The Vintner Project: Turkey Wine’s Unchained Melody
Over the last few years I have slowly studied for and taken some wine certification exams. Slowly because I’m a terrible procrastinator. I like to know things but do not enjoy the process. But, since I have yet to have my Keanu Reeves “we live in the Matrix” moment and cannot have information planted in my head, study I must. One of the most difficult aspects of wine study for me has been memorizing the sheer volume of information that comes with European appellations.
DOCG, AOP, IGP…the acronyms are easy enough to remember. But what the requirements for each are, slightly less so. For example (since I’m currently preparing for the Italian Wine Scholar exam) Franciacorta DOCG.
- Blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, Pinot Bianco (max 50%), and Erbamat (max 10%)
- Non-vintage wines min 18 months lees ageing
- Vintage min 30 months lees ageing
- Riserva min 60 months lees ageing
- Rosé must have a min of 35% Pinot Nero and age min 24 months on the lees (can be non-vintage, vintage, or riserva)
- Satèn is a Chardonnay blanc de blancs style with a max of 5atm that must age a min of 24 months on the lees (can be non-vintage, vintage, or riserva)
And that’s just the wine! That’s not the location, the soil makeup, climate, history … The thing is, as difficult as this all has been to wrap my mind around it. I appreciate it. Now, instead of turning to Google to know what the heck a Franciacorta, Valpolicella, Gavi, etc., is, I know what that appellation designation means and it helps me already begin to understand, and trust, the wine in the bottle. Now what the heck does this have to do with Turkey?
Turkey: Wine’s Unchained Melody
From traditional method sparkling wine to amphora-fermented wines made with grapes so rare they barely have names, there are few to no rules in Turkish winemaking. Turkey may have thousands of years of winemaking history but it is just that, history. Modern Turkish wine and winemaking are still very new. Without restrictions imposed by an appellation system, vintners are free to experiment and innovate as they go.
While lesser-known wine countries across Europe from Hungary and Greece to Georgia and Moldova are making a splash on the international market with their growing quality and indigenous grape varieties, Turkish wine still remains largely underappreciated. And yet, this mix of modern and traditional, no-holds-barred winemaking is precisely why our eyes should be fixed on the Turkish wine industry.
Both geographically and geopolitically, Turkey occupies a strange position. It’s Europe but it’s not quite Europe. It’s Muslim, but it’s not the Middle East. It has strong cultural ties to the Turkic countries in Central Asia, but also to both Europe and the Levant. The Turkish wine industry similarly struggles to define itself.
Click to Read More of my piece on The Vintner Project!