Ancient Flavors

On a trip along the Aegean Coast, Betsy Andrews savors the rich history of Turkish wine.

- Betsy Andrews

THE MINOANS made wine here in the 20th century B.C.," said Ergin Ince, the guide that one of my hotels, Six Senses Kaplankaya (doubles from $460), had secured for me for a tour of the ancient cities of Priene, Melitus, and Didyma. "But they mixed it with honey and water because it was sour."

I had arrived at the resort after several days of exploring Turkey's Aegean Coast, where I had seen many vase-shaped clay vessels used by the Minoans to carry wine on display at archaeological museums. I can attest that plenty of wine is still made in the area-more than half of the country's wine, in fact and it's far better than it must have been 4,000 years ago.

I had planned to explore the region around the port city of Izmir, then head two hours south to the sites around Bodrum. I had heard that drives around Izmir were long and not always scenic. Luckily, there were wineries along the way that offered elegant respites from car time. For a multiday loop to sites like Hierapolis and Ephesus, I booked stops at tasting rooms, where I could sip the fruit of the vines growing around me, often alongside a terrific meal.

DAY 1

My first stop was Isabey Vineyard. From 1925 until 2004, Tekel, a state-owned company, dominated Turkish wine production. Among the few wineries able to compete was Sevilen, founded in 1942 by Bulgarian immigrant Isa Guner. Isabey, its Sauvignon Blanc estate, is located near the Aegean Sea, where the salty breeze helps the grapes develop a lipsmacking acidity. The vineyard's restaurant was closed on a Monday, but I was content with sampling a few of the more than 30 wines, including an unoaked red called Nativus. Full of black-cherry flavor and with coffee-like tannins, it's made from Kalecik Karası grapes. Turkish wine isn't typically exported to the U.S., so vineyards and wineries like Sevilen offer American travelers like me the unique opportunity to taste indigenous varietals.