Feature: The Women of Turkish Wine - the Continued Story
- Andrea Lemieux
- Mar 1
- 7 min read
Once people get over their surprise to discover Turkey makes wine (if they ever do!), the next shock they receive is when they learn that, in Turkey, wine is a heavily female-led industry. On March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, and we will mark the day by lifting a glass to the amazing women who elevate the Turkish wine industry.
At least one half of the wineries in Turkey involve women as owners, winemakers, viticulturalists, educators, product and sales managers, and sommeliers. In addition, almost all those who work the harvests are women. While you will often find a man driving a tractor or shifting the heavy boxes filled with grapes, it is women who do the grueling job of harvesting.
So who are these exceptional women? Given the remarkable number of women in the industry, it is not possible in one article to mention all the talented women working in Turkish wine. As such, we’ll concentrate on some of the women behind the Fine Turkish Wine winery partners.
Last year, we marked International Women’s Day by celebrating women in Turkish wine from Arda, Arcadia, and Antioche. This year, we’re pleased to introduce you to the women behind Heraki and Kuzubağ.
Fulya Akıncı Hernandez - Heraki
Fulya Akıncı Hernandez grew up in a home where wine was always present. Summers spent at her grandmother’s near Güney, a district of Denizli known for its wine grapes, accustomed her to how viticulture is woven into daily life. Many families in Turkey make their own wine, and with Aegean viticultural heritage from her mother’s family, and the Mediterranean influence of her father’s Antakya family, her interest in wine grew gradually, shaped by the culture and environment in which she grew up.
At university, she studied food engineering, where wine technology became a turning point. An internship at a winery followed, along with a graduation thesis on mead, “...which allowed me to explore fermentation from a different historical and technical perspective." After graduating, Fulya began working in a winery, and that experience revealed the discipline, precision, and depth the profession demanded. She realized she wanted not only to work in wine but to master it.
“From a technical perspective, winemaking itself is a long and deeply engaging journey that brings together many disciplines. It is never monotonous; it is dynamic and shaped by countless variables, from vineyard management decisions to fermentation kinetics and maturation choices. That constant movement, that need to respond to nature and to the wine at every stage, is part of its beauty.”
Bordeaux was a natural choice for further study. Its academic strength in oenology was well-known, and at the time studying abroad was financially possible. She moved there to further her education and deepen her understanding of wine at a professional level.
She sees the strong presence of women in the Turkish wine industry as the “...result of historical depth, cultural perception, a young and flexible sector, the prevalence of family-run wineries, and the determination and passion of the women who choose this demanding craft,” rather than coincidence.
Anatolia’s deep viticultural roots, combined with wine’s distinct cultural position compared to rakı, have made it a space where women could engage comfortably. “Wine, on the other hand, has occupied a different cultural space and has often been perceived as more nuanced and gastronomically oriented. This perception may have allowed women to connect with wine more comfortably.”
It is, she acknowledges, far from an easy profession, especially with the physical demands. “Being a winemaker requires intellectual focus as well as serious physical endurance. The work does not end at a desk or beside the tanks during tastings. You carry pumps, clean tanks, work long hours in the vineyard and in the cellar … Those who continue and succeed are the ones who are genuinely passionate.”
Compared to Turkey, Europe has been shaped by centuries of tradition, which has essentially institutionalized the male domination of the profession. While women are increasingly visible there, they still work within established hierarchies. In Turkey, the industry’s youth has allowed women to define their space earlier. In both places, she believes respect ultimately comes from knowledge and dedication.
Fulya does not believe that being a woman has any specific influence on the wine she makes. She proposes that the winemaker’s personality, their individual sensibility, decisions, risk tolerance, intuition, and philosophy are much more important.
To that end, when speaking about the wine she makes, especially at Heraki, Fulya and her partner José deeply value the concept of terroir. This leads them to vinify each parcel separately. In a small-scale winery, this means working with many small vessels. At Heraki, they enjoy using different materials and fermentation or aging vessels (such as oak, glass, plastic eggs), but doing so requires both more space and a significant amount of equipment, which limits the number of experiments they can indulge in and any expansion plans.
That said, they still plan to experiment, especially with new grapes, just within what their space allows. “Turkey is truly a paradise in terms of grape diversity, and not taking advantage of that richness would be a real loss for us. By pushing our limits and expanding our possibilities step by step, we will continue striving to create new and exciting wines.”
Aslı Kuzu - Kuzubağ
Aslı had no plans to make her life in wine; in fact, she graduated with a degree in psychology and anthropology. And yet, wine is in her blood, and its call was too great.
Both of Aslı’s parents come from Çal’s Hançalar village in Denizli. The Denizli province, in Turkey’s inner Aegean, located at just about the same latitude as Napa Valley, is known across the country for its vineyards. Viticulture is the main livelihood source for the region. And villages have grown grapes for thousands of years, a fact underscored by the recent discovery of a 3,500-year-old grape seed during excavations in the Ekşihöyük village. So, naturally, she grew up among the vines. Nearly everyone in the region is connected to a vineyard, and growing up among the vines was simply part of daily reality.
Like many, the Kuzu family has long had vineyards, but did not make wine. Yet, over the years, her father, Salih gradually developed a deep interest in wine and passed on that passion, making wine enthusiasts of the whole family. That interest turned into intent. In 2007, they began expanding their existing vineyards, planting new grapes—native and international varieties—and establishing Kuzubağ Winery in 2020.
Aslı sees the female dominance of women in Turkey’s wine industry. She believes that one reason for this lies in educational choices. The academic paths that lead to winemaking, such as food engineering, chemical engineering, and chemistry, are fields largely populated by women in Turkey. This imbalance carries through into wineries and vineyards alike. In rural areas, vineyard labor during harvest is most often done by women. It's not clear why, but one theory common among other wineries is that male workers tend to be a bit lazy. No comment on from us on this. :)
Aslı believes a winemaker’s gender can be reflected in the wine, not necessarily in a scientific sense, but through the personal sensibility that shapes its final expression. In her view, the patience, attention to detail, and intuitive foresight many women bring to their work influence every stage of the process, from vineyard decisions to subtle cellar adjustments. Winemaking, she says, is both a technical craft and an act of interpretation, requiring sensitivity to timing, balance, texture, and nuance. “In that sense, the personality, perception, and emotional intelligence of the winemaker inevitably leave their imprint on the wine.”
At Kuzubağ, women are involved at every level of decision-making. Alongside Aslı, junior winemaker Sevil and oenologist Semril participate in all production choices, from vineyard management to final blends. This collaborative structure defines both the technical precision and the character of the wines. The winery’s identity is further shaped by women beyond production. The labels were designed by her childhood friend Elif, adding another layer of intimacy and shared vision.
“When you look at Kuzubağ as a whole—from viticulture and vinification to visual identity—you can truly say it is a project shaped by women.” Kuzubağ did not set out to be an all-female project, but it became one naturally, shaped by trust, alignment, and shared sensibilities.
From the beginning, the goal for the labels was clarity and quiet confidence. Minimal, spacious, and restrained, they were meant to stand out subtly rather than demand attention. When it came to style, Aslı believed figurative elements felt warmer and more memorable than typography-only designs. With that in mind, designer Elif’s research led her to ancient coins found in nearby archaeological sites, many depicting figures holding or raising cups in a toasting gesture, clearly signaling that wine has been made in this region for millennia.
Drawing inspiration from those, Elif created the figures that now appear on Kuzubağ labels, showing “…people enjoying wine together, symbolizing the shared and social nature of wine.” Painter Tom Fellows, who is also Aslı’s brother-in-law, refined the illustrations to unify their style. The result is playful, elegant, and expressive, reflecting the philosophy of the winery itself.
For the single varietal reds, symbols inspired by the Tree of Life were used, a motif rooted in local weaving traditions and associated with eternity. For the Öküzgözü-Shiraz blend, the eli belinde (hands on hips) motif, a symbol of fertility, “…represents the union of two grape varieties — two distinct characters walking arm in arm, just like Elif and I did as children.”
Ultimately, the belief is simple. A label may invite someone to pick up a bottle once, but only the wine inside will bring them back.
Since its inception, Kuzubağ has focused on the regional grape, Çal Karası, producing a red, a rosé, a blanc de noir, and, most recently, a sweet wine, the first of its kind in Turkey.
“I am incredibly proud of this wine and of the vision and dedication behind it. Reviving and adapting a traditional drying technique to express the unique character of Çal Karası felt both pioneering and deeply meaningful for us.”
On the question of what is next…the future looks bubbly for Kuzubağ and Çal Karası!
Impressed? Inspired? Stop into the Fine Turkish Wine Bottle Shop + Tasting Room, located in Houston's Montrose District at 1909 Dunlavy Street, to pick up some of the wines shaped by these amazing women.
Andrea Lemieux is an international wine expert with particular expertise in Turkish Wine. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine, the world's only comprehensive English language book on Turkish wine. She is also the author of The Quick and Dirty Guide to Greek Wine and the founder of The Quirky Cork blog which is dedicated largely to Turkish wine.
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