The Vintner Project and Seyit Karagözoğlu and Paşaeli Wines: Rescuing Lost Turkish Grapes
I am so excited to have my second piece up on The Vintner Project!
I’d like to say that I ‘sat down with’ Seyit Karagözoğlu of Paşaeli Wines to talk about his wines and his efforts to reinvigorate some of Turkey’s disappearing grapes. However, times being what they are we conducted the interview over a series of emails and phone calls. Karagözoğlu is one of a small, but dedicated, group in Turkey trying to rescue Turkish wine grapes on the brink of extinction and he talked to me about what called him to do this.
Seyit Karagözoğlu and Paşaeli Wines: Rescuing the Lost Turkish Grapes
Turkey ranks sixth in grape production, holds the world’s fifth-largest vineyard in the world, and is home to many interesting indigenous varieties (over 1,435 and counting). However, local wine production relies heavily on international grapes, especially French grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Of the over 1,200 domestic grape varieties, wine producers use a mere 40 while the rest are rapidly fading away.
This phenomenon is not exclusive to Turkey. After the early 19th-century phylloxera epidemic decimated vineyards across Europe, many replanted with hardier and easier-to-grow varieties. For example, Northern Italy was in danger of losing many of its native and traditional grapes like Ribolla Gialla, Vitovska, and Pignolo until the 1980s and 90s when a few dedicated producers fought to revive them.
Twenty years ago, you could probably count on one hand the number of Turkish grapes used in winemaking. Now, a new wave of winemakers and winery owners are championing native varieties and bringing them back from the brink of extinction. One of the leaders of this push to conserve native Turkish grapes is Seyit Karagözoğlu, owner of Paşaeli Wines.
Karagözoğlu’s first entrance to the wine profession was as an importer. In 1993 he founded KDT and began importing wine and beer to Turkey. Visiting suppliers in Italy and France, in his words, “opened his eyes,” and he came to the conclusion he wanted to do more than import wine—he wanted to make it. In January of 2000, at the age of 33, Karagözoğlu started a new phase in his life, that of a winemaker.
Bordeaux-style wines enjoy immense popularity in Turkey and are some of (if not the) most commercially successful wines. Knowing he needed this domestic success and attention, Karagözoğlu’s first two wines (Kaynaklar and K2) were Bordeaux-style reds. With that accomplished, he could turn his attention to his real passion—the discovery and conservation of native grapes. Thanks to his efforts, we now better understand and have wines made from six “new” grapes: Çakal, Çalkarası, Karasakız, Kolorko, Sıdalan, and Yapıncak.
Click to Read More of my interview with Seyit Karagözoğlu of Paşaeli on The Vintner Project!