International Praise for “Turkish Wine”

“I mentioned Turkey in the article “Three Cheers for Saperavi and Georgia’s Wine

Market Miracle” for three reasons. First, because, of course, it shares a place in

wine history with Georgia and Armenia. Second, because Sue and I have a little

experience with Turkish wines and appreciate their potential in the U.S. market.

The third reason is that I have been reading a review copy of Mehtap Emmie

Turan’s book Turkish Wine: Past, Present, and Future of Viticulture in

Turkiye. The book examines the land, the grapes, and the wines as you would

expect, but I especially appreciate the attention to history, culture, politics, and

business challenges. It made me realize that, while Turkey and Georgia are

different in very important ways, they also share certain challenges. Perhaps

Georgia’s success will inspire the Turkish wine sector. Fingers crossed.”

Mike Veseth: The Wine Economist, October 7, 2025.

“It is not easy to find resources about the wines we serve, that is why, we are

excited whenever we come across a new book. . . Starting with our ancestors who

lived on these lands for thousands of years up to the present day, this book

introduces readers to both grape varieties and producers, region by region.

Focusing on the present, while also making predictions for the future, the book is

worthy to have in the library of everyone interested in the subject. We

congratulate author Mehtap Turan. Well done!”

Cenap Kuzuoğlu, Wayana Wine Bar, Istanbul.

“[The Turkish wine field comprises ] a movement of hobbyists, historians,

sommeliers and restaurateurs who are reviving the Anatolian wine traditions that

were largely lost along with the Ottoman Empires minorities, powering a new

wave of Turkish winemaking and wine tourism that has gone largely unnoticed

outside the country. A new book that aims to change this is Turkish Wine: Past,

Present and Future of Viniculture in Turkey, by Mehtap Emmie Turan, a Turkish-

American working in the wine industry in California, another region that, despite

producing wine since before the Gold Rush, has only in the past half century been

recognized for its world-class viniculture. Turans' book is an outstanding work of reference, which includes chapters on the history and politics of winemaking in

Turkey, as well as a region-by region guide to many of the best independent

vineyards, wineries and wine routes. Turkish wine, Turan writes, went through

several periods of boom and decline until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire,

when it was banned for a short period. Atatürk revived the industry, but Turkish

wine remained "uninspiring" until the late 1980s, when the rather stuffy and exclusionary industry started opening its eyes to New World vintages. A fledgling Turkish industry was bolstered by the post-coup prime minister, Turgut Özals', enthusiasm for deregulation and exports. But most commercially produced 

Turkish wine was made from grape varieties imported from France in the late Ottoman and early Republican era. The book ‘Turkish Wine’ introduces the tight cast of characters behind the revival. Boutique Anatolian viniculture , today, remains a small world. One interesting aspect is how many of the leading figures in the Turkish wine industry are women. . . In ‘a land where patriarchy is still the order

of the day’, writes Turan, women's significant contribution to winemaking is revolutionary in itself’.”

Cornucopia, Issue 69, London, 2025.

“Wine lovers with an unquenchable thirst for wine knowledge should check out a

new book. It is all about the past, present and future of Turkish wines. If you are a

serious student of wine, this book will fill a big gap in your wine odyssey; it did for

me. . . this book is special. As the author explains: “The exciting ride Turkish

vignerons embarked on in the 1990s is continuing with passion.” And as we also

learn in Turkish Wines: “The story of Turkish wine is still unfolding, and chapters

are yet to be written.” Despite a history of winemaking going back 8,000 years,

Turkey has been overlooked or cast aside by today’s wine journalist. Combining

her passion for wine with her pride of country, Emmie Turan has set about to

correct that. Focused on “The Past, Present and Future, “ this book opens with a

deep dive into the ancient history of grape growing and winemaking, guides you

through the ups and downs of Turkish wines, especially over the last century, and

leads you up to the still unfolding story of its wines today. But it is not only wine

focused. No, this book is loaded with personal experiences, candid observations,

and often returns to shine the spotlight on people, places, politics and religion.

With each major section, the author adopts the tone that best conveys the subject at hand. Only a scholarly tone can succeed in presenting the various possibilities of the birthplace of wine. When talking about the interaction between politics and

religion that takes you up to and through the Ottoman Empire, well, that needs the

neutral voice of a historian. There’s no sugar-coating when she addresses the past

and present roadblocks, whether they be from politics, economics, or religion. For

Turkish wine, it has been indeed a “tough row to hoe.” Moving on to the

resurgence of wine from the 1980s to the present, Emmie comfortably switches to

the voice of the knowledgeable wine educator and wine lover. Sometimes she

simply asks a question such as should Turkey’s major regions carve out AOCs like

the French. Her breakdown of the different wine regions along with the profiles of

the grape varieties, indigenous as well as international, will likely be part of a

standard wine curriculum in the not too distant future.

Exploring Turkey’s primary wine regions is the heart of the book. As Emmie

verbally escorts readers from one region to another, each section is full of first

hand information about the wineries, the varieties grown there, and her personal

travel notes to maximize a visit along each region’s wine routes. Finally, the

beautiful photographs throughout this book leave no doubt that Turkey’s

fascinating history, current wines and timeless beauty should be better known to

all wine lovers.”

Norm Roby, Wine Writer, Educator and Critic.