1929 by Cenap And.
Based in 2003 by two feminine entrepreneurs who moved to Ankara’s Kalecik district to supply the native Kalecik Karası grape, Tafali opened its vineyard in 2019 and has since welcomed friends to its bucolic winery.
Well-known for its fairy chimneys, the Cappadocia area can be identified for its wines, together with Gelveri, within the not-so-touristic haven Güzelyurt, which produces pure wines in a restored Greek stone constructing, lovingly referred to as Taş Mahal (Stone-Mahal). Different essential wineries embody Turasan, one of many area’s oldest wine producers and Kocabağ, based by Mehmet Erdoğan in his yard in 1972 and now a contemporary family-run vineyard.
The grand tour via Turkey’s vineyards ends close to Kayseri, within the Vinolus vineyard and the Sunolus Boutique Resort. An natural winery producing Narince, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Kalecik Karası and Tempranillo, Vinolus was based by the biologist and yoga teacher Oluş Molu who took over her household’s farm and turned it into one among Turkey’s few vineyards licensed with the ECOCERT label.
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth is a contract author based mostly between Istanbul and Bodensee. Her writing has been printed in Kinfolk, Brownbook, Journey + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. She’s additionally the writer of her personal guidebook, The five hundred Hidden Secrets and techniques of Istanbul.