The History of Turkish Wine

Antiquity

The 40th century BC. That’s about 6,000 years ago. The Near East and southeastern Europe had started to transition from the Stone age into the Bronze age. They were considered to be in the Chalcolithic period, also known as the Copper Age. The horse had only just recently been domesticated. Stonehenge was about 900 years from fruition and the pyramids of Giza wouldn’t be built for another 1,500 years. This is the framing for the introduction of wine into Turkey, then known as Anatolia^[1].

“If the vineyards Noah planted on the slopes of Mount Ararat are indeed the first vineyards, then Turkey can rightly claim to be the birthplace of wine.” – Hugh Johnson^[2]

By the time the Hitties had become an established empire of the region in 1,600 BC wine was being enjoyed on a regular basis and was widely consumed.

After the collapse of the Hittite Empire at the beginning of the 12th century BC, the Phrygians laid claim to much of the area and grew their kingdom. You are probably familiar with one of the Phrygian kings, the mythic King Midas and his golden touch^[3]. Phrygia would eventually fall in the 5th century BC, but not before introducing wine to the Greeks and exporting wine to both France and Italy. The Island of Rhodes and the coastlines of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas were the largest trading centers for wine during this time^[2].

“Pramneion, produced in İzmir Region was a dry and full bodied wine with high tannin and alcohol.” – Ilias Odysseia^[2]

A Changing of Hats

Wine-making continued in the region and was produced mainly by the non-Muslim minority in the area. During the rule of the Ottoman Empire, from 1299 – 1923, tolerance for wine would fluctuate. There were intermittent prohibitions on the use and sale of alcohol, but these were usually short. During the periods of prohibition, vineyards were never uprooted, which allowed for a quick recovery upon lifting of the prohibition laws^[2]. The Tanzimat period of modernization in the Ottoman Empire started in 1839 and brought with it the glory days of wine production in the area. The Tanzimat period began with sultans Mahmud II and his son Abdulmejid I that seeked to reform the country. It is no coincidence that these men were often educated in Europe, rather than in their own homelands. They realized that many old religious and military institutions no longer met the needs of the ambitious empire. The reforms were heavily influenced by the European customs such as the Napoleonic Code and other French laws. Government officials were encouraged to wear a more western style of dress, including ditching the traditional turban for the more modern fez. As an aside, other countries would also follow suit, including Iran in 1873. The first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, went on to outlaw the fez with the passing of the Law Relating to Prohibited Garments of 1934, essentially mandating that everyone wear hats to appear more westernized. 

The 20th Century and Today

World War I and the War of Independence in Turkey negatively impacted wine production in the country. After World War I, many wine-growers fled the country. Additionally, all alcoholic beverages went under the control of the government in 1927 with the exception of wine. Wine was excluded specifically to redevelop the wine production that had been lost. However, there were still stipulations as the government agency controlling the wine industry gave permission to grow specific grapes in very select areas of the country^[4]. This governmental agency was constructed by Atatürk. He turned the responsibility of revitalizing the wine industry in Turkey to two Frenchmen:  M.Emile Bouffart and Marcel Biron. I could not find much background on these gentlemen, so unfortunately I have nothing further to add about their other work experience or what made them suitable to take on this task. However, these two are credited with determining the Turkish wine regions and operating 28 small vineyards in Turkey. They are also credited with the creation of Buzbağ, a combination of the Eastern Anatolia’s Öküzgözü and Boğazkere; two red grape varieties^[2].

Today, Turkey is broken up into 7 wine regions: Marmara (Thracian), Aegean, Mediterranean, Middle-Southern Anatolia, Middle-Northern Anatolia, Middle-Eastern Anatolia, and South-East Anatolia.

Marmara (Thracian)

This region lies in the northwestern part of Turkey. It produces about 13% of the wine produced in the county. There is quite a wide variety of grapes here, both local and international styles^[4].

Aegean

The Aegean region also grows may different varieties of grape and is located on the west coast of Turkey, facing the Aegean Sea. The mild winters and scorching summer heat result in higher than average alcohol content for wines produced here. The Aegean region produces more than half of all the wine produced in Turkey and has the widest variety of grapes.

Mediterranean

The smallest of Turkey’s wine region, the Mediterranean produces less than 1% of all the wine made in the country. The region is centered around the city of Elmali.

Middle-Southern Anatolia

Another small region in Turkey is this one, centrally-located around the city of Nevşehir.  This region is cooler and drier than the coasts of the Mediterranean and experiences larger temperature swings between the day and night as well as summer and winter. This region produces just a little over 12% of the country’s wine.

Middle-Northern Anatolia

Partially centered around the national capital of Ankara, the Mid-Northern Anatolia region accounts for only about 3% of Turkey’s wine production. It grows predominately red grapes. This area experiences some of the coldest, harshest winters of any wine-growing area in Turkey.

Middle-Eastern Anatolia

Farther east from the Middle-Northern Anatolia region is the aptly-named Middle-Eastern region. This area produces roughly 15% of the wine produced in Turkey and experiences a bit more precipitation than most other wine-growing regions in the country.

South-East Anatolia

Near the Turkish border with Iran, Iraq, and Syria lies the South-East Anatolia region. The weather is drier and large temperature swings from day to night. There is only one major grape in this region, Boğazkere. The South-East Anatolia region accounts for 3% of Turkey’s wine production

Turkey produces a lot of grapes, it’s the 5th largest producer (as of 2004), but most of them don’t go into wine. However, Turkey is still ranked as the 11th largest producer of wine globally. Turkey only uses 2% of its grapes in wine production, mainly because of the large Muslim population in the country that obey the religious tenets that ban wine consumption. The Turkish grape crop is used mainly as table grapes or dried as raisins and the rest used as molasses and must (a pressed juice used as a sweetener in food like the syrup known as petimezi, pekmez, or dibis). Turks don’t drink  a lot of their own wine, either. Wine consumption is estimated at 69 million liters with a per capita consumption estimated at 1.0 liter^[7]. You can compare that to the chart posted in an article on the Forbes website about the world’s biggest drinkers:

Sources

1) Wine from Turkey: Turkish Wine Regions, History, Varietals, and Producers.

https://www.intowine.com/wine-turkey-turkish-wine-regions-history-varietals-and-producers

2) From the birthplace of wine, Anatolia

http://kayrawines.com/from-the-birthplace-of-wine-anatolia/

3) Phrygians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygians

4) Wines of Turkey

http://www.winesofturkey.org/

5) Turkish Wines

http://www.enjoy-bodrum.com/turkish-wines.html

6) List of Turkish wine regions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Turkish_wine_regions

7) Examining the Turkish wine industry: Marketing effectiveness and recommendations for increasing its competitive performance
M. Azabagaoglu-Ayse Akyol-Aysu Ozay – New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science – 2006