01.04.2011 - Vinexpo news selection
The first signs of winegrowing in Turkey apparently date back to more than 5,000 years before Christ, but wine production was abandoned for a long time and was even illegal until it was authorised again in the 1920’s.
Wine production has enjoyed uninterrupted development since then and especially when the Winegrowing Research Centre was founded in 1929. The total Turkish winegrowing area of 500,000 hectares (more than 1.2 million acres) is divided into 5 main regions. There are a large number of grape varieties, both international and native to Turkey: Emir, Narince, Sultaniye, etc. This diversity and the potential here also attract many European consultants and oenologists, who contribute to improvements in quality while enhancing production quantities.
Turkish consumption is still low, less than 1 litre per capita annually, but exports are growing with 2.5 million litres sent abroad in 2008, mainly to northern Europe. Belgium is the largest destination, accounting for 27% of Turkish exported wines, followed by Germany and UK, then the U.S. and Japan outside Europe.
Kavaklidere, one of the largest wine producers in Turkey has attended Vinexpo since 1993. This year, Kavaklidere will be present at Vinexpo with Doluca and Vinkara. All 3 companies are members of Wines of Turkey, a new platform recently set up to promote the consumption and export of Turkish wines. (VINEXPO / 1st April 2011)