Tenedos - Wine Production

Wine Production

The island is windy throughout the year and this makes the climate dry and warm enough to grow grapes. In classical antiquity wine production was linked with the cult of Dionysus, while grapes were also depicted in the local currency. The local wine culture outlived the Ottoman period. Vineyards have existed on the island since antiquity and today occupy one-third of the total land of the island and 80% of its agricultural land, In the mid-1800s, the island exported 800,000 barrels of wine annually and was revered as the best wine in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi wrote in the 16th century that the finest wines in the world were being produced in Tenedos. Today, the island is one of the major wine producing areas in Turkey and grows three local strains of grape: Karasakız (Kuntra), Altinbaş (Vasilaki), and Karalahna. However, in recent years traditional French varieties have increased in prominence, namely Cabernet Sauvignon.

Prior to 1923, wine production on the island was exclusively done by the Greek population; however, after this point, Turkish domestic wine production increased and Greeks on the island taught the Turkish population how to manufacture wine. By 1980, there were 13 wine production plants on the island. High taxes caused many of these to go out of business until 2001 when the state decreased taxes on wine and subsidized some of the producers on the island. In recent years, newer producers have relied upon Italian and French experts to improve production. In 2010, the island produced a record 5,000 tons of wine. Corvus, the biggest wine-maker in Turkey, has introduced modern wine making techniques to Tenedos. Grape harvest festivities are held the first week of September annually.