HISTORY OF VINES
The Hittite rock relief of İvriz (Konya-Türkiye) from the 8th century BC, shows King Warpalawa and the Storm and Weather God Tarhunza, together with a Luwian hieroglyphic text. King Warpalawa of Tuwana holding a bundle of wheat in his left hand and some grapes in his right, as symbols of fertility.
– The 6000-year-old History of Vine in Cappadocia
The volcanic region of Cappadocia is located in central Anatolia between Kayseri and Aksaray and between the volcano Erciyes Dağı (3917 m) in the east and the volcano Hasan Dağı (3268 m) in the west.
Cappadocia, with its unique climate, volcanic soil (tuff), altitude, multiple terroir, is probably one of the best places in the world for ungrafted grapes.
Besides natural conditions, there are a number of unique traditional methods for growing vines and protecting them from all kinds of pests, including phylloxera. The traditional methods are reflecting the long history of growing vines in Cappadocia and the adaptation of vines to the different local conditions.
From around 5000 BC, more important and large findings show the use and processing of grapes in the Chalcolithic Period. During these periods, that grapes began to be cultivated in volcanic Cappadocia. In the next subsequent Early and Middle Bronze Age, there is an increasing number of written references to wine production.
– Vines in Daily Life
From the Hittite civilization in the 2nd millennium BC., to the first Christians who founded monastic life in Cappadocia, peoples and cultures living together from centuries onwards to present day, have developed and applied these traditional methods into their daily lives which, consequently have been inherited by us today …
These traditional methods have been fully used for centuries by private vinegrowers, using the wide variety of grapes (more than 1435 varieties in Turkey), to produce a certain number of different products for their daily use.
– Traditional Use of Grapes and Vines
Pekmez, Vinegar, Stuffed Vine Leaves, Tabel grapes, etc..
Even if all vinegrowers are not wine producers, either they sell their grapes to producers or, more importantly, use them to make traditional Pekmez, Vinegar, or Stuffed Vine leaves, the favorite dish of Turkish cuisine.