Do you have any recommendations on good Turkish wine?
Turkish wine wasn’t very popular in the past and hasn’t been on par with the quality, if we compare it to the best wines in the world.
But in the last decades some very rich individuals have invested large sums of money into the vineyards and industry and also imported some sorts of wine that are now growing in Turkey.
Now the Turkish wines are becoming more popular and are getting the attention in the world of quality wines. Some sorts were already awarded in the prestige competitions in the famous London wine exhibitions.
HIGH PRICES
In Turkey, you will find limited competition for wine providers. Drinking wine is not embedded in the culture of the Turks and also their religion forbids them to drink alcohol.
This is why the prices of wines are very high. And also the country gave very high import taxes on foreign wines.
For a good insight into the whole Turkish wine industry, you can read a good article at this link.
Some of the grape sorts that are now popular and you will find in Turkey:
- Red wines: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah
- White wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
In general, you can still find wines that are good and can be enjoyed on your gulet cruise. Here are some of our suggestions to try and enjoy:
Some red options that we suggest:
- Turasan (Syrah, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, and Kalecik Karası)
- Corvus (Syrah and Cabernet)
- Umurbey (Cabernet)
- Villa Doluca (Merlot, Shiraz and Öküzgözü)
- Kutman
For some more suggestions on also good red wines follow this link.
Some white options:
- Pasaeli Vineyards (Kolorko, Yapincak)
- Sevilen Sarap Sanayi (Sauvignon)
- Kavaklidere Wines (Ancyra Narince)
So if we summon the wine offering in Turkey. The industry is very young and that is why also the offer is not so bright than maybe in some other European countries. But luckily in the last decade or two things started to get better.
In the years when Turkey opened up to “westernization” also the wine industry got better. So now you can still find some wines that can be on par with the world offers.
We advise you to choose some local wines because the taxes for imported wines are very high and in the end, you can still find some good local wines that can be enjoyed.
If you fancy finding some more good Turkish wine that would perhaps suit you more, we offer you this link to look.
So happy hunting!