Turkey’s Centenarian Vines

While Turkey's modern wine industry is relatively young, stretching back to around the 1930s, wine heritage in Turkey stretches back to before recorded time. So, with eight millennia of winemaking under its belt, Turkey redefines what it means to be an old world wine country. 

With all this history, it’s little wonder that you can stumble over ruins and historic artefacts in any direction you go. That extends to wine artefacts. Here you can just as easily find an ancient wine press as a Hittite rock carving or a Hellenistic temple.

Wine in Turkey is old, and so are its vines. Producers and those dedicated to Turkish wine have increasingly begun to pay attention to the roots of wine here, both figuratively and literally. What does that look like on the literal side? Well, for one, protecting old vines has become a passion to many. 

What Are ‘Old Vines’?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think about my age. Not necessarily because I think I’m old; more because I probably should be further along in my “adulting” than I am at my age. With that kind of thinking, I’m slightly horrified that we revere vines that are even younger than I am. 

So, how old does a vine have to be to be “old”? According to the Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), it needs to be at least 35 years old to qualify as “old”. 

The concept of old vines and their importance to wine isn’t new. It’s a long-held assumption that wine from old vines has an inherently higher quality than young vines. While that is debatable, a number of organizations like Old Vine Registry, Old Vine Conference, and Old Vine Project have sprung up over recent years to dedicate themselves to protecting old vines. 

But if old vines don’t guarantee better wine, why are they so important?

Why Old Vives Matter

I don’t mean to downplay the age of a vine in wine quality. Yes, old vines do often produce more concentrated and high-quality fruit, which often leads to high-quality wines. However, their importance extends far beyond how delicious (or not) your wine tastes. 

In a world increasingly aware of the negative effects resulting from climate change and industrial farming, sustainability has become a real goal for many, both farmers and consumers. And old vines practically define sustainability. 

• They have developed vast root systems that permeate through layers of soil, tapping into moisture held deep in the ground, which both sustains them through dry growing seasons but also can allow for dry-farming and eliminate the need for irrigation. 

• They have survived and adapted to stresses over decades - sometimes even centuries! - which often makes them more resilient to drought and heatwave.

• They have learned how to live with or even develop immunity to pests and diseases, eliminating the need for even organic-approved pesticides. 

When you combine all of these advantages, you also get an economic boon for the vineyard owner. When well-maintained vines remain in place for a longer period, the vineyard owner gets a much greater return on the initial investment. Ripping out old vines and planting new ones is a very expensive undertaking. 

Beyond science, there’s also romance. These vines are history. For some, there’s a personal connection in maintaining old vineyards because a parent, grandparent, or even great-grandparent planted them. For others, old vines tell the story of a place or a country’s history. 

Perhaps most importantly, though, maintaining old vines protects grape varieties.

Old Vines in Turkey

With a wine history stretching back to the neolithic age, it stands to reason that there would be some old vines in Turkey. Producers here who work with old vineyards, either their own or in close cooperation with an independent grower, have started to pay attention to them.

Sarah Abbott MW, co-founder of the Old Vine Conference has pointed out that ripping up old vineyards has greatly contributed to a “hideous homogeny”, in which only a dozen varieties account for almost a third of the world’s wine-producing grapes. 

Turkey is home to more native grape varieties than any other country, with more than 1,450 grapes registered at research organizations like the Tekirdağ Viticulture Research Institute. And yet, less than 100 of these are used in commercial winemaking. 

This incredible wealth of native grapes enhances the importance of caring for old vines and old vineyards in Turkey. Many of those who take their conservatorship of these precious vines seriously, have begun registering them with the Old Vines Registry, which now lists over 50 old vineyards. 

The mean age of all the vineyards registered is 87.7-years-old. Of these vineyards, seven are older than 100 years! The oldest clocks in at an amazing 252 years! From Thrace to Marmara, the Aegean, Central and Southeastern Anatolia, these vineyards spread across Turkey’s wine regions. Grapes encompass both native grapes and international varieties:

Turkish White Grapes: Ak Üzüm, Beylerce, Bilbizeki, Emir, Fesleğen, Gök Üzüm, Hafız Ali, Hüyük Ak Üzüm, Karkuş/Kerküs, Keten Gömlek, Kızıl Üzüm, Koku Üzüm, Mazrona, Osmanca, Sıdalan, Sultaniye, Sungurlu, Taş Üzüm, Ten Göynek, Vasilaki, Yapıncak

Turkish Black Grapes: Adakarası, Boğazkere, Çakal, Çal Karası, Dimrit, Erciş Karası, Gavdoni, It Üzüm, Kanlıkara, Karalahna, Karaoğlan, Karasakız/Kuntra, Midin Karasi, Öküzgözü, Panık, Papazkarası, Patkara, Rase Gurnik

International Grapes: Semillon, Gamay, Cariṅena, Syrah

60+ year old Mazrona vine in Sirnak

While they do not appear on the registry, one must assume that Narince and Kalecik Karası also have some old vineyards in the Black Sea and Central Anatolia regions (respectively). Because that’s the thing to keep in mind, just because they haven’t been registered, does not mean that they don’t exist.

So, do old vine wines really taste better? Find out for yourself and check out this month's selection of wines made from some of Turkey’s invaluable heritage vines! 

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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, and she is the founder of The Quirky Cork blog which is dedicated largely to Turkish wine.