🍷 The World's Most Paradoxical Wine Country
Turkey is one of the world's most paradoxical wine countries — possessing the world's fifth-largest vineyard area (approximately 380,000 hectares) while producing relatively little wine (only about 3% of grapes are vinified, the rest consumed as table grapes or raisins). Yet Turkey's viticultural heritage is among the oldest on Earth: Anatolia is one of the cradles of viticulture, and archaeological evidence from the Hittite period (2nd millennium BCE) confirms sophisticated winemaking traditions. Turkey also possesses an extraordinary collection of indigenous grape varieties — over 1,200 named varieties, of which approximately 60 are commercially cultivated.
🍇 Indigenous Varieties & Regions
Öküzgözü ("Ox Eye" — a dark red with cherry and spice character, eastern Anatolia's signature grape) and Boğazkere ("throat burner" — tannic, powerful, the Cabernet of Turkey) are the two most important indigenous reds, often blended together to magnificent effect. Narince (an elegant, Chardonnay-like white from Tokat), Emir (a crisp, mineral white from Cappadocia), and Kalecik Karası (a Pinot Noir-like red from Ankara) add distinctive character. The major regions include Eastern Anatolia (Elazığ — the Öküzgözü/Boğazkere heartland), Cappadocia (volcanic soils, extraordinary fairy chimney landscapes, Emir grape), Thrace (Tekirdağ — Turkey's Bordeaux, producing the most polished international-style wines), and the Aegean coast (warm, Mediterranean). Leading producers include Kayra (the largest quality-focused producer), Kavaklıdere (founded 1929, one of the foundational wineries of the modern Republic), Doluca, Urla Winery (İzmir, biodynamic pioneer), Pasaeli, and Gelveri (Cappadocia).
Rakı — the anise-flavored spirit that is Turkey's national drink, called "lion's milk" (aslan sütü) for its milky-white transformation when water is added — is inseparable from Turkish social life. The ritual of rakı with meze (appetizers) is one of the Mediterranean world's great dining traditions. Yeni Rakı is the dominant brand, but artisanal rakı producers are emerging.
🏆 Kaufmann Wine Score (KWS)
100-point scoring: 🟡 Aroma (0-25) · 🔴 Taste (0-30) · 🟣 Finish (0-20) · 🔵 Value (0-25)
| Wine | 🟡 | 🔴 | 🟣 | 🔵 | KWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayra Vintage Öküzgözü-Boğazkere (Elazığ) | 21 | 25 | 16 | 22 | 84 |
| Urla Winery Nero d'Avola (İzmir) | 20 | 24 | 15 | 22 | 81 |
| Kavaklıdere Prestige Narince (Tokat) | 19 | 23 | 14 | 22 | 78 |
✍️ Author's Note Radim Kaufmann
In a cave restaurant in Cappadocia — carved into the volcanic tuff beneath fairy chimneys, with candles flickering in stone alcoves — I drank Emir (the local white, crisp and mineral) alongside a meze spread of such variety and beauty that two hours passed without noticing. Turkey's wine paradox is extraordinary: the world's fifth-largest vineyard, 1,200 grape varieties, and yet most of the world has never tasted a Turkish wine. Öküzgözü — dark, cherry-scented, with a depth that recalls the age of Anatolian civilization — is a grape that deserves to be as famous as Malbec or Tempranillo. The rakı ritual, meanwhile, is one of the civilized world's great pleasures: that milky-white transformation in the glass, the first sip of anise, the slow procession of meze, the conversation that deepens as the evening lengthens. Turkey is waiting to be discovered.