Turkey witnesses wine boom despite government restrictions and tax hikes

Published 2024년 11월 23일

Tridge summary

Turkey's wine industry is witnessing a surge in growth, with hundreds of new producers, despite the government's conservative policies that increase taxation and controls on alcohol. Fulya Akinci and Jose Hernandez Gonzalez, owners of the Heraki wine label, are part of this trend, having increased their production from a few thousand to 20,000 bottles in five years. They have faced challenges such as bureaucracy and high tax pressures, but the industry's growth is being driven by tourism and international interest. Wine consultant Sabiha Apaydın Gonenli emphasizes the need for the industry to unite and be more economically viable. Heraki wines have found success in European restaurants and with a German distributor, but the authors of the article express that wine-making in Turkey remains a challenging but rewarding experience.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In Turkey, hundreds of new producers are growing the country's wine industry, and its international reputation – despite increasing taxation and controls by President Erdogan's religious, conservative government. Grapes have been grown for centuries in Manisa, western Turkey. It is here that Fulya Akinci and her Spanish husband, Jose Hernandez Gonzalez, decided they wanted to be a part of the transformation of the country's wine industry. "In 2005, in 2006, maybe when you went to a restaurant, you would order red wine or white wine, that was it," explains Akinci. "In the last 15 years, there has been a real boom. We have so many, we say, boutique wineries. Now, with these small wineries, the quality has changed a lot." With their wine label Heraki, Akinci and Hernandez Gonzalez are part of this surge of new, small producers – a group which has grown to number around 200, from only a handful a decade ago. The couple trained at a wine school in Bordeaux and have worked in vineyards ...

Source: Modernghana