A Guide to Turkish Wine: Kalecik Karası, Öküzgözü, Narince and Boğazkere

Vines have been grown in Turkey for six thousand years, though commercial wine production was interrupted for long stretches. Over the past twenty years producers have turned back to native grapes, and what stands in front of us now is a line of wines that are not copies of international varieties. Four names are enough to read the list.

Kalecik Karası

From the Kalecik district near Ankara. A light-bodied red giving red fruit and spice. Its tannins are soft, so it can be drunk young. If you like Pinot Noir, start here; it is not the same, but it shares that lightness and ease. It works well with lamb and dishes built on mushrooms.

Öküzgözü

From Elazığ. High acidity, clear fruit, little tannin. Those three traits make it a table wine — a grape built to be drunk with food. Tomato-based dishes and red meat find their balance against it. It is the most widely planted red wine grape in Turkey.

Boğazkere

From Diyarbakır, and the opposite of Öküzgözü in every way: very high tannin, heavy body. The name says as much. Drunk young it comes across as severe and needs a few years. This is why most producers blend the two — Öküzgözü brings the fruit, Boğazkere the structure. When you see a classic Turkish blend, this is usually it.

Narince

A white grape from Tokat. Drunk fresh it gives green apple and citrus; aged in oak it turns richer and moves towards stone fruit. It works with olive oil dishes and white meat. Emir, meanwhile, is the white of Cappadocia: more mineral, sharper.

Reading the regions

If the label names a region, that tells you something. Thrace is known for Bordeaux-style blends. The Aegean, with more sun, gives riper wines. Central Anatolia sits at altitude, which preserves acidity and produces finer wines. Eastern Anatolia is the home of Öküzgözü and Boğazkere.

A practical note from our list

Our wine list holds forty-four labels, and forty-three of them come from Turkey — the single exception is the champagne. That was deliberate: Anatolian wine belongs beside Anatolian cooking, and at the same price you can take home a far better bottle than an imported one.

If you are unsure, tell the service team what you are eating and let them point you. The full list is on the Drinks Menu page, with the grape and the region written beside each wine.