Welcome to the Turkish International Wine Agency

Vinegrowing and winemaking are as old as mankind. Turkey (Asia Minor) has been growing grapes and making wines for nearly 4000 years!

Only recently have they begun to export their fine selection of wines. It was in Asia Minor and the lands surrounding it that men first learned how to cultivate the grapevine. The main cultivated species of grapevine, Vitis vinifera, originated in the Asia Minor area nearly 4000 years ago. The region between Mediterranean, Black and Caspian sea, to be more precise, the region of Asia Minor (Egypt, Iran, Mesopotamia) and the Caucasus area are considered to be the habitat of vine, as well as the wine culture.

The written material on wine culture tells us that people knew about wine in Asiria and Egypt as far back as 3.500 B.C. In Mesopotamia, 4.500 years ago trading with wine - as a highly regarded and expensive drink, was very prosperous. The cultivation of wine, from the ancient years and it's great geographic span resulted to the creation of many varieties. They are difficult to distinguish since the same variety may have different variations from place to place since many of it´s characters are interdependent to the climate of each location.

Premium winegrape varieties are known for the flavour, aroma, acid balance, colour (for red wine) and sugar concentration at harvest. There are many styles of wine produced, eg. fortified, sparkling, dry table wine, sweet dessert and brandy, and the appropriate choice of variety and site is required to optimise quality. Yet for various reasons, this culture eventually became more pronounced in Europe, spreading from there to the new worlds and never really returning to where it actually first laid roots. Cultural selection led to the development of the few noble grape varieties whose undeniably superior quality of wines provided joy to wine lovers for centuries.