Tuesday 28 February 2017

Vin Bodrum


When we built a house in the countryside 26 years ago, we had plenty of grand plans, most of which are still on the drawing board, so when I meet a couple who have had the courage to carry out and make a success of a 'grand plan' I get quite excited.
Erhan and Füsun Yürüt started making wine at home in Ankara in the 1980s.  They experimented, researched and attended courses until their home brew showed promise. In 2010, they decided to turn their hobby into a retirement business and moved to Kızılağac, a village just outside Bodrum town. Here they built a winery in the basement of their house and despite not having the acreage to grow their own grapes, they had the courage to invest in the equipment to make up to 12,000 bottles a year.


Their Vin Bodrum was launched in 2014 and local artists were picked to design distinctive labels.


One sunny afternoon last week, after an informative tour given by their daughter Duygu, I was lucky enough to find myself sitting on their terrace sampling the fruits of their labours.  Being a boutique winery, they can be choosy when picking their grapes and try to source locally from Mumcular and Gümüşlük, but going further afield to Şirince and Urla when necessary.


Always experimenting, Erhan Bey had just taken delivery of five oak barrels to add to their stainless steel storage capacity. 
Not yet available in supermarkets, there are several restaurants on the peninsula that serve Vin Bodrum. I made sure of my supply by buying a box of rose; not a wine I usually choose but I was particularly taken by this one.  Read more about the business, wines, the Yürüt family and how to access their wines on their website  http://bodrumwinery.com/wines.php

7 comments:

  1. Hmmmm! 12000 bottles a year - they might not be able to keep up with us ;-)

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  2. B to B, How nice of you to promote a local wine producer. Heaven knows, Turkish wine producers need all the help they can get.

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  3. Good for them...such persistence.

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  4. I shall look forward to tasting it ... and buying some when it's stocked in Marmaris.

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  5. If only we'd known - Vin Bodrum has a nice ring to it!

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  6. Thank you for this nice post and your visit! You are always welcome...

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  7. I salute to Vin Bodrum, elinize saglik & bravo! hope to taste it this summer in Bodrum xxx Ozlem

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