Writer: Osman Yüksel
May 2009

The grape culture of Anatolia is known from the Hittites, the oldest inhabitants of this peninsula. In our country 1200 different kinds of grape are being produced.  Although the variety in kinds of grape in Cappadocia is restricted, the lands for planting grape are wide. Most of the grape production in Cappadocia is being used for the local consumption and being used as principal food.  1/3 of total production of black grapes is being consumed as dried. 1/3 of the total is being sold by the producers to the factories to be turned into vinegar and juice. The small part of the rest is being used for vine and raki production.
The grapes of the region produced with traditional techniques are not very suitable for producing wine. For example only with the kind called Emir among the white grapes can be used for qualified wine production. The kind called Dimrit produced a lot within the region can be used only producing ordinary wine which is not suitable to wait for a long time. We can list the kinds of grapes of Cappadocia as, Dimrit, Emir, Parmak, Çavuş, Çavuş of Cappadocia, Buludu, Göğcek, Keten Gömlek, Black Burcu, White Buzgulu, Kurt Kuğruğu, Horoz Karası, İsmailoğlu, Kayseri Karası, Şıradar and Mis.
As the wine production is being developed in Turkey during the recent years, wine factories and interested producers of the region started to produce experimental products made of local and foreign grapes. Kalecik Karası and Papaz Karası can be given for local grapes to produce red wine and Narince can be given for local grapes to produce white wine. As foreign grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Alicante Bouschet are being tried for producing red wine, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are being tried for producing white wine.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, May 2009 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com