Hard to Find, Even Harder to Record
Our connection with Likya Wines goes all the way back to our earliest days in the world of wine, a little more than a decade ago. Considering that Acıkara was among the first wines we ever served, it’s not hard to understand why we feel such a strong bond with Likya.
During our trip to Elmalı in the first half of 2025, we had the chance to taste the wines featured in the Likya Master Class on December 10. At that time, they were still tank samples, and the grapes’ identities weren’t confirmed since the DNA results were not yet available. Even so, their potential was unmistakable. Three months later, when the DNA results came in, Burak Özkan’s excitement as he called to share the news was something we won’t forget. Now, let’s move on to our observations from the Master Class.
Göknur Gündoğan’s Opening Remarks
Likya’s corporate communications are now helmed by an experienced wine professional, Göknur Gündoğan. Her opening remarks focused on summarizing the platform on which Burak Özkan’s twenty-plus years of work stands, and the direction it will follow from here on.
The first slide of the accompanying presentation was designed as an infographic, beautifully summarizing the process in which rediscovered vines are brought back to life and eventually transformed into wine. The eight-step process presented in the infographic is outlined below:
- Discovering the Vines in Nature: Finding scattered vines or married vines climbing trees, and collecting cuttings for grafting.married vine.
- Observation and Berry Tasting: Visually examining the leaves and identifying tasting profiles of the grapes.
- Selection and Propagation: Choosing and propagating vines with real winemaking potential.
- Cultivation in R&D Vineyards: The longest part of the process. Likya’s experience shows this stage alone can take about ten years.
- Trial Wine and Decision: Producing a trial wine in the fourth year and deciding on its suitability for winemaking.
- Grafting Suitable Vines: Grafting grape varieties with proven potential onto American rootstocks.
- Analysis and Tastings: Conducting laboratory and sensory analyses to evaluate wine quality.
- Becoming a Product and Reaching the Market: Meeting wine lovers and facing the realities of the marketplace.
Göknur also emphasized a parallel process. Once a trial wine is produced and a continuation decision is made, the grape variety undergoes DNA and ampelographic analysis in internationally accredited laboratories. If a genetic match is found, the historical name is confirmed. If not, a new name must be given to this unique variety.
If the grape is not recorded in major global databases (the richest being in Montpellier, France, and José Vouillamoz’s institution in Switzerland), the naming process begins. The naming protocol works as follows:
- If the vine already has a locally recognized, distinctive name that isn’t used elsewhere, that name is adopted. Acıkara is an example.
- If it has no known local name, the place where it was found is used. Fersun was named this way.
- If neither applies, the discoverer assigns a new name. Examples include Likya Işığı, Vera Özkan, and Arda Özkan.
In the Words of the Discoverer, Burak Özkan
Likya Wines is a family enterprise. Burak Özkan, the older brother, is the founder and the person who has chased vines for more than twenty years, carrying the weight of production. Doruk Özkan runs the company operations. (May he have strength in these times.)
Burak began his talk by explaining how he decided to establish his vineyards in Elmalı. If you dig into the past, Elmalı, like many regions in Anatolia, was historically a winegrowing area. The very land where Likya stands today appears on early 1900s mining maps as “Manastır Vineyards,” with its neighbor labeled “Avşar Vineyards.” The region’s history already tells the story.
When Burak realized how rich the endemic diversity of the Taurus Mountains was, his first clue came from a local resident working at Likya who mentioned a particular vine. That discovery eventually led to Acıkara. From that point on, unearthing lost vines first became a mission, then a full-fledged business model for Likya. Hearing Burak tell this story himself was something special.
The result? Over more than twenty years of effort, Likya Wines has saved thirteen unique grape varieties from disappearing and formally documented them. These vines are now part of the World’s Cultural Heritage.
The Eight Wines
The tasting was led, with her usual elegance, by Tuba Işık. Only one of the wines was white: Likya Işığı, which we all agreed has a very bright future.
The first red, Likya Ateşi, is a strong contender in the light-bodied red category.
The second red was previously referred to by its working name, Altıncı His. DNA analysis later revealed its true identity as Gemre Siyahı, and the wine now carries that name. The third red was Fersun, and the fourth was the grape previously known under the temporary name Likya Bilgesi, which analysis confirmed to be Oğlakkarası. Gemre Siyahı, Fersun, and Oğlakkarası all have moderate alcohol levels and can be enjoyed slightly chilled. Their lower alcohol may even become an advantage in the face of shifting climate conditions.
Vera Özkan, Acıkara, and Arda Özkan are powerful reds with near-maximum alcohol, firm tannins, and strong aging potential.
Final Word:
The event carried two important dimensions.
First, it allowed us to hear a twenty-five-year journey directly from its source, giving us a clear understanding of how Likya’s efforts to revive nearly lost vines have become interwoven with the very existence and progress of the winery.
Second, we learned that the most challenging part isn’t necessarily finding these vines, but recording and certifying them. We heard firsthand what this process requires, how Likya navigated it, and the unique difficulties of doing this work in Türkiye.
A final note. We are deeply concerned that the recent restrictive ruling on listing grape names on wine labels may negatively affect the future of revived varieties. All stakeholders of the sector — organizations, institutions, and individuals — must quickly recognize this shared problem and work toward resolving it.
There is work to be done, and responsibility belongs to all of us.
