Imagine a quiet, peaceful coastal town between Izmir and Cesme. URLA is the rare town of the Aegean, which has hosted many cultures, where you can breathe nature in the pine forests, wander freely in the valleys surrounded by vineyards, be enchanted by the naturalness of the olive groves, return to the past in the streets that smell of history. From ancient times to the present day, the region has made its name with winemaking and has been considered unique and indispensable by the Ionians, Persians, Romans and finally the Turks.
Urla is one of the first places that come to mind when it comes to viticulture in Turkey. In its fertile vineyards, international wine grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz), Chardonnay, Alicante Bouchet, Sangiovese, Nero D’avola and Turkish wine grapes such as Bogazkere, Bornova Misketi and Sultaniye are grown. While Urlice Viticulture and Winery, one of the current representatives of this rich heritage, has proven itself with its successes, Urla Winery, which developed Urla Black and Gaydura, one of the ancient grapes of Urla, has made its name known to the wine world by using the latest technological systems of the Balkans. USCA, on the other hand, put its signature under the first red wine produced with Foça Black, another ancient grape of the region. MMG Şarapçılık with its Bornova Misketi and night harvests, and Mozaik Şarapçılık with its new hybrid grapes of the wine world, which have received various awards in international competitions, bring the name of the region to the forefront.
Limantepe and Urla Vineyard House, whose winery and vineyards are still in the establishment phase, are taking firm steps towards making Urla the boutique winemaking centre of Turkey very soon.
As Urla Vineyard Road; we will be happy to see you among us in this town where the past is carried to the future and to share with you the miracles that nature offers us.
Our first recommendation is Perdix Winery, which is a little further away from the other wineries. Although it is located far away from the other wineries, it is one of the wineries worth visiting with its elegant architecture, garden layout and delicious menu in the restaurant.
Perdix takes its name from the Greek word Perdix, which means ‘partridge’, influenced by the beauty of the partridges in the region. They produce wine from grapes grown completely naturally. Thus, they say that the wine is of higher quality, flavourful and long-lasting.
You can come and taste at Perdix, which uses Pinot Noir, Bornova Misket, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot and Bogazkere grape varieties in wine production.
Next is Urlice Winery, which we also enjoyed visiting. Urlice Winery is one of the first boutique wine producers in the region. The owners Reha and Bilge decided to settle in Urla after living in America for many years. After this decision, they started wine production.
They also have a restaurant called Vineyard. You can come here and try the delicious dishes in their restaurant as well as paid wine tasting. Our favourite is their pizzas.
The biggest goal of Urla Winery is to revitalise the wine culture, which is about to disappear, and to carry the culture of the past to the future. They realise their wine production as boutique. They have more than 10 kinds of wines.
USCA is an organic certified and boutique winery. As a result, the production of the wines is limited. This means that you can only find USCA wines in certain restaurants and here.
Syrah-Foça Black, known as the ancestor of wine grapes and produced only here, is also available at USCA. Although they seem to have a restaurant when you Google them, they do not have an active restaurant.
When you make a reservation and come for a paid wine tasting, you can also visit their cellars.
The Çakır Family, which has been engaged in viticulture for many years, started Çakır Winery in 2020. Çakır Winery also has a restaurant inspired by Aegean/Italian cuisine.
Although they do not have aged wines yet, they named their first product line ‘Somnium’, which means ‘dream, dream’ in Latin.
You can come to Çakır Winery and have a wine tasting. They also have retail sales.
MMG Winery takes its name from Met (Honey Wine), the first alcoholic beverage produced in history.
On 50 decares of land, all of the grapes they produce are ‘night harvested’.
They do the night harvest by hand and produce their wines with traditional methods such as manual pressing and gravity transfer.
Next is Mozaik Winery, which also has a small horse farm. Mozaik Winery is a boutique family business. They produce their wines together with an Italian biologist who is one of their visitors.
The difference between Mozaik Winery and other wineries is that they only produce red wines. We recommend you to call and make an appointment before visiting Mozaik’s facility, which announces their brand name as ‘Mahrem’.
İkidenizarası Şarapçılık, located in Yağcılar in Urla, is located between two seas, in accordance with its name.
Dedicated to the development of winemaking in Yağcılar, this winery offers five types of wine.
Next is our last recommendation, Hus Wines. Hus takes its name from Klazomenai, a giant winged pig thought to have lived in Urla. It is even possible to come across this figure on Klazomenai coins.
Hus is a boutique winery run by a sweet couple. The grapes used in wine production are specially produced in different regions of Anatolia. We are especially enchanted by the fact that they think that there is a harmony between human and nature, especially in the name of sustainability.
Hus Wines also offers restaurant service. They have really delicious plates. The Hus wines we buy with these delicious plates are consumed with just as much pleasure. They prioritise fruit character in their wines.
Dia Urla is located in the center of Urla, 30 km from Izmir center and approximately 45 km from Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport; It is a family business. Our establishment, where you will feel the warm atmosphere with its stylish and elegant rooms carefully designed in line with the needs of its guests with 25 years of knowledge, experience and knowledge coming from the tourism and service sector, is a unique choice for accommodation in Urla.
