Turkish Delight
Ξ March 24th, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, International Terroirs, Wine History |
So, I’m in Turkey again (and not for the first time) but as with other trips recently I’m now thinking of wine as a background to the business that’s paid for my ticket. The country is a series of contradictions - nominally Muslim, and with a pro-Islamic government (although not in the same league as Iran or Saudi Arabia) it is actually one of the most secular, open societies I’ve been to outside of Western Europe. Alcohol is widely enjoyed and the Turks are rediscovering a long tradition of winemaking spanning several civilizations, including the Hittites, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. However out of more than 1.5 million acres of plantings only about 2% of the fruit is turned into wine, with the bulk going for table grapes and raisins.
Istanbul itself is a typical modern city, the business hub of the dynamic Western half of the country while Ankara, the capital city and seat of government, is less vibrant, but still open and busy. In both cities, more so in Istanbul, Islamic strictures are frowned upon by the populace. This is an effect of the Atatürk republic, set up in response to the stagnation of the Ottomans and the disaster that was WWI - to set the country on a road of modernisation and to separate Mosque and State ( there were demonstrations recently when the Government repealed a law banning headscarves for female students, many Turks worry it is the start of a slide towards Islamic fundamentalism ).
As befits an area with ancient ties to wine there are a host of indigenous grapes for Turkish Winemakers to choose from, estimated between 900 and 1,250 varieties. The excellent Vinotolia site covers the main ones - from my experience I’d say look for the red Öküzgözü, Bo?azkere or Kalecik Karasi, while for white try a dry Narince or Emir.
The country has 7 main wine regions.
Thrace and Marmara - including European Turkey and the Sea of Marmara area, centred on Istanbul. This is the key winemaking area to date.
Aegean - South West around Izmir and including the Turkish Riviera (the coastline which is a favourite for holidaymakers).
Black Sea - the northern coastline stretching east to Georgia.
Central Anatolia - the Anatolian plateau, Ankara and areas east, including Cappadocia, which can date winemaking back to early Christian times.
South-Eastern Anatolia - the landlocked southern area bordering Syria.
East Anatolia - Eastern Turkey up to the borders with Armenia, Iran and Iraq, including the Elazig area.
Mediterranean - southern coastline to the border with Syria.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatürk) founded the modern Turkish state in 1923 and less than 2 years later founded his own personal wine cellar which he continued to stock, and drink, until his death in 1938. The Kavaklidere winery was established near Ankara in 1929 with Atatürk’s support and is one of the more famous of the modern wineries, with Diren, Kayra, Pamukkale and Villa Doluca (DLC) amongst many others, although nowadays even small local farmers are seeing the financial benefits of planting vineyards.
One problem for the wine lover in Turkey is the cost. Since the conservative AKP government came to power in 2002 taxes on alcohol have soared, which is hurting consumers and producers alike 2. This means that Turkish drinkers pay up to 3 times the price for a bottle compared to an equivalent quality bottle bought in America or Europe. The 3 bottles I came back with this trip came to more than £30 ($60) which, for typical local wine bought in the country of origin, is amongst the priciest in all my travels. This cost has led to a black market in wine production, with counterfeit wines becoming a problem, similar to neighbouring Georgia (discussed in an earlier R.O.T. post).
So finally onto the wine itself. My previous experience of a slice of Turkey was 2 years ago with the Anfora Trio 2004 from Pamukkale, a blend of Shiraz, Kalecik Karasi and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was rustic but good and I noted raspberries bursting out of the bottle, with a subtle background of caramel, leather and tobacco.
This time it was Kavaklidere providing the initial experience with a 2000 Öküzgözü from Elazig and their popular white, the 2006 Çankaya 
. I’ll discuss the Öküzgözü in a separate post, but the white is a blend of “four different grapes from Anatolia”. Although they don’t say which grapes are included Narince is likely, as it’s from the region, and Emir is a certainty as the wine has a nice crispness which matches the flavour profile of this grape. It worked well with the spicy flame-grilled chicken wings we had that night (which may not sound particularly Turkish, but apparently so!).
Two additional whites I tried were the DLC 2006 Sultaniye, Emir - which was very aromatic, floral with a fresh acidity, and the Kayra Tilsim 2007 - a Sultaniye, Semillon and Emir blend with a wonderful smell of banana and tropical fruits which was very dry, but let itself down with a wateriness which didn’t match its nose.
As for the 3 bottles that made it safely back to the U.K. with me, the two reds are safely stored away. The Kayra Terra 2005 Öküzgözü looks like it will make a nice weekend red sometime in the next year or so, while the Kavaklidere Selection 2005 Öküzgözü-Bogazkere promises to be something a little more special to be enjoyed in the next 5-6 years. The white was the Diren Dörtnal 2002 
, a 100% Narince that I was a little sceptical on buying, not knowing the grape variety I had worries that a 2002 was past its best. With that in mind I opened it for the Easter weekend and am currently sipping it while finishing off this article. The colour is medium, like a pale honey, and there was an initial hint of rubber on the nose before settling down into a floral perfume. It’s light in the mouth and very dry, not strong on flavour but, for a 6 year old white, still fairly fresh. I’d score it in the 82-83 range which doesn’t justify its £7 ($15) price tag, but it’s a new variety for me, and new experiences are what life is all about.
One final note. Cappadocia is famous not only for its wine but also for its landscape, and both can be viewed on an informative post on the Wine Library TV forums, A Turkish Wine Experience.
Greybeard.
