Turkey's food and wine culture is as deep and interesting as it's classical history. 

Whether you want to dive into the Bordeaux like vineyards of Thrace that sit in the shadow of Ancient Troy with their luscious red wines, explore the links between wine and sea travel that date back to the 12 c. BC through the eyes of the succulent white wines of the southern Aegean area around Ephesus, or enjoy the progressive modern cuisine in the big cities that is rooted in the plentiful agricultural produce of this verdant land, Turkey is an undiscovered wine and culinary stronghold that Sojourn loves to guide you through.

Sort by

Cappadocia Wineries Day Tour - Tour
  • Nevşehir
  • 1 Day

Cappadocia Wineries Day Tour

This one day wine exploration will start in Cappadocia get an introduction to wine from local experts as well as your first Turkish wine tastings with our guide. Cappadocia is among the regions that have an important place in grape growing activities in Turkey. Cappadocia is considered an extremely favorable region for the cultivation of quality grapes due to the characteristic of its territory. For this reason, it is not surprising that delicious and high-quality wines come to mind when called Cappadocia. You can find various different grape varietals in Cappadocia. Cappadocia: In the Urgup region, there are beautiful vineyards in an extremely large area. And this region is home to 16 different grape varieties. The first thing comes to mind of the varities of wines, the one preferred most often by tourists visiting the region is white wine obtained from the Emir grape. Emir grape, which produces wine that is very compatible with fish dishes and fresh cheese, gets its name from the fact that it was the special wine of the rulers in the Roman and Hittite periods. This tour is perfect if you are a wine or food aficionado who wants to: Experience a very high value winery tour. Enjoy the agricultural and culinary abundance of Turkey. Learn about Turkey viticulture the fourth largest producer of grapes, while not yet in the top 50 for wine production. Meet the interesting, fun and diverse owners and winemakers of Turkey’s blossoming wine market in their vineyards and wineries, this one day wineries will be perfect to you.

Meryem's Village Cooking Class and Bosphorus Boat Tour - Tour
  • Eminönü 3 Pier / Üsküdar Line Terminal
  • 8 Hours

Meryem's Village Cooking Class and Bosphorus Boat Tour

   Combine a Bosphorus boat cruise, a Black Sea village tour and a full Turkish meal cooking class in one fantastic day. Meryem invites you to join her and her amazing staff of ladies from the Black Sea to their village to learn some of the secrets of the Turkish kitchen.  Meryem has established her business as a social enterprise to provide meaningful and well paying employment for women in her village. Join them and see what a delight it is to work together to make a great meal.    Experience the heart of Turkish culture as you learn how to cook authentic Turkish dishes with local women from the Black Sea in their village setting. You'll have a chance to see the sites all the way up the Bosphorus and some time to tour around their Black sea village.  Away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul, this tour allows you to enjoy a very insider's moment during the village cooking class combined with a  private tour of the Bosphorus strait. Turkish cuisine offers a seemingly endless variety of flavors, dishes and recipes to discover making Turkey the ideal destination for any foodie. Join local staff as we invite you into our kitchens for a hands-on cooking experience where you will make and enjoy a beautiful and delicious meal. Afiyet olsun!     Before you begin cooking, feel the fresh sea breeze on a boat trip up the Bosphorus Strait.    As you glide between Asia and Europe and venture towards the Black Sea, you’ll see the world famous Bosphorous bridge surrounded by colorful steam ferries plying the water between neighboring continents. You’ll disembark near the beautiful ‘Yali’ or waterfront mansions before taking a short drive up the hill to our Black Sea village.   Now we begin. Local staff will demonstrate recipes and then you will put your culinary skills to work. Collaboration with the village locals as you dice, chop, roll, and prep is a highlight for many of our travelers.   We’ll work together to prepare a full meal. This may include corba (Turkish Ezogelin soup), Salad, and specialty dishes, such as Islim Kebabi and Perde Pilavi with traditional meze (carrot tarator). As you cook, you’ll enjoy a variety of Turkish snacks and taste unique local beverages such as chai or ayran.  Just past noon we will come together to eat what we have made and enjoy a proper, Turkish, family style meal.    During your time in the village you have the chance to see fresh and delicious Turkish produce and ingredients.  Embrace serendipitous opportunities to explore as we guide you through the village. View the local gardens filled with the fruits or vegetables of the season. Stroll through the food markets and taste local produce. With each step, see a glimpse of what village life is like in Turkiye.    Finally, in the early afternoon we’ll head back and catch a return ferry down the Bosphorus with still enough time for you to enjoy a late afternoon in Istanbul. This class runs only on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The class can be joined as a small group class or you can reserve the class privately for your group. For details see pricing. Note: Extra tips for the staff are always welcome, please make sure to use the tip box.

The Thrace Wine Route, Wine from Troy to the Present - Tour
  • Barbare Vineyards, Tekirdag, Thrace
  • 9 Nights 10 Days

The Thrace Wine Route, Wine from Troy to the Present

This 10 Day Wine Exploration will start in Istanbul and explore the Thrace Wine Route (Trakya Bag Rotasi) just west of Istanbul, then continue west through Edirne, Canakkale, Gallipoli, along the Dardanelles straits past Troy to Bozcaada. This is the Thrace/Marmara region portion of the longer 17 day itinerary, for those who prefer a shorter tour focused on Thrace. Learn about the 3000 year history of wine in Turkey, while also visiting the UNESCO historic sites and major attractions.  Our Italian trained Sommelier guide, Murat Yanki, will lead the elite group throughout the trip.  Upon arrival, we’ll explore Istanbul and it’s ancient monuments, from the mosques to the Roman influenced architecture, and get an introduction to wine from local experts as well as your first Turkish wine tastings with our guide and Sommelier. Next, we'll head to the ancient city of Adrianapolis, now Edirne, which is in Thrace.  This area has a climate that is driven by the Marmara and Aegean Seas, which border the long Dardenelle Straights and makes a unique climate for red wines.  We'll cross the straights to visit one of the numerous islands, the wine island of Bozcaada. We'll visit its wineries, taste dozens of wines in Thrace, and have the chance to visit Troy, as well as some down time for spa services at various top class winery hotels. The final day we will return back to the heart of Thrace, with a final night near the airport before departure. Common international varietals include: Cabarnet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Cabarnet Franc, Pinot Noir, Marselan, Malbec, Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay, Vioginier, Rousanne, Marsanne, Semillion Common local varietals include: Bogazkere, Okuzgozu, Barburi, Kalecik Karasi, Papazkarasi, Karasakiz, Karalahna, Kuntra, Calkarasi, Bornova Misket, Sultaniye, Emir, Narince This tour is perfect if you: 1. Have been to Turkey before and  Are looking to go deeper into the progressive exploding wine and culinary scene. Join us to combine archaeology with Turkey's ancient but very modern wineries. Want to visit regions outside the normal tourist path including Thrace, the Wine Island of Bozcaada, and the progressive Alacati Wine Peninsula and Ancient Bodrum. Enjoy a mix of wine tastings, excellent meals, laid back country estate hotels, beaches and ancient sites, with time left for excellent spa treatments (Thrace tour) at some of the wineries. Enjoy short distances, excellent hotels, lots of wine tastings with sommeliers, wine related archaeological sites, amazing locations and undiscovered wine varietals. 2. Are a wine or food aficionado who wants to Tour with an Italian qualified Sommelier Rediscover ancient history of wine, lost over the last 100 years in Turkey and now experiencing a reawakening. Learn about Turkey viticulture the fourth largest producer of grapes, while not yet in the top 50 for wine production. Learn about archaeological connections to wine in this ancient land. Discover the unique grape varietals of Turkey, as well as their expressions of some of the Mediterranean’s beloved varietals.  Meet the interesting, fun and diverse owners and winemakers of Turkey’s blossoming wine market in their vineyards and wineries. Experience a very high value winery tour.  Enjoy the agricultural and culinary abundance of Turkey.

Homer's Wines, The Urla Wine Trail, Aegean, Urla, Alacati, Ephesus, Bodrum - Tour
  • Urla, İzmir
  • 9 Nights 10 Days

Homer's Wines, The Urla Wine Trail, Aegean, Urla, Alacati, Ephesus, Bodrum

This 10 Day Wine Exploration will start in Istanbul and then explore the Urla Wine Trail near Izmir and then continue south through Ephesus to the beautiful harbor of Bodrum. This is the Izmir/Aegean portion of the full 17 day tour for those who prefer a shorter tour focused on Urla, Alacati, Ephesus, and Bodrum, and wish to learn about the 3000 year history of wine in Turkey while also visiting the UNESCO historic sites and major attractions. Our Italian trained Sommelier guide, Murat Yanki, will lead the elite group throughout.  Arrival will be to Istanbul and it’s ancient monuments, from the mosques to the Roman influenced architecture and an introduction to wine from local experts as well as your first Turkish wine tastings with our guide and Sommelier. Next, we’ll fly to Izmir and immediately after landing we'll visit an outstanding winery for lunch and tasting near the airport on the ancient road from Smyrna to Ephesus. We'll visit another winery this day that features the much acclaimed Bornova Misket, an explosive, flavorful white wine said to be the same as drunk by Homer in Smyrna 3000+ years ago.  While staying at a luxurious seaside resort on the Aegean, the next few days will explore the Urla Wine Route and the 15 wineries spread out in this mountainous unique peninsula in the Aegean, where wine has grown for thousands of years.  After these days near Urla, and after a short stay in small boutique winery hotel in the hills, the trip will continue south through Ephesus heading to the fantastic ancient city (now sea resort and marina) of Bodrum  with stops at Priene, Miletus and Didim and the amazing Bodrum castle museum focusing on ancient shipwrecks. A short 1 hour flight back to Istanbul on day 9 ends the tour in Istanbul. Common international varietals include: Cabarnet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah/Shiraz, Petit Verdot, Cabarnet Franc, Pinot Noir, Marselan, Malbec, Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvedre, Chardonnay, Vioginier, Rousanne, Marsanne, Semillion Common local varietals include: Bogazkere, Okuzgozu, Barburi, Kalecik Karasi, Papazkarasi, Karasakiz, Karalahna, Kuntra, Calkarasi, Bornova Misket, Sultaniye, Emir, Narince This tour is perfect if you: 1. Have been to Turkey before and  Are looking to go deeper into the progressive exploding wine and culinary scene. Join us to combine archaeology with Turkey's ancient but very modern wineries. Want to visit regions outside the normal tourist path including Thrace, the Wine Island of Bozcaada, and the progressive Alacati Wine Peninsula and Ancient Bodrum. Enjoy a mix of wine tastings, excellent meals, laid back country estate hotels, beaches and ancient sites, with time enough for excellent spa treatments (Thrace tour) at the wineries. Enjoy short distances, excellent hotels, lots of wine tastings with sommeliers, wine related archaeological sites, amazing locations and undiscovered wine varietals. 2. Or are a wine and food aficionado who wants to Tour and taste with an Italian qualified Sommelier Rediscover ancient history of wine, obscured over the last 100 years in Turkey and now experiencing a reawakening. Learn about Turkey viticulture the world's fourth largest producer of grapes. Learn about hidden archaeological connections to wine. Discover the unique grape varietals of Turkey, as well as their expressions of some of the Mediterranean’s beloved varietals.  Meet the interesting, fun and diverse owners and winemakers of Turkey’s blossoming wine market in their vineyards and wineries. Experience a very high value winery tour.  Enjoy the agricultural and culinary abundance of Turkey. Delight in luxury hotels.