Ampelos
White grape

Narince

Tokat, Black Sea hinterland, Turkey

A thin-skinned, medium-bodied white from Tokat on the Yeşilırmak, one of Turkey's most widely grown native whites, with citrus, pear and floral notes.

Sensory profile

Characteristics

LightFull
LowHigh
Bone-dryVery sweet
Color depth
PaleDeep
Typical alcohol12.0–13.5% ABV
8%16%

Flavor & aroma

lemonpearwhite flowerspineapple

At a glance

Production facts

Prevalence

Niche

Climate

Moderate climate

Ripening

Mid season

Wine styles

Still, Sparkling

Where it's grown

Geography

Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.

Turkey

Tokat

The heartland: the Yeşilırmak valley makes full-flavoured whites that suit oak.

ExploreTokat

Turkey

Central Anatolia

High-plateau vineyards give crisper, more mineral versions.

Turkey

Thrace and Marmara

A smaller planting in the milder European corner of Turkey.

Background

Origin & History

Narince means delicate, and the grape is thin-skinned and needs care. It is associated with the Yeşilırmak basin around Tokat, in a transitional climate between the Black Sea coast and the dry interior, and is also grown in Central Anatolia, the Aegean and Thrace. Its leaves are traditionally used for sarma, stuffed vine leaves.

The wines are with balanced and flavours from green fruit, citrus and flowers to riper tropical fruit. Narince is made dry in steel or , as sparkling wine, and as amber wine.

Lineage

Family tree

Parentage not recorded — Narince is an old variety of unknown origin.

No crossings involving Narince are documented in the collection yet.