Istanbul's revived wine culture
2010-11-17
Despite Turkish tourism staff often claiming that winemaking originated in the country, many locals have long felt that the only want to get a decent bottle was to buy an import. However, some winemakers and entrepreneurs are trying to reverse the country's allegedly uninspired wine culture by rediscovering local grape varieties and experimenting with food pairings, the New York Times reports.
Istanbul wine bars like Rouge, Sensus and Corvus Wine & Bite have all contributed to the country's push for modernizing and improving upon its wine culture by offering up-and-coming domestic wines. The bottles served at these bistro-like establishments are often hand-picked from obscure wineries, according to the news source.
Corvus Wine & Bite takes the approach of only serving wine produced by the winery Corvus, which is situated on Bozcaada Island. The island reportedly has a long history of winemaking spanning thousands of years, yet the entrepreneurs behind Corvus found the island devoid of wine production facilities when they arrived.
"When I got to the island 20 years ago, the winemaking industry was below zero," the owner of Corvus said. Corvus is now believed by some to be one of Turkey's most successful new wineries, serving wine and artisanal breads and cheeses produced on Bozcaada.
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