Turkey sits at the cultural crossroads of Europe and Asia and its political landscape is arguably at a similar inflection point, with its conservative-secular split more evident than it has been for many years, its democracy feeling the strain, and its wine industry enduring the pain, with punitive taxes and rising inflation dampening sales.
Yet, the quality of Turkey’s wines has never been better, testament to the determination of its producers who fight on regardless.
Though its wines are still strangers to many consumers in the UK market, Turkey has one of the oldest winemaking cultures in the world, dating back thousands of years through ancient civilisations. The country boasts the fifth largest vineyard area in the world, at more than 410,000 hectares, albeit with just 3% of those grapes destined for wine, according to the OIV.
Going for gold
The IWSC took a team of leading UK wine professionals to Turkey to help with the judging
After the success of 2023’s inaugural global judging in the country, in partnership with the Tuğrul Şavkay Turkish Wines Competition, an IWSC team returned to the country, led once again by senior judging committee member, Sarah Abbott MW, with returning judges Isa Bal MS and myself joined by new faces, including wine bar entrepreneur Sunny Hodge, buyers Harry Crowther, Rachael Pogmore from Enotria & Coe and Georgios Iordanidis, head of wine at Annabel’s.
Assessing in excess of 200 wines, more than 160 medals were awarded, with the most striking development being the increase in the proportion of gold medals, at 20, compared with five the previous year. The IWSC has a reputation as the toughest of competitions, so this was a major achievement for the wines of Turkey, at a challenging time.
“I think Turkish wine is at a really critical turning point, partly as a result of the hostile environment that the government has created for its own industry, but the producers of Turkey seem to have been turbo-charged by a surge of creativity, determination and confidence and that is reflected in the really exciting quality of wines from both international and indigenous grapes,” said Sarah Abbott, a champion ofTurkish wines for at least a decade.
“Turkey has this deep history of excellence in engineering and technical skill and I think that’s really being reflected in the incredible quality that’s coming from producers, even on a larger scale. On the other hand we have this really exciting resurgence and appreciation within Turkey for the smaller producers, the artisans, with their native varieties.”
Success across two fronts
Turkey presents a gleaming treasure trove for lovers of rare, indigenous grapes, but it was telling that well made wines from international varieties also performed very well in the judging process this time, suggesting that producers are mastering their techniques across both areas and reflecting the level of investment that continues to feed into improving standards, despite the dual challenges of Turkey’s tax regime and weak economy.
Sarah Abbott MW is excited to see the huge developments taking place across Turkish wines
“The big producers are now making world class renderings of the international varieties.These are not new, of course, as they go back to the beginnings of the Turkish republic a century ago, but they now have really fantastic renderings of those international, especially Syrah, but also Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.These are wines that give a really intriguing, high quality perspective on these varieties that people know very well and that’s a great calling card for Turkey,” said Abbott.
Cabernet Franc performed strongly, with three gold medals. The top performers included Chateau Kalpak Cabernet Franc 2015, Asbos Tarimsal Üretim Sanayii Ve Ticaret AS Expression Cabernet Franc Edition 1 NV and Likya Winery Collection Cabernet Franc 2023. In these wines, the judges admired the purity of fruit and the judicious use of oak.
Syrah/Shiraz won three golds with one of the standouts, Pamukkale Sarapcilik Anfora Grand Reserve Shiraz 2020, described as “classy, super enjoyable, and Northern Rhône in style” while an unusual wine, Likya Winery Collection Pinot Meunier 2023, also went on to win a trophy back in London, when gold medal winners were retasted by senior judges.
Not to be outshone, Turkey’s traditional indigenous grapes also did well, with one of the highest scoring reds, Kayra Vintage Öküzgözü 2021 by Mey Icki Sanayi & Ticaret, earning 96 points, the judges praising the “lovely concentration of fruit, leather and earthiness,” while another gold winner, Kavaklidere Saraplari Prestige Öküzgözü 2021 showed “an abundance of cranberries, redcurrants and great acidity”.
Other standouts included Vinolus Kalecik Karasi 2022 by Molu Tarim Hayvancilik Gida, as well as an “ethereal” Likya Vineyards Boğazkere 2014 demonstrating that aged wines that age with grace are also recognised.
The judges had the chance to taste the wines in situ as part of the IWSC's global judging series
As for the white indigenous grapes, Narince performed strongly, with one of the highlights being Kavaklidere Saraplari Cotes d'Avanos Narince 2022, which showed “very good fruit intensity and saline character, with oak being a positive influence,” according to the judges’ tasting notes.
“This interest in indigenous grapes has almost taken Turkish producers by surprise I think, but I see a real determination and respect for those native varieties,” Abbott reflected.“They have really appreciated that they have something that the international fine wine community would love to experience.”
The IWSC's managing director, Christelle Guibert, introduces the awards from the IWSC Turkish judging at a gala ceremony held in Istanbul
At an awards dinner, held at the Raffles Hotel where judging also took place, Abbott implored Turkish producers to work together in the common good, to build on their awards success with export growth: “I know that the producers are working hard to create a collective to increase the profile of Turkish wine within export markets and I think that by working together they can do something really exciting to put Turkey where it belongs, which is as a keeper of an incredibly rich wine heritage combined with one of the most dynamic, modern and sophisticated wine cultures.”
David Kermode is a judge and ambassador for the IWSC.
The full results of the 2024 judging in Turkey can be seen here: IWSC 2024 Turkish Wine Judging: medal results announced | IWSC.
