No, not the
bird on the table but the country formerly known as the Ottoman Empire. In a
recent study of wine grapes under cultivation world-wide, Spain had the number one
spot with 13% of the total acres/hectares planted round the globe. Surprisingly
to many wine consumers in the U.S., less than half of that is grown in America.
That despite a much larger land mass and wine now being made in all but one
state in the nation.
The fact is that we are only number six on the list with 6%,
just behind TURKEY with 7%. Who'da thunk it? More land is dedicated to wine
grapes there than in Germany, Austria, Portugal, South Africa or Australia to
name just a few countries known for wine production and consumed around the
world. With over thirty years of background in the wine trade or those related
to it, I have never actually seen a bottle of Turkish wine but have had many
from the neighboring Greece. The search is on, but I'm curious what the market
is
With a population about 20% that of the U.S., primarily
Sunni Muslims with a large Kurdish influence, this would not instinctively make
one think, "World Wine Power House." Yet there they are, right behind
number four China (8%) and the more likely sounding Italy (10%) and France
(11%).
My mission is to find some Chardonnay de Constantinople or
Istanbulian ice wine in time for next year's Thanksgiving dinner. Followed by
taffy for desert, served with strong coffee and those killer Turkish tobacco
Balkan cigarettes. Well, maybe not the last part. I'll keep you posted!
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