The Turkish Wine Renaissance: A Guide to Native Grape Varieties

Turkey is quietly having a wine moment. Over the past five years, boutique producers and passionate winemakers have turned their attention back to the country's own soil, and the results are turning heads internationally. In the early 2000s, only around 20 local grape varieties were being made into wine; today that number has grown to more than 65, largely thanks to grassroots efforts like the Heritage Vines of Turkiye project. Turkish wines have picked up over 1,000 medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards since 2004, including several Platinum honors in 2024 alone.

The Grapes Worth Knowing

• Kalecik Karasi - Once nearly lost, now producing elegant, Pinot Noir-like reds.

• Okuzgozu - Turkey's most widely planted black grape, juicy and approachable.

• Bogazkere - Powerful, tannic, built to age.

• Narince - A versatile white ranging from crisp to rich and barrel-aged.

• Calkarasi - Light-bodied, bright redcurrant and cranberry character, currently on trend.

• Adakarasi - Anchor grape of Turkey's newest officially recognized wine region (2025).

Four Producers Shaping the Story

Kocabag - A family winery carved into the volcanic tuff of Uchisar, Cappadocia, since 1972. Their Emir, Narince, Kalecik Karasi and Okuzgozu wines age in caves cut straight into the rock.

Kavaklidere - Founded in 1929 and one of Turkey's oldest producers, with vineyards spanning Cappadocia's Emir plantings to Eastern Anatolia's Okuzgozu. Its Selection Okuzgozu-Bogazkere blend is a modern classic.

Sevilen - Started in Izmir in 1942 by Bulgarian immigrant Isa Guner, whose surname means 'beloved'. Now a leading premium producer working sites from the warm Aegean coast to the cooler Anatolian plateau.

Pasaeli - Founded in 2000 by Seyit Karagozoglu, this is the winery most devoted to rescuing rare native grapes, including Calkarasi, Karasakiz, Yapincak, and micro-lots of near-extinct varieties like Sidalan and Cakal.

Why It Matters for You

Every bottle we carry from Turkey is part of this story - grapes with centuries of history, now being reintroduced to the world in some of their finest forms yet.