Turkish wine is made in the transcontinental Eurasian country Turkey. The Caucasus region, where Georgia and Iran are located, played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earliest wine-producing countries in the world.

Ampelographers  estimate that Turkey is home to between 600 and 1200 indigenous varieties of Vitis Vinifera ( the European grape vine ), though less than 60 of these are grown commercially . With over 1.5 million acres ( 6100 sq km ) planted under vine , Turkey is the world’s fourth leading producer of grapes for wine production.

Mustafa Kemal Atatuerk , Turkey’s first president , established the country’s first commercial winery in 1925. The size and geography of Turkey accounts for the wide climatic variation of Turkey’s wine regions. The wine region of Thrace along the Sea of Marmara have slight Mediterranean climates that resemble those of neighboring southwest Bulgaria and northwest Greece. This area is responsible for nearly 40 % of Turkey’s wine production, which also produces the most elegant and balanced wines in Turkey. The sub-region of Thrace, Kirklareli , is known for her crisp white wines and fine reds. The wine region along the Aegean coast, mostly near Izmir , account 20 % of the country’s wine production, and have much more pronounced Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot, dry summers.

The remaining portion of Turkey’s wine production takes places in scattered pockets throughout the Eastern and Central Anatolia regions.

Turkish grape varieties are : Yapincak and Papazkarasi grown in Thrace, Sultanija of the Aegean coast, the Oekuzgoezue and Bogazkere of Eastern Anatolia, the Calkarasi of Western Anatolia , and the Kalecik , Narince and Emir of Central Anatolia.

Some of the international grape varieties are : Semillion, Riesling, Muscat, Gamay, Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.