A Fresh Look at Old Vine Wines from Turkey

12.00-13.30: 
TUTORED MASTERCLASS: Introducing the Karasakız variety, understanding the Bayramiç Terroir. 
Hosted by the founding members of Heritage Vines of Turkey, moderated by Sarah Abbott MW, co-founder of The Old Vine Conference.

There has been a deep-rooted history of viticulture and grape cultivation in Turkey for centuries. Considering the size and diversity of its vineyard areas, it is no secret that winemaking in today's Turkey is far from reflecting its potential.

In the last 40 years vineyard areas in Turkey have decreased by half. Last year Heritage Vines of Turkey conducted research to understand the scale and reasons for these losses in the region most affected: Bayramiç region.

The research, titled as ‘The Precarious Existence of Anatolian Old Vines: Karasakız Example’ was funded by the IWSC Foundation and supported by The Old Vine Conference, it's aim, based on the results, is to propose solutions to stop and reverse this trend. 

In this unique masterclass the founders of Heritage Vines of Turkey will illustrate the findings of the research via a wine tasting of 2022 vintage old vine Karasakız wines made from grapes sourced from different villages in the Bayramiç region. The wines, which form part of the research and will be tasted here for the first time, have been produced from six highly respected Turkish wineries. Each wine will demonstrate the different winemaking interpretations of the producers working with Karasakiz grapes from old vines.
 

13.30 - 16.00 (drop-in)
WALK AROUND TASTING: New Wave, Old Vine Turkish wine - Getting to know the old-vine native varieties of Turkey 
A collection of old vine wines from 10 to 12 of Turkey's leading old vine wine producers.

Heritage Vines of Turkey (HVoT) was established to reveal, record and raise awareness of Turkey's old vineyards and native varieties. This rich diversity is rapidly decreasing due to village migration to the city, the changing demographic structure of Anatolia, phylloxera, the belief that the yields decrease as the vineyards age and the difficulty of maintaining old vineyards with lower economic return compared to other agricultural products. HVoT aims to preserve and sustain such vineyards by ensuring that the grapes obtained from them find the economic value they deserve. 

They exist to inspire winemakers, producers and consumers in Turkey and around the world to recognise wines made with grapes coming from these old vineyards, the elegance of their texture and the ability of the resulting wines to reflect the characteristics of the soil. The wines included in the walk around tasting are all wines made with native Turkish varieties that comply with these criteria.