Vasfi Diren 1921 Narince – The Anniversary
In 2021, Diren Winery celebrated the centennial of founder Mustafa Vasfi Diren’s birth. It did it the only way this winery could; by releasing a reserve Narince: the Vasfi Diren 1921 Narince. Diren and Narince are so intertwined, it’s almost difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Diren and Narince
In the early 1940s, Tokat-born Mustafa Vasfi Diren attended the Bursa Agricultural Vocational School. While there he became increasingly convinced that the overall development of Turkey was dependent on agriculture. Coupled with the knowledge that Anatolia is the motherland of vitis vinifera grapes; his interest in viniculture grew. Diren spent the next 18 years learning about grape cultivation, wine production, and making the preparations for his first winery. In 1958 he produced his first wines in Tokat.
Tokat, in the north of Turkey near the Black Sea provides a home from the country’s most ubiquitous white grape, Narince. While producers have discovered the grape’s adaptability and now grow it around the country, Tokat still has the highest amount of plantings. Most plantings there below to independent growers who contract with both wineries and grape leaf harvesters (Narince leaves are traditional for stuffed grape leaves), Diren remains the only winery making its wine in the region. 
Vasfi Diren 1921 Narince
I first saw this bottle a while back at La Cave in Cihangir and completely balked at the price. Alcohol in Turkey seems to increase in price every time someone breathes but even considering current inflation and tax rates, a 350 TL bottle is expensive. Especially when it comes from Diren. Diren might have a long history and may have put Narince on the wine map here…but doesn’t exactly have a reputation for stellar quality wines.
The exception to that seems to be this grape. The Diren Collection Narince is hardly the best example of this grape you’ll ever try, but for the price point it’s on point.
But, in the end, of course I caved and bought this. If Diren was suddenly going to throw a lot of effort into Narince, I wanted to see how it went.
The deep gold color gave an early indication that this wine matured at least a short time in oak. Narince generally gives wines that look more gold than lemon but not with this depth of color.
Never very aromatic or intense, the Vasfi Diren 1921 Narince offered a certainly pleasant mélange of fruity and floral aromas. Kumquat and pear resting on a bed of plumeria petals with nutty notes backing up my oak assumption. The palate offered golden apple, flaky pastry, and lightly toasted hazelnut with decaying white flowers on the finish.
Worth the sticker price? In my opinion, no. But is it a lot nicer than I thought Diren was capable of? Definitely.