Urla Vineyards

Urla sits on the neck of the Çeşme peninsula, and wine has been made here since antiquity - the ancient Klazomenai site nearby has one of the oldest excavated olive-oil and wine production complexes in the Mediterranean. The modern industry is young: a handful of producers began planting in the 1990s and 2000s, and the Urla Bağ Yolu, a signposted wine route, now links around a dozen estates. What makes it interesting beyond the setting is the grapes. Several producers have gone back to native Anatolian and Aegean varieties that had nearly vanished - Urla Karası, recovered from a few surviving vines, along with Bornova Misketi, Foça Karası and others - alongside international plantings. Tasting rooms and restaurants at the estates look over vineyards toward the sea. Visits need booking; several estates take groups by appointment only, and the route is not walkable, so a car and a designated driver or a tour is the practical arrangement.

What you actually see

• The recovered varieties - Urla Karası and other native grapes.
• The wine route - the signposted circuit of estates.
• The tasting rooms - vineyard restaurants looking toward the sea.
• The ancient context - Klazomenai's oil and wine works nearby.

When to go

April to June and September to October; harvest from late August into September is the liveliest time. Book tastings ahead - most estates do not take walk-ins.

Honest expectations

Booking is essential and several estates open only by appointment. A car is required and drink-driving limits are strict - arrange a driver or a tour. Turkish wine carries heavy tax and is not cheap.

Nearby

Sığacık and Teos are south along the coast; Çeşme and Alaçatı are west on the peninsula.