IWSC Wine Judging in Turkey: The Results
We are pleased to announce this year’s results from our Global Judging event in Turkey. Our team of six judges, were in Istanbul and, for the third time, we partnered with the Tuğrul Şavkay Turkish Wines Competition.
There was much to love in the judging sessions, with 14 wines receiving gold medals. This represented almost 10% of the medals awarded, a particularly strong showing at the IWSC, where accolades are hard won. We are proud of our rigorous process and skilled professional experts that ensure consistent and serious assessment of all entries.
This year’s stand outs
Native varieties were the real stars at this year’s session. Kalecik Karası and Narince shone throughout. Examples of high-quality Narince included gold medal winning Karmen Şarapçılık Diren Mahla Narince 2022, and silver medallists Kavaklıdere Şarapları Château Series, Côtes d'Avanos Narince 2023 and Vinkara Reserve Narince 2021. Judge Demetri Walters MW commented, “Narince has huge potential, as do a number of other indigenous white varieties.”
Lighter reds and red blends also impressed. Many of the lighter reds were made from the native variety Kalecik Karası, including Vinkara Reserve Kalecik Karası 2020, which was awarded gold.
Judge Cat Lomax noted, “The best Kalecik Karası had delightful, bouncy red cherry fruit notes and a lovely, moreish freshness that would make for highly enjoyable summer drinking. Made with this lighter touch, it is a variety that deserves a wider audience across the wine loving world.”
Several Grenache dominant blends were submitted, and judge Sunny Hodge believes that they also have great commercial potential. Sunny said they “were a real standout, with some phenomenal commercial styles that would work tremendously well for the UK market.” Two winning examples are V'Asbos Estate Iconic Grenache Edition 2 NV and Startera Bağcılık Şarapçılık Statera GSM 2022, both attracting silver medals.
Red wines from Thrace performed well, with red blends being one of the highlights. Two golds, Taneanda Fenolya Caladoc 2020 and Barbare Nova Şarap Üretimi Barbare Premier Elegance 2020, and one silver, Suvla Wines Suvla Reserve Petit Verdot - Karasakız 2022, were awarded. These successes underline the importance of this significant wine growing region, bordering both Bulgaria and Greece, with its Mediterranean climate.
Areas that sparked debate
A number of wines and wine categories sparked debate and, at times, divided our judges. International varieties were not always successful, and many judges found oak usage overbearing. Rosés were an area where quality was mixed, with real highs and lows. Judge Cat Lomax commented, “There is still a lot to be done by the industry to consistently produce a commercially appealing style of rosé wine.”
The takeaways
After another successful year in Turkey, our judges concluded that there is huge quality and potential for global success in the Turkish wine industry. However, more work needs to be done to define the country’s wine identity and focus on styles that will be loved by international consumers.
A few last words from our judges:
“I found the native varieties particularly exciting. Their unusual personalities need to be better explored and understood.” – Demetri Walters MW
“This is where it gets interesting, as there doesn’t seem to be a trend and style emerging. I think the (Turkish wine) identity still needs to be established.” – Isa Bal MS
“I see huge opportunities for indigenous varieties with the right message. For export, they’re super drinkable, fresh, high in acidity and tend towards a lower ABV, so for a UK market, they would work well. The use of international varietals tends to be heavily oaked and an older, outdated style that would be a challenge.” – Sunny Hodge
The Results
This year’s judges were Sarah Abbott MW with Cat Lomax, David Kermode, Demetri Walters MW, Isa Bal MS, and Sunny Hodge.
The full list of gold medals follows. The full IWSC results can be found on our website.
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