Turkey once ranked sixth in the world as a grape producer with 4.1 million tons. From a forgotten tradition to an alternative, how the country managed to place its products on the market.
Turkish sparkling wines seek to compete with the hegemony of their French peers in the coming years.
Türkiye has a ancient tradition in the wine production. However, during the last century it lost its reputation and moved away from the center of the winemaking scene.
Today, local producers and entrepreneurs are betting on native strains and the wine market flourishes again in the country, making its way onto festive tables. “There is a young generation of Turkish producers and winemakers who do a lot of research and are at the forefront of new developments. The future of Turkish wines, sparkling and still, It is brilliant“, he claimed Burak Demireloenologist and professor of winemaking at the Namik Kemal University.
The awakening of Türkiye, the “sleeping giant”:
When thinking about the best sparkling wines on the market, Turkey is not one of the countries that first comes to mind. “A single tasting is enough for these prejudices disappear“he assured Candas Misirdirector of the grounds of Vinkarawhich in 2006 were the first in produce sparkling, white and pinkmade in their vineyards Kalecik80 kilometers from Ankarathe Turkish capital.
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Adem Altan / AFP
That misgiving about the Turkish industry was also put aside when the sparkling wine “Yasasin” (“Long live!” in Turkish), from the Vinkara lands, won the gold medal in 2020 in the ‘Effervescents of the World’ contest‘, organized in France.
One of the keys to the resurgence of wine industry It is closely related to the exploitation of native flora. “The universities and winegrowers did an extraordinary job. They have identified more than 800 native strains. This is a huge potential that Türkiye has underexploited for years. That’s why she was known like the sleeping giant of viticulture“Demirel stated.
The numbers of a growing market.
The last years, between 2004 and 2022the production of still wines has tripled and even quintupled in the case of the sparkling wines, according to official figures. However, this is not yet reflected in exports, which for the moment are limited, reaching only 30,000 liters in 2022according to official statistics.
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Adem Altan / AFP
But although Turkey is once again on the map of the best producers, the reality is that its ceiling is still very far away: “Turkey occupies the sixth position in the world as grape producer with 4.1 million tons. But only the 4% of this harvest is destined for the wine making. “We are far from reaching our potential,” he lamented. Ali Basmanthe president of the Wine Producers Association.
Added to this untapped potential are the current difficulties in producing or consuming wine. It is that the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tightened the legislation and increased taxes at alcoholic beverages during his Government, affecting the resurgence of the industry.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
