Ep 208: Wines of Turkey: Kalecik Karası, Red Grapes, and Visiting Turkey’s Wine Regions with Sila Serim of Vinolus Winery and Bronwen Batey Editor of Turkish Wine, A Heritage Reborn (Part 2)

2025-03-03

Hello wine friends! Welcome to part 2 of our exploration of Turkish wines! In this episode, we're back with our special guests: Sila Serim of Vinolus Winery and Bronwen Batey, Editor of Turkish Wine, A Heritage Reborn. Today, we’re delving into one of Turkey's most iconic red grapes, Kalecik Karasu (or KK for short). This once near-extinct variety has made a stunning comeback, and we’ll discuss its fascinating history and unique characteristics. We’ll talk about other red indigenous grapes to know about. Sila takes us inside Vinolus Winer...

I’m proud to be working with Drinklusive—the drink industry's first-ever inclusivity mentorship program founded by Aidy Smith, and The Three Drinkers, and supported by Jancis Robinson, the Gérard Basset Foundation, and WSET. It’s all about giving underrepresented voices a platform in the drinks world. If you're in the UK, applications are open now - CLICK HERE!

If you want to skip ahead:

03.20: Öküzgözü: Turkey’s most planted red grape variety
03.36: Kalecik Karası (KK) Introduction to the popular grape variety, its revival and history.
05.00: KK Clones & Quality - 23 clones identified for better quality production.
06.00: KK Tasting Profile
06.46: Beaujolais Comparison-KK compared to Beaujolais with earthy and wild characteristics.
09.00: St. Laurent Comparison-Austrian grape comparison with wild, earthy, and fruit-forward elements.
10.10: Volcanic Soil Influence
11.08: Personal Discoveries & Unique experiences tasting Turkish red wines.
12.00: Tasting Vinolus Kalecik Karasi &Tempranillo Blend
15.30: Travel logistics to the winery in Cappadocia
18.10: The sunny region of Cappadocia and wine tourism opportunities.
21.00: Focus on indigenous grape varieties in Turkey and their importance in local wine production.
21.30: Discussion about the indigenous grape varieties - “Throat Scratcher” (Boğazkere).
22.11: Most red indeginous grapes to look out for: Papazkarası and Foça Karasıı.
23.00: Importance of Ankara as a key region for certain grapes.
25.00: The role of international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Turkey.
26.00: Organic, sustainable winemaking in Turkey.
29.00: Turkey’s wine story and positioning in the global wine scene.
31.00: The approachability and commercial appeal of Turkish wines.
32.00: Challenges in Turkey's wine industry: taxation and advertising restrictions.
33.00: Low domestic wine consumption in Turkey compared to countries like France and Portugal.
35.00: The resilience and passion of Turkish wine producers.
37.00: Turkey’s old vines and the Heritage Vines Association
39.00: Wine routes emerging in Turkey, signaling the future of Turkish wine tourism.
40.40: The book "Turkish Wine, A Heritage Reborn" is available on Amazon