Boğazkere
Also known as Throat Burner
Diyarbakır, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
A thick-skinned, late-ripening red from the Tigris valley around Diyarbakır, making full-bodied, tannic wines with black cherry, pepper and tobacco that can age for a decade or more.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Warm climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
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
Diyarbakır, Southeastern Anatolia
The homeland: dry-farmed bush vines on the Tigris give dark, powerful, tannic wines.
Turkey
Cappadocia, Central Anatolia
Planted on high volcanic soils, where it makes structured reds, often with Öküzgözü.
Background
Origin & History
Boğazkere means throat burner, a nod to its naturally high tannins, which are most obvious in young, unblended wines. It comes from the Diyarbakır area of Southeastern Anatolia, near the Tigris, where dry-farmed bush vines grow in very hot, dry summers with cold nights. Its small, thick-skinned berries ripen late and need a long, warm season to reach full maturity.
The wines have black cherry and pepper, and with time develop tobacco, coffee and dark chocolate notes. Good examples age well for ten years or more, and oak adds vanilla and cocoa. It is often blended with Öküzgözü, which softens it with fruit and acidity, and is increasingly grown across Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Boğazkere is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Boğazkere are documented in the collection yet.