The Turkish homeland has always been a prime wine-growing region. It may be one of the lands where winemaking originated, and it boasts 600 to 1200 grape varieties native to its soil.
Prime vineyard regions for making Turkish wines include the coasts of the Sea of Marmara, Cappadocia in Central Anatolia, and the eastern provinces of Elazığ and Diyarbakır.
It’s easy to explore wines and vineyards in Tekirdağ, 145 km (90 miles, 2 hours) west of Istanbul, and in Cappadocia.
Wine Shops
Sensus Wine is dedicated to promoting Turkish wines and education wine enthusiasts about their qualities. Sensus shops and tasting wine bars are in Antakya, Bodrum, Eskişehir, Istanbul (Galata Tower) and Marmaris. More…
Wine Tours
Tekirdağ Wineries
This city and region 2 hours’ drive west of Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara shore has been noted for its wines for millennia. Barbare Vineyards, inland from the Tekirdağ southern suburb of Barbaros, is among its premier wineries, and is open to visits all year.
Cappadocia Wine Tours & Tastings
Travel Atelier, a TurkeyTravelPlanner.com partner, offers full-day wine and vineyard tours of Cappadocia, including tastings, as well as private and small-group tastings as the finish to Cappadocia day-tours. More…
Turasan Winery has a sales shop with a wine-tasting bar at its bottling facility in Ürgüp. It’s open seven days a week for tastings and purchases.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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