Where to Go Wine Tasting in Turkey

We know what you are thinking, why go wine tasting in Turkey when you can go to France or Italy? However, you should know that Turkey’s beautiful Aegean coast is home to incredible vineyards and consequently, you can taste different types of delicious and rich Turkish wines. After all, Greeks and Romans once lived on these lands and sipped wine daily. 

Today, Turkey harvests around 20 types of grapes including the classics such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot, but there are also other types that are only grown in Turkey.

Turkish Wines’ Grape Varieties

If you are a wine and travel fanatic, you will most definitely enjoy joining your summer holiday with a wine tasting experience in Turkey. We listed the best wine tasting routes in different parts of the country, and the fair trade wineries who are usually family-owned. 

Wine tasting near the best resort towns: Urla Wine Route

Head to Urla if you’d like to spend a holiday learning about Turkish wines and winemaking whilst enjoying the sunshine and the sea. Urla is only an hour-long drive from İzmir, and the Urla Wine Route is full of boutique wineries who are looking forward to welcoming you. 

In fact, the oldest winemaking artefacts (dating back to 1700 BC) were found in the İzmir area. The site is somehow hidden in the backstreets of Çeşme today. Urla is a tranquil town as opposed to the tourist hotspots nearby such as Alaçatı, Çeşme, Kuşadası and Didim, but you can choose to stay in a resort in Çeşme and do a day trip in Urla. 

We recommend that you rent a car to go to Urla if you choose to stay at a resort. There are also numerous other activities for gastro travellers such as the ‘ot’ festival in Alaçatı (a festival celebrating the local herbs and the incredible dishes locals make with them using delicious local olive oil) if you are heading to İzmir in April. 

The wineries in Urla are: Limantepe Winery, Urlice Winery, USCA Winery, MMG Winery, Urla Winery, Wine House Urla, Mozaik Winery. 

An island popular with locals for its jazz festival and vineyards: Bozcaada 

If you like blending in with the locals and prefer calmer holiday destinations than resort towns, Bozcaada is for you. Winemaking in Bozcaada also goes back centuries, in fact, Homer and Evliya Çelebi (famous Ottoman explorer) both mention the old island. While exploring the Bozcaada wine route, you can stop by UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale and Hierapolis. 

In Bozcaada, even the locals have learned how to make wine and half of the island is covered with vineyards. People are living the good life in Bozcaada and you will shortly feel a part of it when you get there. The Greek God Poseidon’s son Heredot once said, “God created Bozcaada, so people who visit would live a long life”. 

If you are also interested in jazz music, we recommend you to go to Bozcaada in July as Bozcaada Jazz Festival takes place in the second half of July right after the Wine Tasting Festival. 

The wineries in Bozcaada are: Corvus Wine&Bite, Amadeus Mozart Café Wine House, Talay Winery, Çamlıbağ Tenedion Winehouse, Ataol Winery, Gülerada Winery, Talay Winery and Yunatçılar Winery. 

Best wine tasting spot near Istanbul: Thrace Wine Route, Tekirdağ 

If you are a foodie and wine fanatic who is planning to visit Istanbul, you would definitely enjoy a day trip exploring Thrace Wine Route. Tekirdağ is near the border with Bulgaria and Greece. There are many villages here that are known for winemaking, and Tekirdağ is a very green region with lots of nature. 

So you can expect to pass through mountains, forests and micro-climates during your trip in the Thrace Wine Route, especially as this region is surrounded by three seas; Marmara Sea, Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. It’s a pleasant getaway from the city, and there are regional foods to try such as “Tekirdağ Köfte” (a meatball dish) accompanied by wine. 

The wineries in Tekirdağ are: Chateau Nuzun, Suvla Winery, Barbare Winery, Umurbey Vineyards, Chateau Kalpak Vineyards, Vino Dessera Vineyards, Arcadia Vineyards 

Read more: 

A local's travel guide to Istanbul 

7 Guided Tours in Istanbul You Should Take 

Turkish Wines You Should Try 

When it comes to the Turkish wines you should try, the boutique wineries will obviously have lots of options for you. We listed the high-quality Turkish wines you might be able to find abroad in case you would like to try before taking a trip to Turkey. 

Here’s our list, in no particular order: 

- Paşaeli, Çalkarası Rosé (Rosé wine) 

- Kayra Buzbağ Rezerv Öküzgözü (Red wine) 

- Kayra Kalecik Karası (Red wine) 

- Urla Vourla (Red wine) 

- Kav Narince (White wine) 

- Nero D'Avola Urla Karası (Red wine) 

We are an IATA and ATOL accredited travel agency specialising in holidays in Turkey and Northern Cyprus since 2005. We put our customer’s wishes first in providing them with the holiday that they want, not the one we want to sell them. All our holidays can be tailor-made as we can find and reserve any flight available and match it to the accommodation of your choice.

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