In the Yazgan family house, situated in between the vineyards in Ulucak, close to Izmir, hangs a traditional wedding dress that belonged to the mother of Hüseyin Yazgan, the founder of Yazgan Winery. This beautiful, handmade wedding dress made with velvet and golden lace, speaks of the great story of Mr Yazgan's roots in Greece and what he left behind. Settling in Izmir, in the Aegean region of Turkey, he brought his knowledge of vineyards and winemaking with him and in 1943 he established Yazgan Winery. With this he left his family a legacy of one of the oldest and largest wineries in Turkey with the yearly production capacity of almost 7million liters.
Didem Yazgan Alemdar, a third generation in this wine family, tells with fondness about her grandfathers work, the family tree and then also about the exciting new project.
One of the new ventures for Yazgan wine is the Vondina project. The name of their Premium label. The first production was released this year(2013) and already the Vondina Chardonnay 2011 walked away with a Silver medal at the prestiges Chardonnay du Monde 2013. The vineyards are in Turgutlu, about 20 km from Ulucak and named after the small village, Vondina in Greece that represents the roots of the Yazgan family.
Yazgan has a wide range of labels using both the grapes from their own vineyards and purchased grapes from various grape suppliers all around Turkey. They purchase the best quality local grapes from every region. Öküzgözü from Elazig, Bogaskere from Diyarbakir, Narince from Tokat and Emir from Nevsehir.
Their own vineyards are planted in Turgutlu, 40km east from Izmir, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
Major UK wine importers are catching on to Turkish wines now and Yazgan can be found on the shelves in the UK and Europe. Turkey is producing a small but growing amount of world class wines. In recent years wine producers in Turkey started sending their wines to prestigious international competitions, such as the International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World Wine Awards in London. A Turkish entrepreneur and wine educator, Yunus Emre Kocabasoglu, has been inviting some Masters of Wines (MW) to Turkey in the last few years. They have tastings in Istanbul which are open to the public and rank Turkish wines by using the 100 pointer system. Yazgan wines has been doing very well here. As this post goes out Masters of Wine are gathering in Istanbul again for the 2013 tasting.
What I enjoy about Yazgan wines, specifically the Mahra range of wines is that the prices are very good for the quality you get. Mahra is the Ottoman name for the wooden crates used to carry grapes during harvesting time. Antoine Bastide D'Izard, the French winemaker and production manager is from an old wine producing family in Southern France. Antoine is a 7th generation winemaker who has 15 years of experience in wine making. With his experience and using the latest of the ever advancing technologies, he is bringing the best out of the international and indigenous grapes.
Premium Wines:
VODINA Chardonnay 2011 Aged “sur-lie” for 11 months in French oak barrels
Chardonnay du Monde Siver medal 2013
“Lovely golden color with silver glints, crystal clear and brilliant wine. The bouquet assaults the nose, powerfully explosive with notes of mango and lychee. On the palate the same aromas are found with the added nuance of grapefruit. This aromatic fusion is underlined by an exceptional roundness, rendering the wine full and ripe. The fresh and intense finale reveals mineral notes and a good persistence in the mouth.” Antoine Bastide D’Izard – Oenologist
VODINA Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah & Merlot 2011 Aged for 12 months in French and American Oak Barrels
“Deep crimson color. Powerful and rich nose with notes of dark fruit preserve. On the palate, complex, intense wine with notes of sweet spices, pepper and roasted coffee. This full, round wine displays a perfect balance between tannic texture and freshness in the mouth. With its strong aromatic potential and intensity, this wine lingers warmly and persistently in the mouth.” Antoine Bastide D’Izard – Oenologist
Kupaj wines:
(Kupaj means wine made with two or three different grapes)
MAHRA Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah 2011
MAHRA Bogazkere & Öküzgözü 2011
International Wine Challenge: Bronze Medal – 2012
Decanter: Bronze Medal – 2012
MAHRA Kalecik Karasi& Syrah
International Wine Challenge: Bronze Medal – 2012
Decanter: Silver Medal – 2012
MAHRA Sauvignon Blanc & Sultaniye
International Wine Challenge: Bronze Medal – 2012
Decanter: Bronze Medal – 2012
MAHRA Sultaniye & Emir
International Wine Challenge: Commended 2012
Decanter: Commended 2012
MAGENTA Merlot & Bogazkere 2012
MAGENTA Öküzgözü & Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
ROSEO 2011 Kalecik Karasi and Öküzközü
International Wine Challenge: Commended 2012
Decanter: Commended 2012
Monosepaj wines:
( Monesapaj means 100% one type of grape)
MONOSEPAJ Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
MONOSEPAJ Bogazkere 2011
MONOSEPAJ Öküzgözü 2011
MONOSEPAJ Merlot 2011
MONOSEPAJ Syrah 2011
International Wine Challenge: Bronze Medal –2012
MONOSEPAJ Chardonnay 2011
MONOSEPAJ Sauvignon Blanc 2011
MONOSEPAJ Emir 2011
Popular wines:
CASABA Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2011
CASABA Öküzgözü & Syrah 2011
CASABA Chardonnay & Emir & Sultaniye 2011
CASABA Semi-Sweet 2011
DOLCE VITA Red 2012
DOLCE VITA Rose 2012
DOLCE VITA Beyaz(white) 2012
Table wines:
KULÜP Red 2012
KULÜP Rose 2012
KULÜP Beyaz(white) 2012
Hüseyin Yazgan would be proud of the way the third and fourth generation of his family are taking the Yazgan winery to new heights. They are out there promoting, with the family and team behind them full of enthusiasm. This year, 2013, they will celebrate the 70th year of Yazgan. Something to be proud of and together with their wines they still have an even brighter future.
YAZGAN WINERY:
Address: 7093 Sok. No: 7 Pinarbasi – Izmir – Türkiye
Tel: +90 232 479 11 35
Email: [email protected]
Yazgan website: www.yazganwine.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yazganwinery
Twitter: @yazgan_wine
Happy 70th celebrations Yazgan!
