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Your May 2026 Turkish Wine Horoscope

 

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Happy May and Happy May Day! And I hope everyone in Istanbul is spending today safely…

I love May. We’re firmly into spring (usually), flowers are blooming everywhere, I can dine out on my balcony, days are longer, new wines are being released, and there’s just a happy, upbeat energy in the air. Hopefully, May is a fruitful month for everyone and includes only good wines to drink! Which brings us to the most important question…what are we all drinking this month? Read on to find out. 

And remember, if you’re not somewhere with easy access to Turkish wine, don’t hesitate to reach out (to me, the universe doesn’t always respond to email) for alternative recommendations.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

You are not bored, you are just under-challenged. There is a difference, and this month makes it obvious. If something feels dull, it probably is. The real question is why you are still entertaining it. Once you stop pretending you care, your energy comes back fast and a better option shows up almost immediately.

Power Move: Raising your standards mid-game.
Your Vibe: Restless, sharp, mildly impatient.

The wine for you …

When you’re ready to raise those standards, take a lesson from Cappadocia-based winery Kocabağ and its Kocabağ K Emir. One of the reasons Mehmet Erdoğan founded the winery was to show off the incredible terroir of Cappadocia and its leading grape, Emir. Through careful farming and winemaking, he helped set the standard for Emir wines and challenges every other winery working with this grape to match it. 

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

You are very close to having exactly what you said you wanted, which is both satisfying and deeply inconvenient. Now comes the part where you actually have to live it. There is a small adjustment period where things feel unfamiliar, even if they are good. Stay with it. Comfort is catching up.

Power Move: Settling into what you asked for.
Your Vibe: Pleased, skeptical, slowly convinced.

The wine for you …

It’s good to have a healthy dose of skepticism to keep us from diving headfirst into every little thing. Take Sevilen winery. They had Colombard vineyards in the Marmara region for about 30 years. They did not think such a humble grape could make decent wine, so the grapes went to brandy and table wine. Slowly, slowly, they changed their mind and a handful of years back, decided to try putting it in a blend with Semillon. The result was magic. 

The lesson, be skeptical, but leave room to be convinced. And drink Sevilen’s Colombard Semillon this month. 

Find it at stores like Boldy, Macro Center, and Migros.

Gemini (May 20 – June 20)

You keep saying you want something different, then drifting back to the same pattern with better lighting. This month calls that out in a way you cannot ignore. The good news is you spot it quickly and pivot just as fast. A small choice breaks a loop you thought was permanent.

Power Move: Catching yourself in real time.
Your Vibe: Self-aware, quick, slightly amused.

The wine for you …

Sounds like you’re stuck in a bit of a rut and needing to break free. Sometimes, wine can also get stuck in a rut when winemakers do the same thing with a particular grape over and over again. One of the cool things about wine though, is that there are many ways to get from grape to wine. It doesn’t always have to be the same old technique. As you’re pivoting this month, try a wine that broke free from pattern: Ma’Adra Öküzgözü. This light red wine from the northern Aegean is made with carbonic maceration, which gives Öküzgözü a freshness, spiciness, and elegance it often lacks. Sip it silently at home, or go out and share it with friends! Either way, it’s a fantastic wine. 

This is a hard to find gem but Mensis Mahzen usually has it stocked. If shops around don’t have it, you can always drink in at Wayana or Bağ Pera.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

You are done overexplaining yourself to people who decided what they think three sentences ago. There is a new boundary forming and it is refreshingly simple. If someone does not get it, you do not keep trying. The relief is immediate and a little addictive.

Power Move: Withholding unnecessary explanations.
Your Vibe: Calm, done, quietly firm.

The wine for you …

It’s not about people who don’t get it, it’s the people who won’t get it you need to walk away from. Some people are like that with wine. It’s not everyone’s thing, That’s cool. That just means you don’t break out the good stuff for them. And the Mozaik Mahrem Ekigaïna is the good stuff. This is one of those things that you shouldn’t even try to explain. This weird, less than six hectares planted globally grape speaks for itself. 

Look for it at Mensis Mahzen, Kav Mistia, Rind, possibly İyi Şarap and Gözde Tekel.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

You are being watched, but not in the way you think. People are paying attention to how you handle the unglamorous parts. The follow through. The consistency. Turns out that is the impressive part. Once you stop performing and just do the thing, the respect lands differently.

Power Move: Showing up without the performance.
Your Vibe: Grounded, credible, low-key impressive.

The wine for you …

Consistency doesn’t sound very exciting. It is, in fact, not at all. However, when you prove that you can show up time and again without a lot of hoopla but with consistent quality, the base on which your “ta-da!” personality rests becomes solid. It gives you the strength to keep standing when some of your more showmanship activities go awry. Wine kind of works that way too. People are all about the small format and boutique wineries…but sometimes forget that the larger format wineries do keep showing up consistently with well-made wines.

This month, open a bottle of Kayra Leona Bloom. This semi-sweet Misket from an institutional winery that almost never disappoints. If you’re hesitant to drink something sweet, try it with my favorite lazy summertime dinner: çiğ köfte and beyaz peynir. I promise it works. 

This should be a relatively easy wine to source! Carrefour, Macro Center, Migros, your local tekel (as well as “proper” wine shops) will likely carry this wine.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

You finally admit that fixing everything is not your job, and nothing falls apart. In fact, a few things improve without your involvement. This is both freeing and mildly offensive. You are learning where your effort matters and where it was just habit.

Power Move: Letting things run without interference.
Your Vibe: Observant, restrained, pleasantly surprised.

The wine for you …

You’ve heard the lesson, but aren’t sure how to put it into practice. So, as an example of learning where your effort is best placed, look at a wine like the Yaban Kolektif Erciş Karası. Their effort helped bring a previously unknown grape, Erciş Karası, to the wine market. That not only introduced a grape, but a whole grape growing region around Van that we didn’t really know about. 

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

You are seeing the difference between being liked and being respected, and it is changing your decisions. There are moments where you choose the slightly uncomfortable option and it pays off immediately. Not everyone loves it, which is kind of the point.

Power Move: Choosing respect over approval.
Your Vibe: Polished, assertive, a little sharper.

The wine for you …

Call it what you want: skin contact, amber, or orange…its a wine style that not everyone gets or likes. That makes it a bit of a gamble for a winery to create one, especially given both the cost of making wine and the risk it might not sell in Turkey. Whether you like this style or not, give it a try this month with the Tasheli Gök Üzüm Kehribar this month. It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but take the time to sit with it, reflect on it, and you may be pleasantly surprised. 

Do NOT drink this right out of the fridge. This should be drunk only lightly chilled and preferably allowed to breathe for 30 minutes or so.

Try Casa Botti, Grand Cru, and Solera for this one. 

Scorpio (October 23 – November 22)

You have been holding onto something out of principle, not because it still matters. This month makes that obvious in a way that is almost funny. Once you drop it, you realize how much space it was taking up. You do not miss it.

Power Move: Releasing what is only there out of habit.
Your Vibe: Lighter, clearer, quietly ruthless.

The wine for you …

We need to celebrate everything we can in life. Especially these days.  Since you’re celebrating, and you’re getting lighter this month, it’s bubbles for you my friend! Crack open a bottle of Suvla Yapıncak Pét-Nat. It’s a pét-nat, so you’re getting the sparkle, but it’s generally reasonably priced! A bit more than it used to be…but not so bad from what I hear. 

Previously only available from Suvla stores (Cihangir, Levent/Kanyon, Caddebostan, etc.) but I’ve heard rumors you might be able to find these elsewhere now too.

Sagittarius (November 23 – December 22)

You are being offered something that sounds suspiciously like commitment. Before you run, consider that it might actually support your freedom instead of limiting it. Not everything that lasts is a trap. Some things just work.

Power Move: Staying when it makes sense.
Your Vibe: Curious, cautious, unexpectedly open.

 The wine for you …

Be really curious this month and try a wine made with grapes you might never have heard of before…such as the Mistia Zale Rosé, a blend of Sıkkara and Kızıl Üzüm. Mistia winery comes to us from one of the unexpected wine production areas of Konya. Established by Dursun Sevindi, more well-known in Istanbul as the founder of Kasap Dursun and Meat & Meet, Dursun celebrates the rare grapes of Konya in his wines. Most of which many of us had never heard of. 

Mistia wines are becoming increasingly available. You can always find them at the Kasap Dursun shop and Meat & Meet, as well as his new Kav Mistia in Osmanbey. Mensis Mahzen has carried some in the past, the wines are all over İyi Şarap now, and popping up in various other shops. 

Capricorn (December 23 – January 19)

You are realizing that being busy and being effective are not the same thing. There is a shift toward doing less but getting better results, which feels almost illegal at first. Efficiency looks good on you, even if it leaves you with spare time you do not quite trust yet.

Power Move: Cutting what is unnecessary.
Your Vibe: Efficient, composed, slightly suspicious of ease.

The wine for you …

Follow that ‘less is more’ vibe this month and open a bottle of wine from a trusted, quality winery like Nif Bağları, but one that won’t break the bank. Try the Nif Perseus Beyaz this May. A blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Narince, this “cheap and cheerful” wine gives you all the bang for your buck you could desire but without the headache that often comes with wines found on the lower shelves. 

Look for this at grocery store chains like Carrefour, Macro Center, and Migros as well as various tekels, İyi Şarap, and anywhere else you might normally find wines from Nif. 

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

You are not wrong, but you might be a little early. Timing matters more than usual, and knowing when to introduce an idea becomes part of the strategy. Once you wait for the right moment, people suddenly get it.

Power Move: Timing your insight.
Your Vibe: Patient, clever, strategically ahead.

 The wine for you …

You are a strategic trendsetter and you you need a wine this month with that same sensibility. There are actually quite a few wineries in Turkey that have turned out to be strategic trendsetters. But your wine this month comes from Thracian producer Chamlija. This winery was the driving force behind getting people talking about, drinking, and making their own wines with Papazkarası. Look for either a bottle of the Chamlija Papaskarası or the easier to find the Chamlija Kara Sevda (also Papazkarası but barrel-aged).

Look for this at places like Comedus, Mensis Mahzen, Casa Botti, Dekante, Iyi Sarap, Savoy Tekel, Solera, I think I’ve seen it at Macro Center, Santé Wine & More seems likely to have it…it’s not a hard get in any case.

 Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

You are noticing where you have been too accommodating and it is starting to irritate you. Good. That irritation points you toward something more honest. A small shift in how you respond changes the entire dynamic.

Power Move: Responding instead of absorbing.
Your Vibe: Awake, direct, quietly done.

The wine for you …

Sometimes we realize that the thing we’ve been so accommodating about isn’t a small matter…it could be as big as a career. Uğur Aslan, founder of Antalya-based winery Sagavin was a banker. But he wasn’t happy. After deciding that he was over working for work’s sake, he made a shift (granted a big one) and started making wine. While you might not need to go to such extremes to change the dynamic in your life, take inspiration from Uğur’s courage and open a bottle of Sagavin Emir this month. 

Well…if you can find it. Sagavin’s wines aren’t super available in Istanbul. But, you can always get in touch with Uğur and he’ll help hook you up.