The history of wine making in ancient Anatolia goes back to 4,000 B.C. Today, Turkey is the 4th major grape growing country in the world, producing some excellent wines.

Hittites, who inhabited Anatolia in 2,000 B.C., created the world’s first wine origin denomination system. The Phrygians who followed them in 1,000 B.C. carried on the tradition of making wine in this region. The tomb of their legendary King, Midas (with the golden touch), was unearthed only about 50 years ago in their ancient capital city of Gordium. The burial chamber of that royal funeral from 2,700 years ago indicated that, after eating and drinking, the mourners lowered the log coffin of their king into the tomb along with wooden dining tables and hundreds of bronze serving vessels, drinking cups, pottery jars for serving grape wine and barley beer.

Our winery tours also typically include visits to Cappadocia (one of the greatest wine producing regions in today’s Turkey), the Izmir region (one of the main grape centers of Turkey) an overnight stay in Sirince, a charming village reminiscent of Tuscany, as well as Bozcaada, rated the most beautiful island in Europe according to Conde Nast Traveler, whose wines are acclaimed worldwide. We will visit the wineries, meet wine makers, sample amazing wines and enjoy gourmet Turkish food!

If these topics “tickle your tastebuds”, you might be interested in one of our favorite itineraries: Special Epicureans’ Tour Of Turkey