Wine in Turkey through Ancient Archaeological Eyes Thrace, Marmara, Aegean, Urla, Bodrum

This 17 Day Wine Exploration will dive deeply into the two most prolific wine regions of Turkey: Thrace around the Marmara Sea, and the Urla peninsula jutting into the Aegean Sea west of Izmir.  Combing two new, magnificent wine routes, the Urla Vineyard Road and the Thrace Vineyard Route (Urla Bag Yolu and Trakya Bag Rotasi) this is the longest most in depth tour for those who wish to learn about the 3000 year history of wine in Turkey, while also visiting the UNESCO historic sites and major attractions of Turkey in a longer tour with minimal road travel.  Our Italian trained Sommelier guide, Murat Yanki, will lead the elite group through the best history and wines of Turkey.

Common international varietals include:
Cabarnet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Cabarnet Franc, Pinot Noir, Marselan, Malbec, Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay, Vioginier, Rousanne, Marsanne, Semillion

Common local varietals include:
Bogazkere, Okuzgozu, Barburi, Kalecik Karasi, Papazkarasi, Karasakiz, Karalahna, Kuntra, Calkarasi, Bornova Misket, Sultaniye, Emir, Narince

This tour is perfect if you:

1. Have been to Turkey before and 

• Are looking to go deeper into the progressive exploding wine and culinary scene. Join us to combine archaeology with Turkey's ancient but very modern wineries.
• Want to visit regions outside the normal tourist path including Thrace, the Wine Island of Bozcaada, and the progressive Alacati Wine Peninsula and Ancient Bodrum.
• Enjoy a mix of wine tastings, excellent meals, laid back country estate hotels, beaches and ancient sites, with time left for excellent spa treatments (Thrace tour) at some of the wineries.
• Enjoy short distances, excellent hotels, lots of wine tastings with sommeliers, wine related archaeological sites, amazing locations and undiscovered wine varietals.

2. Are a wine and food aficionado who wants to

• Tour with an Italian qualified Sommelier
• Rediscover ancient history of wine, lost over the last 100 years in Turkey and now experiencing a reawakening.
• Learn about Turkey viticulture the fourth largest producer of grapes, while not yet in the top 50 for wine production.
• Learn about archaeological connections to wine in this ancient land.
• Discover the unique grape varietals of Turkey, as well as their expressions of some of the Mediterranean’s beloved varietals. 
• Meet the interesting, fun and diverse owners and winemakers of Turkey’s blossoming wine market in their vineyards and wineries.
• Experience a very high value winery tour. 
• Enjoy the agricultural and culinary abundance of Turkey.

Upon arrival, we’ll explore Istanbul and it’s ancient monuments, from the mosques to the Roman influenced architecture, and get an introduction to wine from local experts as well as your first Turkish wine tastings with our guide and Sommelier. Next, we’ll fly to Izmir and immediately after landing we'll visit an outstanding winery for lunch and tasting on the ancient road from Smyrna to Ephesus. We'll visit another winery this day that features the much acclaimed Bornova Misket, an explosive, flavorful white wine said to be the same as drunk by Homer in Smyrna 3000+ years ago.  While staying at a luxurious seaside resort on the Aegean, the next few days we will explore the Urla Wine Route and the 15 wineries throughout this unique mountainous peninsula in the Aegean, where wine has grown for thousands of years. After these days near Urla, and after a short stay in small boutique winery hotel in the hills, the trip will continue south through Ephesus heading to the fantastic ancient city (now sea resort and marina) of Bodrum and the amazing castle museum focusing on ancient shipwrecks. A short one hour flight back to Istanbul on day 9 ends the tour for those only touring the Urla region. 

For those continuing on the full 16 day tour, after a night in Istanbul, we'll head to the ancient city of Adrianapolis, now Edirne, which is in Thrace.  This area has a climate that is driven by the Marmara and Aegean Seas, which border the long Dardenelle Straights and makes a unique climate for red wines.  We'll cross the straights to visit one of the numerous islands, the wine island of Bozcaada. We'll visit its wineries, taste dozens of wines in Thrace, and have the chance to visit Troy, as well as some down time for spa services at various top class winery hotels. The final day we will return back to the heart of Thrace, with a final night near the airport before departure.