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Turkish wine

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Turkish wine

Turkish wine is wine made in the transcontinental state of Turkey. Viticulture in Anatolia dates back at least 7,000 to 9,000 years, placing the region alongside the Caucasus as one of the earliest centers of vine domestication.

Turkey is home to between 600 and 1,200 indigenous varieties of Vitis vinifera, though less than 60 of these are grown commercially. With approximately 410,000 to 505,000 hectares (1,010,000 to 1,250,000 acres) planted under vine, Turkey has the fifth-largest vineyard area in the world. However, only a small percentage of these grapes (estimated between 3% and 15%) are processed into wine; the majority are consumed as table grapes, dried as raisins, or distilled into rakı.

Modern Turkish winemaking has undergone a significant transformation since the 1990s, characterized by the privatization of the state monopoly Tekel, the emergence of boutique wineries, and a revival of indigenous grape varieties.

Viticulture in the region now known as Turkey is among the oldest in the world. Archaeological evidence suggests that Vitis vinifera was domesticated in southeastern Anatolia (Upper Mesopotamia) between 9500 and 5000 BCE. By around 2000 BCE, the Hittites had established laws regulating viticulture, indicating the importance of wine in their society. During the Phrygian era, Anatolian wines were exported to France and Italy; records indicate shipments to Marseille in the 6th century BCE. The western coast of Anatolia was a center for the cult of Dionysus, and wines from regions like Ionia were praised by Homer.

During the Ottoman Empire (14th–19th centuries), wine production continued primarily within non-Muslim communities (Greeks, Armenians, Syriacs, and Jews) due to Islamic restrictions on alcohol consumption. These communities maintained the viticultural traditions in regions such as Thrace, the Aegean, and Cappadocia. The port city of Smyrna (İzmir) was particularly noted for its wine export trade in the 17th century.

Following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk promoted the modernization of the wine industry. In 1925, he established the country's first commercial state-owned winery in Tekirdağ. For decades, the industry was dominated by the state monopoly Tekel, which controlled production and distribution. Notable private wineries such as Doluca (est. 1926) and Kavaklıdere (est. 1929) were also founded during this period.

The 1990s marked a renaissance for Turkish wine. The privatization of Tekel in 2004 ended the state monopoly, encouraging new investments. A wave of boutique wineries emerged, employing modern vinification techniques and international consultants. There has been a concerted effort to rescue and revive indigenous grape varieties such as Kalecik Karası, Narince, and Urla Karası. Since 2004, Turkish wines have won over 1,000 awards in international competitions.

Turkey's geography provides a diverse range of terroirs, with commercial production concentrated in four main regions.

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