Turkey

Turkey's vineyard, per the OIV's State of the World Wine Sector in 2025 report, covers an estimated 395 kha (395,000 hectares), the sixth largest vineyard area in the world at 5.6 percent of the global total, though this area is primarily dedicated to table and dried grape rather than wine production. The OIV notes that Turkey's vineyard area has been in long-term decline since the 1980s, when it was roughly twice its current size, and that the vineyard contracted a further 1.3 percent between 2024 and 2025. Wine-Searcher describes Turkey as located on the Anatolian Peninsula between the Mediterranean and Black seas, cultivating more grapes than almost any other country, though only a small proportion is made into wine, reflecting low per capita alcohol consumption in the Muslim-majority nation. Wines of Turkey, the umbrella trade body for the country's wine sector, was established in 2008 as a strategic partnership between Turkey's leading wineries with a mission to develop the wine market and culture of Turkey and increase exports.

• 395 kha of vineyard in 2025, the world's sixth largest, 5.6 percent of the global total (OIV)
• Vineyard area down 1.3 percent between 2024 and 2025, part of a long-term decline since the 1980s (OIV)
• Vineyard is primarily dedicated to table and dried grape production (OIV)
• Wines of Turkey, established 2008, represents Turkey's leading wineries as an umbrella trade body (Wines of Turkey)

Wine production and sale in Turkey are regulated by the Tobacco and Alcohol Department (Tutun ve Alkol Dairesi Baskanligi) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, organized into four sub-departments: the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Department, the Alcohol and Alcoholic Beverages Department, the Market Regulation and Control Department, and the Administrative Affairs and Coordination Department. Under the department's Communique on Wine Production and Market Placement, new entrants to the wine sector must hold both a Facility Establishment Permit and a Production Permit, and firms holding a production permit must report their annual sales, campaign-carryover stock, and grape purchase and wine production volumes to the department before and after each harvest campaign. Contract ("fason") production of wine on behalf of other companies has been prohibited since a Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Board decision dated 8 July 2009.

• Regulated by the Tobacco and Alcohol Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
• Four sub-departments: Tobacco and Tobacco Products; Alcohol and Alcoholic Beverages; Market Regulation and Control; Administrative Affairs and Coordination (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
• New wine producers require a Facility Establishment Permit and a Production Permit (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
• Contract ("fason") wine production banned since a Board decision dated 8 July 2009 (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)

Wines of Turkey divides the country's wine production into agricultural regions: Aegean, Marmara, Mediterranean, Mid-Northern Anatolia, Mid-Southern Anatolia, Mid-Eastern Anatolia and South-East Anatolia. The Aegean region is the western part of Turkey facing the Aegean Sea and the Greek islands, and accounts for 52.7 percent of all wine produced in the country, the largest share of any region, growing varieties that include Bogazkere, Bornova Misketi, Kalecik Karasi, Narince, Okuzgozu and Sultaniye alongside international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The Marmara region, which Wines of Turkey describes as spreading over southern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece and northwestern Turkey around the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, accounts for 13.6 percent of national wine production; within it, Decanter names Kirklareli and Tekirdag, in the far northwest, along with Canakkale, as important growing areas for both international and local grapes. Aegean and Thrace each have their own dedicated pages elsewhere in this wiki. Turkey's Central Anatolian interior is covered by two further Wines of Turkey regions: Mid-Northern Anatolia, centered on Ankara and Usak, at 3.3 percent of production, and Mid-Southern Anatolia, around Cappadocia, at 12.1 percent. Further east, Mid-Eastern Anatolia, around Tokat, Elazig and Malatya, contributes 14.7 percent, and South-East Anatolia, bordering Iraq and Syria, contributes 3.4 percent; the Mediterranean region accounts for just 0.2 percent.

• Aegean: 52.7 percent of national wine production, the largest share of any region (Wines of Turkey)
• Marmara: 13.6 percent of national wine production, including the growing areas of Kirklareli and Tekirdag in the far northwest (Wines of Turkey; Decanter)
• Mid-Eastern Anatolia: 14.7 percent; Mid-Southern Anatolia: 12.1 percent; South-East Anatolia: 3.4 percent; Mid-Northern Anatolia: 3.3 percent; Mediterranean: 0.2 percent (Wines of Turkey)

Among Turkey's indigenous red grapes is Bogazkere, whose name means "throat burner"; native to the South East Anatolia sub-region around Diyarbakir, it is also grown in Mid-Eastern Anatolia, Mid-Northern Anatolia, the Aegean and the Mediterranean, and Wines of Turkey describes it as having very high, dense tannins with medium acidity, similar to Tannat, producing dark, full-bodied wines. Okuzgozu is native to the Elazig area of Mid-Eastern Anatolia and is also grown in Mid-Southern and Mid-Northern Anatolia. Kalecik Karasi, whose name means "black from the small castle," originates around the village of Kalecik near Ankara and is grown mainly in the Kizilirmak river valley; Wines of Turkey describes it as producing medium-bodied, low-tannin, crisp wines that can reach 14 percent alcohol in hotter sites. Among whites, Emir is a native grape of Cappadocia used since Roman times, producing light to medium-bodied, high-acid, straw-yellow wines used in both still and sparkling winemaking; Narince, whose name means "delicately," is mainly grown around Tokat along the Yesilirmak river and, per Wines of Turkey, can be compared to Chardonnay. Bornova Misketi, grown around Izmir in the Aegean, and Calkarasi, native to Denizli, are further Aegean varieties, while Sultaniye, grown mainly in Denizli and Manisa, is mostly a table and raisin grape also used to make light, fresh wines. Decanter reports that the Tekirdag Viticulture Research Institute has recorded 1,435 grape varieties in Turkey, most grown on old vines, though most of the annual harvest is consumed fresh or turned into molasses, raisins, vinegar or raki rather than wine.

• Bogazkere ("throat burner"): native to South East Anatolia around Diyarbakir; high-tannin, dark, full-bodied red (Wines of Turkey)
• Okuzgozu: native to the Elazig area of Mid-Eastern Anatolia (Wines of Turkey)
• Kalecik Karasi ("black from the small castle"): native to Kalecik near Ankara; medium-bodied, low-tannin, crisp red (Wines of Turkey)
• Emir: native white of Cappadocia, used since Roman times; light to medium-bodied, high-acid (Wines of Turkey)
• Narince ("delicately"): native white of Tokat, compared by Wines of Turkey to Chardonnay
• 1,435 grape varieties recorded by the Tekirdag Viticulture Research Institute (Decanter)

Wine-Searcher describes Turkey as cultivating more grapes than almost any other country on earth, though only a very small proportion is made into wine, reflecting low per capita alcohol consumption in the Muslim-majority nation. Decanter notes that promotion of alcohol has been restricted in Turkey since a 2013 legal change. Decanter counted about 185 wine producers in Turkey as of September 2024, among them long-established houses Doluca and Kavaklidere. According to Decanter, Doluca began producing fine wines from international grape varieties in the early 1990s, while Kavaklidere started producing wines from the local Okuzgozu, Bogazkere and Kalecik Karasi varieties around the same time; Turkish wine expert Levon Bagis calls these two developments milestones in the country's modern winemaking story. Wines of Turkey, established in 2008 as a strategic partnership between the country's leading wineries, works to build export markets and brand recognition for Turkish wine internationally.

• About 185 wine producers in Turkey as of September 2024 (Decanter)
• Doluca began producing fine wines from international grapes in the early 1990s; Kavaklidere began producing local-variety wines around the same time (Decanter)
• Promotion of alcohol has been restricted since a 2013 legal change (Decanter)
• Wines of Turkey, established 2008, works to build export markets and brand recognition for Turkish wine (Wines of Turkey)

Primary sources: https://winesofturkey.org/about/, https://winesofturkey.org/turkey-3/, https://winesofturkey.org/category/regions/, https://winesofturkey.org/category/wine-grape/, https://winesofturkey.org/aegean/, https://winesofturkey.org/marmara/, https://winesofturkey.org/mediterranean/, https://winesofturkey.org/mid-eastern-anatolia/, https://winesofturkey.org/mid-northern-anatolia/, https://winesofturkey.org/mid-southern-anatolia/, https://winesofturkey.org/south-east-anatolia/, https://winesofturkey.org/kalecik-karasi/, https://winesofturkey.org/emir/, https://winesofturkey.org/narince/, https://winesofturkey.org/sultaniye/, https://winesofturkey.org/calkarasi/, https://winesofturkey.org/bornova-misketi/, https://www.tarimorman.gov.tr/TADAB, https://www.oiv.int/sites/default/files/2026-05/OIV-State_of_the_World_Wine_Sector_in_2025.pdf. Last verified 2026-09-17