The History of Turkish Wine: 8,000 Years in Anatolia

Before France. Before Italy. Before Greece. Anatolia was making wine — and it has never stopped.

The world's oldest archaeological evidence of winemaking comes from Anatolia. This is not a new wine country — it is the original wine country. Here's the history that no one tells.

Category: education · 7 min read · Published 2026-06-28 · Altevin Blog

• Archaeological evidence places winemaking in Anatolia over 8,000 years ago
• Bornova Misketi grape has documented cultivation in the Aegean going back 8,500 years
• The Hittites cultivated grapes in central Anatolia from at least 2000 BCE
• More than 1,200 indigenous grape varieties documented in Türkiye
• Modern Turkish wine industry emerged in the 1990s–2000s after a state-controlled era
• Türkiye is not a new wine country — it is the original wine country, rediscovering itself

The origin story

Wine was being produced in Anatolia over 8,000 years ago. The Hittites were among the world's earliest viticulturists — cultivating grapes in what is now central Türkiye from at least 2000 BCE, and almost certainly earlier. The grape variety Bornova Misketi, still grown today by Kastro Tireli in the Aegean, has documented cultivation in the region going back 8,500 years.

This is not a country that discovered wine recently. This is a country where wine has been produced continuously, in the same regions, from some of the same indigenous varieties, for longer than most European winemaking traditions have existed.

The 20th century disruption and recovery

The modern Turkish wine industry is younger than the ancient one. Following the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, wine production was largely centralised into state-controlled entities with limited quality investment or export ambition.

The recovery began in the 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s. A new generation of producers — trained in Europe, working with European consultants, using modern cellar technology — began applying serious winemaking to Türkiye's extraordinary indigenous variety heritage. That is what the Altevin portfolio represents.

The grape heritage

Over 1,200 indigenous grape varieties have been documented in Türkiye — more than the vast majority of other wine-producing countries. The ones in the Altevin portfolio — Kalecik Karası, Narince, Papazkarası, Boğazkere, Öküzgözü, Merzifon Karası, Emir, Çal Karası, Sultaniye, Patkara, Bornova Misketi — represent a library of winemaking possibility that is only now beginning to be explored internationally.

Türkiye is not catching up with the wine world. The wine world is discovering what Türkiye has always had.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Türkiye the oldest wine-producing country?

Among the oldest — with archaeological evidence going back over 8,000 years. The Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia) and the Fertile Crescent share comparable claims. But Anatolia is consistently among the earliest documented sites of viticulture and wine production in the world.

Why did Turkish wine become so unknown?

Following the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923, wine production was largely centralised into state entities with limited quality ambition. Export marketing was minimal. The high-quality private producer movement only started gaining momentum in the 1990s and 2000s.

What happened to Turkish wine during the Ottoman period?

Wine production continued throughout the Ottoman era — largely maintained by Greek, Armenian, Jewish, and Christian communities who were not subject to Islamic alcohol restrictions. The viticultural heritage survived, even if not always under Turkish Muslim ownership.