Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Bira (beer) is also popular. The most common local drop, Efes, is a perky pilsner that comes in bottles, cans and on tap. Turkey grows and bottles its own şarap (wine), which has greatly improved over the past decade but is quite expensive due to high government taxes. If you want red wine, ask for kırmızı şarap ; for white ask for beyaz şarap . There are four main grape-growing regions: Thrace, the Aegean, eastern Turkey and central Anatolia. As a general guide, you should consider whites from Thrace and the Aegean, and reds from the Aegean, eastern Turkey and central Anatolia. The best vintages of recent times are 2008, 2010 and 2015. Labels to look out for include Sarafin (chardonnay, Fumé Blanc, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot); Karma (cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot); Kav Tuğra ( narince , kalecik karası and öküzgözü ); and DLC (most grape varieties). All are produced by Doluca (www.doluca.com) . Its major competitor, Kavaklidere (www.kavaklidere.com) , is known for the wines it puts out under the Pendore, Ancyra and Prestige labels (the Pendore boğazkere is particularly good), as well as its eminently quaffable Çankaya white blend. Together, Doluca and Kavaklidere dominate the market, but producers such as Vinkara (www.vinkara.com) and Kayra (www.kayrasaraplari.com) are starting to build strong reputations. Seek out Vinkara’s Narince Reserve and also its Yaşasın sparkling wine. From Kayra, the Buzbağ Reserve öküzgözü boğazkere blend and the vintages it puts out under its Terra and Leona labels (try the Terra öküzgözü ) are notable. In recent years Thrace has become a wine-making hotspot. The vintages that are being released from estates such as Arcadia (www.arcadiavineyards.com) , Barbare (www.barbarewines.com) , Suvla (www.suvla.com.tr ) and Gali (www.gali.com.tr) are well worth sampling. The standout Aegean wineries are Urla (www.urlasarapcilik.com.tr) , Corvus (www.corvus.com.tr) and Sevilen (http://sevilengroup.com) . If you get the chance,