The Thracian Vineyards

Thrace grows more of Turkey's wine than anywhere else, on gentle hills between the Marmara and the Aegean where sea air moderates a continental summer. The plantings are mixed: cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah alongside local grapes, most visibly Papazkarasi around Kirklareli, a light, sharp red pulled back from near-disappearance, and Adakarasi from the islands offshore. Producers range from large operations near Tekirdag and Sarkoy down to family estates of a few hectares, and a signed vineyard route links a number of them across the two provinces. Harvest runs through September, and several estates keep a tasting room and a handful of rooms to stay in.

What you actually see

• Papazkarasi - a local red revived around Kirklareli, light in body and high in acid.
• The vineyard route - a signed circuit linking estates across Tekirdag and Kirklareli.
• Harvest in September - picking and crush, when the tasting rooms are busiest.
• Sarkoy's slopes - vines running down towards the Marmara shore.

When to go

May to October, with September the most interesting month for anyone who wants to watch picking. Tastings are almost always by appointment, sometimes days ahead, and many estates close entirely over winter. The distances between producers are real, so plan two or three a day at most and arrange a driver.

Honest expectations

Wine is expensive in Turkey and cellar-door prices are not the bargain they can be in Europe. Estates advertise very little and signage is sparse, so you need addresses in advance rather than a drive-and-see approach. Roads between vineyards are ordinary and the landscape is farmland rather than scenery. Public transport is not a workable option.

Nearby

The Marmara coast at Sarkoy, the beaches of the Saros gulf and Edirne to the north.