Turkey’s ‘wine dream has been halted’

The Turkish wine sector is suffering from marketing restrictions brought about by new alcohol regulations, as the country’s wine makers continue to lose ground against newcomers in the market such as Georgia, Moldova and Israel.

One of the most recent examples of the sector’s plight is the recent cancellation of the annual Masters of Wine Weekend in Istanbul, which had allowed the promotion of Turkish wine to the world and attracted some of the world’s most experimented oenologists.

The organizer of the event, which had been held for four years up to this year, Yunus Emre Kocabaşoğlu, said competitor countries in the sector had learned crucial tactics from Turkey.

“Georgia was trying to promote itself for years with the motto, ‘The land where wine was born.’ They learned about holding events of such quality from us. One of my students is now working in one of Georgia’s projects. Moldova entered into contact with us and wanted us to organize an event for them. There is even demand from Israel,” Kocabaşoğlu said.

One of the Masters of Wine oenologists, Sarah Abbott, blamed the recent legal changes in Turkey for the recent drop in wine exports.

“The Turkish wine dream has been halted. Georgian wine is still relatively new to the U.K., but its overall exports are booming … Wine for them is a symbol of hope, renewal, civilization and prosperity.

Although the culture in Turkey is quite different, for you too I think that wine has this role of representing a nation - a nation that is at peace with itself, outward looking and confident in the future,” said Abbott, while also stressing the importance of wine for cultural tourism.

“Governments...