This article was published on Gambero Rosso in Italian. Original title: “La crescita silenziosa dei vignaioli naturali che stanno riscrivendo la storia del vino in Turchia.” Written by Elvan Uysal.

Amidst ancient vines, new artisans, and the pioneering role of Sabiha Apaydin, the Bosphorus’s first female sommelier, here is the Turkish wine renaissance.

Sabiha Apaydin, the godmother of the Turkish wine renaissance—wines made with indigenous grapes and preferably unselected yeasts—tells us about the evolution of Turkish production. Sabiha Apaydin Gönenli is Turkey’s first female sommelier and for many years worked alongside Chef Mehmet Gürs during the legendary years of his restaurant, Mikla, now a Michelin-starred venue. Sabiha organizes a symposium dedicated to Turkish wines, “Kök, Köken, Toprak” (Root, Origin, Soil): it is the most important and significant event dedicated to natural wines in Turkey, hosting international and national authorities every year. Sabiha Apaydin points out that Turkey is the fifth-largest grape producer in the world, yet when it comes to wine, it stands at the level of new entry countries like Uruguay.

Since Ottoman times, Turkey has always had significant wine production and consumption: Apaydin highlights the figure of 340 million liters produced in 1904 to explain the importance of production and consumption in the Ottoman era. Even Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the newborn Republic, neglected neither wines nor vineyards: he brought in experts from Bordeaux, and while the State produced alcohol as a monopoly, it granted permits to wine producers. As often happens, at a certain point, the choice was made for Bordeaux blends, and indigenous wine grape vineyards were abandoned.

 

Since the 90s, we have seen a return—however slow—to historic grapes, but in the last 10 years, there has been a boom, visible to the naked eye, of artisan winemakers working with endangered vineyards. In all this excitement, Sabiha Apaydin plays an important role in communicating with and motivating young producers.

The Boom of Turkish Reds

The last five years have seen the birth of wines with great character that reflect the uniqueness of these Levantine lands, and among them are wines that enthusiasts and experts cannot overlook. Kalecik Karasi is an indigenous grape variety from Central Anatolia, particularly the Ankara area: it was the first wine to get noticed for its quality as early as the end of the last century. The Kalecik Karasi from Gelveri—Udo Hirsch’s idyllic winery perched atop a gorge overlooking Cappadocia—is kept in a giant Roman amphora still in use and is one of the supreme expressions of this grape, vinified with natural yeasts and without added sulfites. Another unmissable Kalecik Karasi, also offering excellent value for money, is Trajan by Tomurcukbag. The founder of the Tomurcukbag winery, Sabit Agaoglu, is a veteran of Turkish viticulture, and Kalecik Karasi owes its rebirth precisely to him. Another red to try is the Karasakiz from the Canavar(meaning “Monster”) winery, a very young operation working with this forgotten grape from the Bayramiç area.

The two jewels of Eastern Turkey, Bogazkere and Öküzgözü, are often mentioned and even blended together. They are the most used and beloved Turkish grape varieties, but they have yet to find their “master” to perfect the method of vinifying these two wonderful giants.

Whites: Between Aromatic and Mineral

The whites aren’t messing around either. In the front row is the Moscato of Bornova: like all examples of the same family, it gives life to a very aromatic wine, but in various Turkish terroirs, it has found an interesting and distinct minerality. The most interesting Moscato of Bornova is from Kastro Tireli, a winery in Manisa producing some of the most interesting wines on the Turkish scene: a Muscat with 35 to 60 days of skin maceration, briefly passed in old barrels—unmissable. Hus by Urla is another fine example of Moscato of Bornova, and for the demi-sec version, the Simposiumby Urla Winery is a must-try.

Less known are Emir and Narince; the former is a grape from Cappadocia, the latter from the Black Sea: often blended together, they are somewhat the yin and yang of Turkish whites. Emir is a masculine grape, offering a not-very-generous nose and a body suited for aging in steel: it is not a grape for everyone, but only for those who love dry, nervous wines. Conversely, Narince (which means delicate), is a very aromatic and fruity grape, inclined to create a charming and very amiable wine. For an Emir in its most rustic guise, one must try the entry-level wine from Turasan: it is one of the cheapest wines, but it carries the whole arid land of Cappadocia in the bottle, as a pure varietal. Vinolus, Yedibilgeler, Kastro Tireli, and Pasaeli are winemakers working very well with these indigenous grapes.

Keep an Eye on Yaban Kolektif Wines

Yaban Kolektif (which means wild/foreign) is one of the most exciting projects of recent years. Umay Çeviker—an architect who turned his passion for wine into a job—is a true reference point for indigenous wines: he collaborates with Jancis Johnson [likely Jancis Robinson] and also writes for the Oxford Wine Dictionary. Çeviker and his partner Levon Bagis, a great communicator of Istanbul’s food and wine scene, have joined forces and are producing wines from micro-vineyards scattered across various locations in Anatolia that they have recovered, all at risk of extinction. Among the totally forgotten varieties reborn thanks to this pair, we can name Sungurlu and Ercis Karasi: the former a white vinified using the ancestral method, the latter a red of unique joy and elegance.