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Visiting the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası

 

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The Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası, the newest of Turkey’s wine route, has really come out of the gate at full speed with thoughtful branding, a slick website, an active social media presence, and special events. A couple weeks ago I attended a dinner hosted by the wine route. The guests were a quirky mix of winery owners and winemakers, marketing specialists, wine bar owners, social media wine influences, journalists, and somehow, me.

The evening began with an introduction to the wine route; its origin story, the inspiration, and the opportunity to taste some of the wines. We were then treated to a fantastic and not at all creepy puppet show (puppets generally terrify me) featuring Aphrodite, Athena, Dionysius and the fable of Midas…a story that would likely have taken place where all these wineries are. 

This was followed by a beautiful dinner in which each dish was paired with wine from one of the wine route producers. 

While they couldn’t of course host everyone at this lovely event, that doesn’t mean that you can’t experience the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası for yourself. 

Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası

The Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası or the Lidya Historical Wine Route, is Turkey’s newest wine route. Spearheaded by Ercan Boztepe of Sobran Bağları, the route brings together a seemingly disparate group of wineries from the inner Aegean. While they produce distinctly different wines from moderate to mega scale and are scattered across Kemalpaşa, Manisa, Akhisar, Alaşehir, Uşak, and Aydın, what they share is more profound than what makes them different.

They share a history, growing grapes in the “Land of the Golden Vines” where Lidyans once made wine, and a firm belief in the modern potential of their growing region.

Who Were the Lydians?

The Kingdom of Lydia ruled a wide swath of Anatolia from 1200–546 BC. While they had many fascinating customs, most of which I will not mention here since they have nothing to do with wine (but I do encourage you to Google!), one of those customs was the use of gold and silver coinage. In fact, according to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins. 

You’ve heard of fabled King Croesus, as in “rich as”? Prior to his surprisingly short rule (560-546 BC), these coins were actually made of an alloy that was a gold-silver mix. He introduced the Croeseid, the first true gold coins. That’s probably what led to the whole “rich as Croesus” epitaph. 

Other than some interesting trivia, this has what to do with the wine route? The Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası didn’t choose “Land of the Golden Vines” as its motto just because a few rivers in the area coughed up shiny metal. It’s actually a rather clever reference to the region’s new gold…the grape Sultaniye. This part of Turkey’s Aegean has long produced mountains of grapes, making the country today the world’s fifth largest grape producer. The vast majority of grapes grown are the golden-skinned Sultaniye which are transformed into raisins for export. 

The Wineries and Wines of the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası

Currently six wineries (previously seven) make up the membership of this wine route. As mentioned previously, their wines vary widely in style and grapes used. Turkey is home to an incredible richness of grape varieties, both native and foreign. In this particular region alone more than 30 different grapes grow!

Heraki

Heraki is, at its heart, a love story. First between its founders, then between them and Turkey.

Fulya Akıncı and José Hernández met in Bordeaux while studying oenology. Already devoted to wine, they fell in love and sustained their relationship across continents, refining their craft in Europe, South America, and China. In 2013, while working on opposite sides of the world, they chose a single place to build a life together. That place was Turkey.

For several years the two built their career in Turkey as consultants, working for a range of wineries in the Aegean and Central Anatolia. However much they enjoyed the work, soon enough they wanted to make their own wine, to their own taste, with their own methods. Founded in 2019, Heraki unites their names and their belief in the power of Turkey’s native grapes. The winery is small and hands-on, filled with tanks, barrels, and plastic eggs that reflect their experimental spirit.

Does all that love produce good wine? Have a look at all my Heraki wine reviews and find out!

Kastro Tireli

It was while studying abroad that Kastro Tireli Yunus Mermerci developed both a love of and interest in wine. So much so that while studying in Australia, he even worked part-time during the harvest in Hunter Valley. After getting his hands dirty in those vineyards there was no stopping him. Back in Turkey and with the help of Italian winemaker and consultant Andrea Paoletti, Yunus planted Kastro Tireli’s vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Viognier, Narince, and Bornova Misketi.

The winery’s vineyards sit at 200-280 meters above sea level on largely uniform schist soils. While the elevation is not huge it is significant enough to allow the vines the advantages of sea breezes coming off the coast 100 kilometers away. Here they go one step beyond organic and use no herbicides or pesticides, not even those allowed by organic viticulture standards. Most-if not all-the red wines ferment on native yeasts, and Kastro Tireli is one of the leading Turkish wineries producing low-intervention wines under its Hermos label.

Often a little pricey, but per my previous Kastro Tireli wine reviews, usually worth it.

Kavaklidere Pendore

Kavaklidere is one of Turkey’s oldest modern wine companies, rooted in the early days of the Republic. Born in the Kavaklıdere district of Ankara, it has grown into one of the country’s largest producers with multiple wineries around the country. To build one of those facilities, Kavaklidere turned to the promise of the Aegean in the 2000s to establish the Pendore vineyards in Alaşehir Kemaliye. Fed by cool winds from the Bozdağ Mountains, Pendore became a living mosaic of vines, where 15 varieties flourish across a vast landscape.

It’s almost impossible to be in Turkey and not have tried Kavaklidere’s wines.

Nif Bağları 

Nif Bağları carries a name that echoes an older world, drawn from Nymphaion, a place once imagined as home to water and forest nymphs. While its modern story seems to begin in the late 1990s, its roots stretch back much further, to the 1890s when the Özcan family arrived in İzmir’s Nif region from Bosnia. Over four generations, they quietly tended vines and refined their craft, until a new vision took shape. In 1998, father and son Hamit and Erhan Özcan set out to build a dedicated vineyard, later joined by daughter Gaye Özcan, whose knowledge of agriculture and oenology helped shape the winery into what it is today.

Nif is responsible for giving us a variety of interesting wines, from some of the first Italian grapes, introducing Solaris, and setting the standard for dry Bornova Misketi. 

Selendi

Akın Öngör’s journey into winemaking began humbly in the late 1990s on a small tobacco field in Akhisar. What started as a curiosity soon grew into Selendi, a vineyard that expanded from just 30 acres to 250. He released his first vintage in 2004, and became one of Turkey’s pioneers in organic farming, setting a standard for careful, sustainable cultivation.

Öngör spent years studying the land, analyzing climate and soil before planting his main vineyards on the Sarnıç Plateau. True to the spirit of the land, Selendi’s wines carry the names of their regions, such as Selendi – Sarnıç and Selendi – Moralı.

Not going to lie, I don’t personally drink a lot of Selendi because I have little interest in yet another Shiraz or Chardonnay. But Selendi’s Narince is lovely, if you can find it.

Sobran Bağları 

Gülşen and Ercan Boztepe, pioneers of the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası, planted the seeds of Sobran Bağları in 2005, in the heart of Alaşehir’s famed “Green Sea,” where twisting waters of the Alaşehir River meet the surrounding mountains. What began as a 200-acre table grape venture in Sobran Village soon blossomed into a vineyard paradise, nurturing 50 grape varieties across this fertile Lydian plain.

The vision to make wine came from Gülşen, and by 2012, hobby turned ambition had transformed part of their vineyards into 60 acres of wine grapes. With passion and dedication, Ercan immersed himself fully in the process while Gülşen gained academic expertise. Their first wines were shaped under the guidance of German oenologist Hermann-Josef Kreuzberg, and Sobran quickly became a testament to how passion and careful stewardship could turn a table grape producer into a vintner of quality wines.

I have only recently begun exploring the wines from Sobran, but I look forward to drinking more and making a visit.

How to Visit the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası

As with visiting anywhere, a little prep goes a long way! With the laid-back Aegean attitude here, you don’t even have to put too much effort into your prep. Just book the ticket, rent the car, make a few tiny reservations, and go! For any questions, the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası has set up a call center, in Turkish and English: +90 540 240 40 90.

Getting There and Around

First and foremost, be safe when traveling! Happily, Turkey is a pretty safe country. But you never know when you’re going to trip over a paving stone (been there done that), slip on a wet sidewalk (done that too), or have a taxi drive over your sandal-shod foot (also happened to me). Make sure you’re traveling safely with something like SafetyWing travel insurance!

For those not already located in the region, the closest airport to the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası is the Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ABD). There are multiple flights every day out of both of Istanbul’s airports and other cities across Turkey. The airport also has limited international flights, meaning you could make this an easy two-three day trip from Europe! From there, reaching the wineries and other stops along this wine route is pretty simple. If you have a car (or rent one), Google Maps is pretty reliable for getting around.

If you prefer to leave the worry of driving to someone else, the wine route cooperates with several local travel agencies, including: Red & More, Ebruli Turizm, and Plume Travel.

Not Wine Things to Do

While of course the wineries are the main attraction, there are other points of interest when you need a break from sipping delicious wines! Turkey is scattered with archaeological sites. Don’t miss:

• Ancient City of Sardis
• Thyateira Hill Tombs
• Philadelphia (Alaşehir) Ancient Theatre

Museums similarly abound and you can find archaeological and local museums in Manisa, Akhisar, Uşak, Aydın, etc.

To find the best food while you’re traveling around…just ask at the wineries. They know good wine, they know good food, and, more importantly, they’re local so they’ll send you to the best places.

Staying

You can get a taste (haha pun intended) of the wine route with a day trip. But to really dive in, visit multiple wineries and ancient sites…you need at least one overnight. Luckily, finding a place to stay around the Lidya Antik Bağ Rotası is not difficult. Izmir, while a bit of a far drive, is simply packed with hotels, But you’ll find any number of hotels to book in Manisa, Akhisar, Kula, and other smaller cities that are nearer to the wine route. 

Curious about these wineries and Turkey’s other wine routes? Pick up a copy of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine, Ed 2, the definitive guide to Turkish grape, regions, and wineries!