As recently as five years ago, the mere mention of Turkish wine was enough to bring a sneer to the face of wine lovers. Even though Turkey is the fifth largest grower of grapes in the world and has been producing wine since Noah planted his vineyard on the slopes of Mount Ararat, the ability to make high quality wine somehow eluded the Turks. Happily, the ever-increasing numbers of visitors to Turkey are in for a pleasant surprise because, after 6,000 years of wine production, at least two wineries have now turning out acceptable wines on a regular basis.

Those travelling to Turkey should keep in mind that the state supported winery known as "Tekel" continues to produce nearly 90%of the nation's wines. Even though some of those wines might be called "drinkable", none can be called good and bottles bearing this name should be avoided. In 1992 there were also 124 private wineries registered in the country. Most of these are small, use antiquated winemaking methods and rely entirely on varietals of grapes that are unknown outside of Turkey. With the exception of two wineries, however, most of these wines are not worth sampling.

The best independent producer of wines in the country is Doluca. Situated on the Sea of Marmara, the winery, which was founded in 1926, has three major series - Villa Doluca, Villa Neva, and Doluca. The winery of Kavakildere, located in Ankara but using grapes from all over the country, is far larger and also produces several acceptable wines. During mid-December of 1998, I attended a tasting in Istanbul. To see my tasting notes, click here. In all cases, the prices given are those to be found in most shops in Istanbul. Prices in hotels and better restaurants are about double those found in the shops.

© Daniel Rogov