- Blinken condemns China's 'increasingly dangerous' sea moves
- Toyota returns to Formula One as Haas partner
- EU chief says China must 'adapt its behaviour' to solve trade row
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- Lynx rally, stun Liberty in overtime in WNBA Finals opener
- Pogacar hunting 'perfect' season finale with Coppi's Il Lombardia record
- 'Soul of old Baghdad': city centre sees timid revival
- Kittle at the double as Niners hold off Seahawks
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- Kamada says Japan can close in on World Cup place against Australia
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island
- Argentina held, Brazil leave it late in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- Obama blasts 'crazy' Trump in first rally for Harris
- 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, a plea in favour of world order?
- Fry homers as Guardians down Tigers to stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Japan PM presses China's Li on airspace intrusion
- In Trump 'Truths,' conspiracies, attacks -- and doubts about the election
- How Sebastian Stan found a 'relatable' Trump for 'The Apprentice' biopic
- Panama's water wheel trash collector keeps plastic at bay
- It's still 'the economy, stupid,' says US political guru Carville
- Five key dates in the history of the America's Cup
- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
More than a bubble: Turkish sparkling wines win fans
Drinkers are getting into something of a fizz over Turkish sparkling wine.
"We are selling out very quickly. We cannot meet the growing demand especially as the New Year (celebrations) near," said Candas Misir of the Vinkara winery an hour from Ankara.
When it comes to celebrating a big occasion, few might think of reaching for a bottle of Turkish bubbly in a market dominated by French champagne, Spanish cava and Italian prosecco.
But Misir's wine -- made from a local Turkish grape variety that almost died out in the 1980s -- won the gold medal for the Best Sparkling Wine in the World at a competition in France in 2020.
His fruity "Yasasin" -- which means "Hooray!" in Turkish -- has a floral aroma reminiscent of fine cremants from Alsace in eastern France.
And he is the first to admit that the connoisseurs were initially a bit sceptical about the idea of Turkish bubbly rivalling champagne.
"We received a very cautious welcome at the start," Misir told AFP. "People were saying, 'What do you mean, a Turkish sparkling wine?'"
"However one taste is enough to make these prejudices fade away," he added.
Vinkara was the first Turkish winery to start producing sparkling wine in 2006 using the traditional champagne method from its vines around the small town of Kalecik.
Others have since followed with production rocketing. Despite swingeing taxes from Turkey's Islamo-conservative government to discourage drinking, Turks are making more and more dry white wines, with production tripling over the last 15 years, and five times more sparkling wine being made.
- 'An awakening' -
The success of the wines is down to their quality, Misir argued, being almost entirely picked by hand using the dark-skinned local grape Kalecik Karasi -- the "black of Kalecik" -- which is nicknamed the "Turkish pinot noir".
On the point of disappearing in the 1980s, it has been resurrected thanks to Turkish researchers and winegrowers.
Burak Demirel, an oenologist and winemaking instructor at Namik Kemal University based in northwestern province of Tekirdag, said the rediscovery of indigenous grape varieties has helped spur the recent success of Turkish dry and sparkling wines.
"Universities and winemakers are doing extraordinary work in Turkey. They have identified more than 800 indigenous grape varieties," he said.
"This is an enormous potential that Turkey has underexploited for years... Today we are witnessing an awakening."
Andrea Lemieux, a wine expert who has been living in Istanbul for 11 years, said Turkish sparkling wine does not yet have the prestige of its French and Italian rivals, "but the quality is there".
"People are very price conscious and since they don't know the reputation of Turkish wines well, they might be hesitant to spend 50 euros on a bottle."
But winegrowers are working on their marketing, and blogs by foreign experts praising Turkish wines are helping spread the word.
"There are so many more people writing about Turkish wine now and coming to Turkey to try the wine. It's becoming more well known," said Lemieux, author of "The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine".
- Punitive taxes -
"Yasasin" is even now being sold in the United States. "There's definitely interest," she said.
Despite the growing popularity, the international market is still limited, with only 30,000 litres of Turkish sparkling wines being exported last year.
Yet Turkey grows an enormous amount of grapes, and is the world's sixth biggest producer. "But only four percent of this harvest is intended for winemaking," Ali Basman, the president of Wine Producers Association, told Turkish media.
"We are far from fulfilling our potential," he said.
But both producing and drinking wine has become a lot more difficult and expensive under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has tightened legislation and upped taxes sharply during his two decades in power.
Despite the pitfalls, Demirel is confident.
"There's a young generation of Turkish producers and oenologists who are doing a lot of research and are at the cutting edge of what's new," he said.
"The future of Turkish sparkling and dry wines is bright."
F.Schneider--AMWN