{"id":992032,"date":"2025-12-11T21:11:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T18:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wayanatapas.com\/?p=992032"},"modified":"2025-12-11T21:11:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T18:11:42","slug":"turkiyede-sarap-yapimcisi-winemaker-olmak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wayanatapas.com\/en\/turkiyede-sarap-yapimcisi-winemaker-olmak\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a Winemaker in T\u00fcrkiye"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Evren Evrim Kalkan \u2013 29 November 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever found yourself on the Urla Peninsula?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a route that runs from Seferihisar to Ku\u015f\u00e7ular, through Azmak, where every shade of green seems to greet you along the way. I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve driven it before. Sometimes I like taking alternative roads, being out in nature. The other morning I followed that winding, narrow path where the pines blend into the olive trees, the sea flashes blue in the distance, and the tones of artichoke fields mix with the warm color of mandarin orchards. It led me to Ku\u015f\u00e7ular. The calm and stillness of this road have been good for me lately. You just have to make room for the occasional yellow truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urla has become incredibly popular in recent years, both as a wine route and a gastronomic hub. During the pandemic, it received a surge of newcomers from Istanbul and Ankara. My mother\u2019s side is from Urla; I grew up in a house with a garden. The other day I paused for a moment and thought about how that small town, once Izmir\u2019s quiet summer escape, has changed. On one side, artichoke fields being wiped out and olive groves replaced by new houses; on the other, the award-winning Wine Route and restaurants with or without Michelin stars. These days, announcements for land transfers, olive groves for sale, and artichoke fields changing hands are everywhere. And Urla isn\u2019t the only place losing farmland to tourism and real estate pressure. Santorini, the Douro Valley, Napa \u2014 many regions are going through the same transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took me years to understand the value of growing up in a house with a garden in Urla. The wild violets in the front yard, the scent of the huge silverberry tree across the street, the honeysuckle by the gate, the resin smell of the nearly century-old pine inherited from my grandfather\u2026 The scent of soil after spring rain, the warm, dry smell of harvested grain in the adjacent field in summer\u2026 These shaped the foundation of my childhood memory. Growing up in nature was one of the strongest reasons I chose this profession. I learned early on that closed offices and desk jobs weren\u2019t for me. The 9-to-6 routine never suited my spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>

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For me, being a winemaker means breathing with the team, in the vineyard, in the soil, in the lab, and in the cellar. Visiting the vineyard with agronomists, greeting ladybugs, working in the coolness of the cellar while the heat outside is scorching\u2026 Experiencing wines made in different geographies with different techniques, from New Zealand to California; interpreting analysis results; watching each season arrive with an entirely new surprise\u2026 This is still an excitement I struggle to fully describe. Wine is a living product, and every harvest is a new chance to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

T\u00fcrkiye stretches from Edirne to Diyarbak\u0131r, from Artvin to Antalya \u2014 an immense geography with extraordinary potential for wine grapes, table grapes, and drying grapes. And to me, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s most precious asset is its endemic grape diversity. Horos\/Horoz Karas\u0131, Ac\u0131kara, Osmanc\u0131k, Bornova Misketi, Ada Karas\u0131, Emir, Kalecik Karas\u0131, \u00d6k\u00fczg\u00f6z\u00fc, Erci\u015f Karas\u0131, Bo\u011fazkere\u2026 Increasing the recognition of these varieties, documenting their genetic identities, and securing their place on the world stage are vital for the sector. The potential is enormous, but the industry is still quite fragmented, and there is much to be done. In T\u00fcrkiye, learning to work together takes time; ego, competition, and the \u201cI know best\u201d attitude surface more often than they should. Yet wine is the definition of teamwork: from vineyard to cellar, cellar to sales. University\u2013industry collaboration, students being exposed to real production facilities, producers engaging with science\u2026 Abroad, these systems are built on much firmer ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For young people who want to enter this profession and pursue a technical career, I strongly recommend studying food engineering. It\u2019s difficult to do this job sustainably without food microbiology, chemistry, plant hygiene practices, HACCP, fermentation, and biotechnology. At least one foreign language \u2014 English, French, or Spanish \u2014 is essential. If you come from agriculture or chemistry, it is important to fill in the gaps. Following production, thinking analytically, preparing reports\u2026 they\u2019re all part of the work. And yes, this job is demanding, stressful, and not bound by office hours. It\u2019s not for those who want to turn off their phone at 6 p.m., because yeasts keep working while we sleep. It\u2019s true that during harvest, we sleep with one eye open. I highly recommend doing internships in at least two facilities \u2014 one boutique, one large scale. Seeing reality matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a food engineer, I completed the WSET Diploma in 2024 and began my The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) journey in 2025. It\u2019s a long path; I see it as a marathon, a learning marathon. But along the way, I will keep sharing T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s endemic grapes with the world. These days, I work alongside those who want to build new wineries. The process starts with the first steps in the vineyard with agronomist friends; then comes designing the winery with architects, selecting equipment, creating a harvest program, and ultimately bringing the product to the consumer. I also support existing wineries in improving wine quality, developing new products, troubleshooting problematic batches, and strengthening quality processes. I see myself as a teammate walking beside producers in both their technical and creative journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing the voice of this land with the world through T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s endemic grapes remains my strongest motivation. After more than twenty years of winemaking, that is exactly what lies at the heart of my IMW journey too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And maybe one day, part of this story will find its way back to a glass on a table at WAYANA.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Evren Evrim Kalkan \u2013 29 Kas\u0131m 2025 Urla Yar\u0131madas\u0131na yolunuz d\u00fc\u015ft\u00fc m\u00fc hi\u00e7? \u0130zmir\u2019de Seferihisar\u2019dan Ku\u015f\u00e7ular\u2019a do\u011fru, Azmak \u00fczerinden gidilen bir rota vard\u0131r; ye\u015filin her tonunun sizi selamlad\u0131\u011f\u0131 bir yol. Deneyimlediniz mi bilmiyorum. Bazen farkl\u0131 yollara sapmay\u0131, do\u011fan\u0131n i\u00e7inde olmay\u0131 seviyorum. Ge\u00e7en g\u00fcn sabah saatlerinde \u00e7am a\u011fa\u00e7lar\u0131n\u0131n ye\u015filinin zeytin a\u011fa\u00e7lar\u0131na kar\u0131\u015ft\u0131\u011f\u0131, ara ara denizin mavisinin…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":992033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-992032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nT\u00fcrkiye\u2019de \u015earap Yap\u0131mc\u0131s\u0131 \/ Winemaker Olmak - Wayana Wine Bar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wayanatapas.com\/en\/turkiyede-sarap-yapimcisi-winemaker-olmak\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"T\u00fcrkiye\u2019de \u015earap Yap\u0131mc\u0131s\u0131 \/ Winemaker Olmak - Wayana Wine Bar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Evren Evrim Kalkan \u2013 29 Kas\u0131m 2025 Urla Yar\u0131madas\u0131na yolunuz d\u00fc\u015ft\u00fc m\u00fc hi\u00e7? \u0130zmir\u2019de Seferihisar\u2019dan Ku\u015f\u00e7ular\u2019a do\u011fru, Azmak \u00fczerinden gidilen bir rota vard\u0131r; ye\u015filin her tonunun sizi selamlad\u0131\u011f\u0131 bir yol. 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