Turkey
Varied: Mediterranean to continental
One of the oldest homes of viticulture and a huge grape grower, where a growing group of wineries now make wine from native grapes such as Öküzgözü, Boğazkere and Kalecik Karası.
Overview
About Turkey
Anatolia is one of the cradles of wine, and Turkey (Türkiye) is one of the world's biggest grape growers. Most of the crop is eaten fresh or dried as raisins and sultanas, though, and only a small share becomes wine. The modern industry dates from the early Republic, when Doluca (1926) and Kavaklıdere (1929) were founded.
Since the 1990s a wave of smaller wineries has turned back to the country's hundreds of native grapes. Öküzgözü and Boğazkere from the east, Kalecik Karası from near Ankara, Narince from Tokat and Emir from Cappadocia are now made into wines that are exported, alongside international grapes such as Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay.
Where is a grape grown?
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Turkey
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Varied: Mediterranean to continental
The Aegean and Marmara coasts have hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The Anatolian plateau is continental, with hot dry summers, very cold winters and big swings between day and night. Many plateau vineyards sit above 1,000 metres.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Limestone and clay loams in Thrace and the Aegean, volcanic tuff in Cappadocia, and red clay, decomposed granite and sandstone in the east.
Go deeper
How the wines are classified
Turkey does not yet have a formal appellation system for wine like the ones in Europe. Regions are broad and informal, and wines are sold by grape, region and producer.
Broad region
Thrace, the Aegean, Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia are used on labels as informal origin names, with no legal rules attached.
Grape and producer
Labels name the grape and the winery, so reputation counts for more than a legal rank.
Geographical indications
Turkey has a geographical indication law (Decree Law 555, in force since 1995), but wine regions are not yet organised into formal appellations.
Within Turkey
Regions
Aegean
Turkey's largest wine region, running from the İzmir coast inland to Manisa and Denizli, and home of Bornova Misketi, Çalkarası and many of the country's oldest wineries.
Central Anatolia
A high, dry plateau of volcanic and pebbly soils, with cold winters and big day-to-night swings, home of Emir and Kalecik Karası and of Turkey's Ankara-based wineries.
Eastern & Southeastern Anatolia
High, harsh country along the upper Euphrates and the Tigris, the source of Öküzgözü and Boğazkere, Turkey's most important native reds.
Thrace & Marmara
The European corner of Turkey, milder and rainier than the plateau, and home of the red grape Papazkarası and a growing group of Bordeaux-style estates.
Tokat
A province on the Yeşilırmak river in the Black Sea hinterland, and the home of Narince, one of Turkey's most widely grown white grapes.
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Turkey or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.
Boğazkere
Grown in Eastern & Southeastern Anatolia and Cappadocia.
Bornova Misketi
Grown in Aegean.
Çalkarası
Grown in Aegean.
Emir
Grown in Cappadocia.
Kalecik Karası
Grown in Central Anatolia and Kalecik.
Narince
Grown in Central Anatolia, Thrace & Marmara, and Tokat.
Öküzgözü
Grown in Aegean, Eastern & Southeastern Anatolia, and Cappadocia.
Papazkarası
Grown in Thrace & Marmara.