Cappadocia is a large region whose centre is Nevşehir (Düşmezkalender & Erol, 2020) and includes the provinces of Niğde, Kayseri, Kırşehir and Aksaray (Pekin, 2014; 21).
Do you only know Cappadocia from balloons, fairy chimneys or daily activities like horse tours? Cappadocia has a much older and more interesting culture than these! What?
Although Cappadocia is known for its activities such as fairy chimneys, balloons and daily tours, it has another great culture that dates back 3000 years and is gaining popularity as an alternative tourism: WINE
The Cappadocia region is in an important position in terms of grape cultivation. The reason for this is that the region is built on volcanic land (Özgül Katlav et al., 2019). This type of soil structure is a soil structure that grapes love for their productivity.
The societies that discovered this thousands of years ago cultivated grapes, organized harvest celebrations and made wine in these places. In addition, wine was a tool used as a ritual for religion before Christ. For example, scenes of offering wine to the gods were commonly seen on seal impressions found in Kültepe (Kaniş) (2000-1750 BC) near Kayseri. Grape harvest festivals were also among the religious holidays of the Hittites. In the tablets found, the same word is used for grape, vine and wine (Sumerian ideogram Gestin, Hittite wiyana) and it has been seen that various types of wine are mentioned (new, fresh wine; old, aged wine; sour wine; sweet wine; good wine; clean, pure wine; red wine etc.). From this, it is understood that wine was not only consumed for the Hittites but also an important phenomenon both religiously and culturally (https://www.iwsa.com.tr).
Hittite laws, which can also be seen on Hittite tablets, included provisions regarding “vineyards”, “vine branches” and “wine” and articles regarding the regulation of damages given to vineyards. There are also articles in the contracts stating that payments (taxes) would be made during the grape harvest period.
A letter from the Hittites, written by the king himself to the governor of the city, requests that the grapes be cut on time and that they not be damaged by delay, and another letter states that the grapes have reached the maturity to be cut and requests that people be sent from the capital to harvest the grapes. The fact that such a letter was sent from here again by the king himself reveals the importance the Hittites gave to grapes and their cultivation.
The Avanos district of the Cappadocia Region also has a very important position in terms of wine. Before the bans became so severe, the local people made their own wine and everyone tasted it and exchanged ideas. An international wine festival was held on September 19-21, 2003, and people from approximately 22 countries participated. If we go back further, it was seen that wine containers found in Zank Mound in the Avanos district in 1990 date back to the Hittites (Genç & Şengül, 2016).
21st century.
Wine in the Cappadocia Region
First of all, there are two different big producers in the Cappadocia Region; Turasan and Kocabağ. Speaking of wine culture, of course, not every wine is of high quality and reflects the culture. There are also very low quality wine producers in the region, who tarnish the wine culture of the region, who only seek to save the day, and who exploit people’s ignorance. In this regard, it is possible to say that the products of the producers I mentioned above generally do not compromise on quality and continue to reflect and sustain the culture. Especially the white Emir grape is the main grape of the region.It is a very soft and delicious wine. Apart from Emir, there are also wines made from white grapes such as Savignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Narince and red grapes such as Öküzgözü, Boğazkere, Kalecik Karası, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon in the region.
After producing the wines, an important step is to know the wines and to be able to explain the culture. The best explanation I can make on this subject, using my own experience (Salkım Wine House) with wine tourists in the Cappadocia Region, is that foreigners generally prefer the special tasting event that I do specifically, in a detailed and explanatory manner. Because foreigners want to learn the culture and details of the wine rather than tasting it. I offer special, free tastings and explanations for our Turkish guests, but a detailed event lasts 1 hour and this time may seem long for local guests. Of course, even a few local guests want the special tasting event. At the end of this tasting, they learn many things about wine in a short time. This contributes significantly to the development and progress of wine culture. Because high-quality food and beverages, as well as their good promotion, can attract potential tourists who want to experience those products to the destination they are in. When Cappadocia is taken as a basis, one of these products is wine, which has a history of thousands of years and has entered history as a sacred drink.
SOURCE
Düşmezkalender, E., Erol, G. (2020). Perceptions towards Cappadocia: a metaphor analysis, Turkish Studies – Social, 15(1), 261-276.
Pekin, F. (2014). Poetry in the Rocks of Cappadocia Travel Guide. Istanbul: İletişim Publications.
Ozgul Katlav, E., Yonet Eren, F., & Tuna, M. (2019). Evaluation of Viticulture in Cappadocia in Terms of Gastronomy Tourism. Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies, 3(7), 2167-2186.
Genç, K., & Şengül, S. (2016, May). Journey to the Land of Beautiful Horses: An Evaluation of Attracting High-Income Tourists to the Cappadocia Region. 2nd International Nevşehir History and Culture Symposium.
www.iwsa.com.tr/fermente-distille/sarap-tarihi.html
