Viticulture in Turkey
The viticulture in Turkey tends to play a subordinate role today. Although, according to a survey of 1996, 567,000 hectares of vineyards were planted - this corresponds to four times the area of the Bordeaux wine-growing region - only small contingents of mostly simple wines are produced. In 2002 481,000 hectoliters of wine were produced, in 2003 the estimates are at 570,000 hectoliters. This means that only two percent of the harvested grapes are used for viticulture. The rest is marketed as table grapes. Due to the success of the last ten years, which is also due to the growing tourism , new wineries and cultivation areas are created. In addition to the four large wineries, many small boutique wineries have developed. Especially in large centers like Istanbul , Izmir and Ankara , more and more wine bars are emerging that offer a large selection of these wines. Wines from Turkey have meanwhile also achieved a high priority in international hotels and in gastronomy. The great strength of Turkish wines are the many autochthonous grape varieties. The boutique wineries can differentiate themselves from the international competition and present completely new flavors to wine drinkers.
History of viticulture in Turkey
According to the biblical tradition, Noah and his ark were stranded on Mount Ararat in Turkey after the water level fell . Legend has it that he learned the trade of winegrower there .
Archaeological evidence shows depictions of wine production from the fifth millennium BC. Corresponding finds were made in the area of Eastern Anatolia . It is also documented that the Hittites near the border with today's Iraq 2000 BC. Making wine from the Kalecik Karasi grape variety .
In ancient times , Anatolian wine was considered to be of high quality and was traded at high prices. The Byzantines were also known for their good wines, which were a sought-after commodity in exchange with neighboring peoples.
With the gradual conquest of the Byzantine or formerly Byzantine territories, especially by Turkish invaders, viticulture came to a standstill. With the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 , the last remnants of viticulture came to a standstill for almost 400 years. After that, the grapes were almost exclusively processed into sultanas . Only the non-Muslim minorities, in particular Armenians and Greeks as well as Jews , were allowed to produce and consume wine. In 1637 almost 160 taverns and 6,000 small shops are said to have sold the wine in Istanbul alone .
Only with the establishment of a secular state by Ataturk was viticulture possible again on a larger scale. Ataturk himself was considered a wine lover and promoted the establishment of private wineries.
Viticulture suffered a severe setback between 1960 and 1980. The phylloxera vine pest as well as rural exodus and a wave of emigration are the reasons why many areas were no longer cultivated.
Since 1980, the quantity and quality of Turkish wine has been increasing steadily. The per capita consumption of wine in Turkey is 0.8 liters per year (in Europe this consumption is 50 to 60 l / year). The most popular alcoholic drink among Turks is rakı (70% of all alcoholic beverages sold), followed by beer (12%) and wine (8%). The religious-conservative parts of Turkey partly symbolize the conflict between Orient and Occident : There, the grapes are grown by farmers who refuse to consume alcohol, but who earn part of their livelihood with this business. The supervisory office for tobacco and alcohol market (TAPDK) regulates, among other things, the wine market. Political responsibility lies with the Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Mehmet Mehdi Eker .
The 35th World Congress for Vine and Wine, organized by the International Organization for Vine and Wine , took place for the first time in Turkey and there in Izmir from June 18 to 22, 2012 .
Wine-growing areas
The most important wine-growing areas are in the Aegean region on the Aegean coast . In these areas, which have more moisture than the dry interior, almost two thirds of the wines are produced. 34 grape varieties are used for viticulture, 22 local and 12 international.
- Marmara and Eastern Thrace (the European part of Turkey): 40% of Turkish wines are produced in the areas around Tekirdağ , Çanakkale , Edirne , Kırklareli and Bilecik . The red grape varieties : Papazkarası, Adakarası, Karaseker, Gamay , Pinot Noir and Cinsault . The white grape varieties used are: Semillon , Yapıncak, Beylerce, Clairette Blanche , Misket and Riesling .
- Aegean coast of Anatolia: 20% of Turkish wine production in the regions around İzmir , Manisa and Denizli . Calkarası, Grenache and Carignan as well as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are used increasingly as red grape varieties .
- Imbros (island)
On the Black Sea , which is considered the original home of the grapevines, there are smaller growing areas near Çorum , Tokat , Kastamonu and Samsun . The autochthonous grape varieties Dimrit, Sergikarası (red) and Narine (white) are mainly used here.
In Central Anatolia continental climate with harsh winters and hot summers prevails. The grape varieties Kalecik Karası, Papazkarası, Dimrit, Bogazkere and Öküzgözü (all red varieties) and the white varieties Emir, Narince and Hasandede are grown here. The areas are near Ankara , Kırıkkale , Kırşehir and Niğde .
In eastern Anatolia, viticulture is carried out around Elazığ and in the southeastern Anatolian provinces of Gaziantep , Mardin , Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır . Mainly the grape varieties Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Kalecik Karası, Horozkarası (all red) as well as Narince, Dokulgen and Kabarcık are used.
Structure of viticulture in Turkey
The viticulture scene is dominated by a few large wineries. The leap in quality of recent years was just initiated there. Due to the success of these goods, small wineries are currently being created based on the model of French companies (Châteaux). Most of the approx. 100 Turkish wineries are relatively small, but are characterized by very characterful wines that even provide wine connoisseurs with new flavors. Turkish wines also receive awards at international competitions that reflect very good quality. Export is becoming more and more important in marketing, and the main sales countries are Germany, Great Britain, France, Japan, Canada and the USA. Since the vineyards are scattered all over the country and the large wineries have an enormous need for grape material, the grapes often have to be transported several hundred kilometers from the vineyard to the wineries in refrigerated transport .
The largest wine producers are:
- Kavaklıdere : Winery in Ankara, production approx. 17 million bottles / year. The export share is 20%. The rest remains in the country, mainly to cover tourism needs. Kavaklıdere is the part of Ankara where the winery was originally located. Translated, the name means "Pappelbach".
- Doluca : The annual production is 13 million bottles (2004).
- Pamukkale : Both the Pamukkale sinter terrace and the Güney winery are named after cotton ( Pamuk in Turkish ; Pamukkale means "cotton castle"). The annual production amounts to 2.5 million bottles.
- Sevilen
- Melen
- Kayra
Well-known Turkish wines are:
-
Red wines:
- Kavaklidere Selection
- Kayra Buzbağ
- Villa Doluca Antique
- Vinkara Quattro Kırmızı
- Kavaklidere Yakut
-
White wines:
- Kavaklidere Selection
- Kayra Buzbağ
- Villa Doluca Antique
- Vinkara Quattro Beyaz
- Kavaklidere Angora
Web links
- http://www.ernestopauli.ch/Wein/T%C3%BCrkey.htm (quite good basic article)
- http://www.winesofturkey.org/ (Association of Turkish Vintners)
Individual evidence
- ↑ TAPDK website
- ↑ Announcement of the congress ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
