We all know the Sultana (Sultaniye in Turkey; from now on we refer as Sultaniye) grape, which makes its main reputation as raisins. With its brown and natural sugary flavor, it is an inseparable part of our kitchen shelves, which we encounter in the cakes and donuts we eat. When we look at this feature, the multi-use identity of the Sultaniye grape immediately becomes clear.

The origin of Sultaniye grape is attributed to be Izmir Karaburun, but in time moved a little further east in and obtained the largest vineyards in Manisa. Manisa is still the biggest producer of Sultaniye grapes. We watch from the newspaper reports that there is a sweet rivalry between Manisa and Izmir regarding the ownership of Sultaniye.

Sultaniye grape is round or elliptical. It has green-yellow colored, thin-shelled grains, these grains mature in clusters of medium size and normal density. Sultaniye grape has a multi-purpose usage richness: consumed fresh on the table, used by drying as raisins, and, of course as wine.

In Ottoman history, Manisa was one of the leading provinces where the future sultans were raised. Mehmet the Conqueror and Suleiman the Magnificent, who passed their princedom in Manisa, are the first names that come to mind. It is rumored that this grape, which stands out with the taste, aroma and structure of Manisa, got its name as Sultani, with the ascription 'worthy of the Sultans'.

The most distinctive feature of Sultaniye grape is that it is seedless. In 1863, William Thompson took the Sultaniye grape to America and applied for registration, and its name has been used as 'Thompson Seedless' ever since. In fact, we know that grape is a very compatible fruit in adapting to different geographies, and it is not surprising that Sultaniye grape gives good results in America and Australia. What we should regret is that the habit of owning and registering our products too late in our culture. Sultaniye only gets a Geographical Indication with its name of origin in 2019; almost 150 years later.

Sultaniye has been a grape that has attracted the attention of wine producers for many years. Initially, it was mostly used for semi-sweet and sweet wines; this area of use still continues. Pamukkale and Doluca make semi-sparkling white wines; Kavaklidere makes Ancyra and Doluca DLC series by blending Sultaniye with other grapes. But in the last few years, we have seen that the number of options in Sultaniye among dry wines has increased. The wineries like Pasaeli, Heraki, Buyulubag and Sobran produce Sultaniye single variety dry white wine.

In the WAYANA Wine Menu, we serve Sultaniye wines both as single variety and sparkling. The interpretation of Sultaniye grapes by each winery and terroir is different from each other; each one stands out with its different aspects. The best part of the job is that we serve all wines by the glass at WAYANA; it is much easier to discover your own favorite when you taste all of them by the glass.

To know more about Sultaniye, check out the info by Andrea Lemieux:

https://thequirkycork.com/get-to-know-the-grape-sultaniye/

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