There is a story&nbsp;- natural for you, organic for me -&nbsp;behind the 3,000 years of viticulture in Bozcaada. Nature embraced us, the wind blew fertile. Until they came to the island, viticulture was practiced 5 kilometers away. A very important reason for the island's connection is its microclimate. But pay attention, I am not saying macroclimate, I am saying microclimate.This information I am going to share consists of excerpts from my conversation with renowned owner of Corvus Vineyards&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/resitsoley/?hl=en&utm_source=aposto" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Reşit Soley</a> during my trip to Bozcaada. Let's say I transcribed his comments based on his 20 years of experience and observations. I was lucky that he shared them with me, and we will wander together through vineyards independent of time and place.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1661496844541.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="3.02" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">The wind is blowing now, and we are in Corvus.Let's make an introduction with basic information. A microclimate is a narrow climate zone.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">The island vineyards are green again</h3>The island has an interesting microclimate. The basin is arid, with lots of sunshine and wind. The soil is not a very special soil; there is little organic matter, no clay to hold water, it’s sandy. It is steppe soil. When you add plenty of sun and wind to this steppe soil, it is almost impossible for a plant to grow. But Bozcaada is unexpectedly green. When you look at the other islands, there are small patches of greenery in their valleys. In Bozcaada, almost the whole island is green.<h3 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Thermal shock</h3>How do these grapes grow?" I ask Mr. Soley.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"There are thermic movements between the sea and the land; the winds of the island are the gale and the lodos. The gale always brings us a certain coolness and humidity. Lodos brings drought. After the lodos, the vineyards are as if they have been beaten; in the gale, the vineyards become much more vigorous."</blockquote>he begins to explain. At the beginning of July; after 21.00, dew starts on the island due to the hot-cold discrepancy between land and sea. And it continues until sunrise. Dew is one of the main causes of diseases in the vineyard; let's keep this in mind, I will get to the reason.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"In the past, there used to be gale at sunrise. Now the balance has been disrupted with global warming. At sunrise, the gale does not start. It starts at 09.00 in the morning. So for a long time, the sun is up and the dew is down; heat and humidity combine. This triggers diseases. This is why dew is one of the main causes of diseases in the vineyard."</blockquote>Of course, in the 3-thousand-year history of the island, things were different. The dew would soak all the vegetation in the vineyard.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"When you used to go to the vineyards, you used to get soaked. All the vineyards would be soaked with dew and then dry with the first wind. Drying out means physically cooling down. Over the years, this drying caused a very serious thermal shock to the plants."</blockquote>says Mr. Soley.This thermal shock plays a leading role in the aromatic profile of the island grapes. "Why?" you ask, the difference in temperature between day and night is a very important factor for the development of grapes. Cold nights help the grapes retain their aromas and acidity during the ripening period. A vineyard where there is more temperature difference between day and night produces more aromatic and acidic wines (than a vineyard where there is less). In Bozcaada, the wind creates the thermal shock effect. The vineyards that are soaked with dew are dried by the wind; in other words, they cool down. Here is the thermal shock. Mr. Soley explains it like this:<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"Here we could extract almost the same intensity of aromas and acidity as grapes from a vineyard at an altitude of about 500 meters. If you go to the opposite coast, there is no such effect."</blockquote><img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1661496884710.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.81" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">The dark side of the microclimate; the hidden mildew</h2>This is the main microclimate of the island, but this microclimate also brings the myceliosis. Mildew is a disease of the vineyard. You can recognize the disease by the spots on the leaves. It is a disease on the island, it is kept under control. But there is a latent mildew that you can't recognize, it comes during the flowering period. And this is not a mildew that you can detect during this period; it only affects the flower and cannot be recognized because it does not show itself at all. This is a serious problem. "There is a saying on the island," says Mr. Soley,<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"'Çavuş shrugged it off.' Çavuş didn't shrug it off at all, the mildew got on its flower, and half of the flowers there perished. It is not possible to detect it visually. Because you can't see its effect on the leaves. There is no situation where you can see it and say, "I should spray it."</blockquote>This is the dark side of microclimate. This is one of the reasons why Çavuş grapes cannot be sold from the island to Istanbul; the hidden mildew. The bunches are ugly, and when they are ugly, they cannot be sold.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">"I think one of the main reasons for the economic collapse on the island is mild mildew."</blockquote>says Mr. Soley. It's like a flower pot falling on your head, you never see it coming!Things are difficult on the island, you see.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Micro-of-the-micro</h2>The microclimate on the island is limited to 40 square kilometers; 5 kilometers by 8 kilometers. And it has 3 sub-microclimates within itself. They differ due to their location on the island.1- North coast of the island; Meadow.The vineyards are open to the gale and completely sandy. The sand is a bit tricky. It is beneficial because of the drainage (think of it as water draining away), but on the other hand, it is harmful because the water drains away. I know it's confusing, it's hard to find a middle ground. For example, if there was a little more clay soil, it would retain some water.2- South coast of the island; Ayana.This is the area where Corvus has vineyards. There is sand and white clay, lime. These are important factors for white grapes. It's like being in a canal. It's in the nest of a canal on the axis of the wind. It works almost like a meadow effect, open to the gale.3- The center of the island; Ova.Çavuş, Vasilaki, Kuntra and Karalahna may stay in your mind like the place where they grew up. A flat area; the plain. They are local, you see.There is a difference between the three in terms of productivity and vegetation. The ones in the south take a bit of a beating, the ones in the north get some moisture from the sea and are more vigorous. This is how the sub-microclimates of the island are differentiated by location.The wind blows hard on the island, but I'm glad it does.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1661496930605.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="3.02" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">

Veraison

    

Bozcaada's Microclimate

The story of an oenologist

Véraison is a French term of viticulture, let's start from there. The story is long and quite romantic. There is a reason why it gave its name to this publication, and it is very meaningful to me. But first, let's go to the vineyard, mingle among the vines, and understand this term. The story will weave itself.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Hello, spring!</h2>When the date shows March-April in the Northern hemisphere, budding begins in the vineyard. Although the exact dates vary from vineyard to vineyard, these are the most common intervals. So I will say early March, you can say mid-March if you wish. But the cycle will revolve around the average dates I will share. Let's read the following lines with this in mind.Yes, spring is the season. The first color comes in spring. Usually, when the average daily temperature exceeds 10°C, the buds burst open like a harbinger of spring. We can think of this as the beginning of the growth period. We can even think of it as sleeping during winter and waking up in the spring. Buds appear, and greens appear. Then these buds swell and swell. Then boom! They burst. In the illustrations below, I have shared the situation before and after the explosion.These bud bursts turn into new and young shoots. These young shoots continue to grow until May turns into June, until summer shows itself. The leaves are developing, the green color intensity in the vineyard is increasing. And around June, flower formation (flowering) begins. The transition from spring to summer, the period from budding to flowering, is when the vine grows the fastest. The process changes from one vineyard to another, from one end of the vine to the other, but the growth is always fast. I share the flowering in the illustrations below, again before and after.Doesn't it look just like a bunch of grapes? They themselves will grow and become grape clusters in the future. The flowers will turn into grapes and the grains will be counted one by one. Every grape's formation and transformation process is different. Therefore, there are no deadlines.The flowers have turned into grapes, the grape berries have formed, now we can see the cluster. It is forming. If we try to taste it, it's a bitter, very very sour taste! Sugar hasn't come on the scene yet because the grape has very high acidity.Then comes summer, and just before fall, the magic season begins: véraison. The word is French for a period in viticulture. It's when the grape berries change color and become speckled. When you look at a cluster, it's as if you see a speckled pattern. You can imagine speckles like in the illustration below.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643239195.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="2.41" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Our story is not limited to color change. A colorful riot outside, sour and sweet inside. But what happens inside the grape during this transformation? What storms are brewing?With the longer days of summer and the sunlight, an energy is released. With this energy, the acid in the grape breaks down and sugar comes on the scene. The sour-bitter taste of grapes is replaced by more complex flavor components and sugar. Chemical reactions work their magic and ripening begins. The grape finds its own taste, smell, and color. It turns back to itself, transforms. The color that makes Öküzgözü "Öküzgözü", the white floral notes of Narince which is the pride of Tokat, and the spices of Shiraz start to take their place in this period!<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643274375.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="2.41" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Before / After / After / Even after that<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">Now, I'll share some real images from last year's véraison, as seen through the eyes of Selçuk Uzanır.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643303197.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643316746.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643328834.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">A little romance</h2>Let's talk about the feeling it evokes in me. This change and transformation are the reason I call Véraison the most fascinating time of the vine's annual life cycle. As the grapes get mottled, moles fall on them. And actually, in Turkish, my maternal language, “mole” and “me” are homonyms. So, to me, as they get moles, they become “me.” I understand it as a period of "becoming me" like finding and discovering oneself. That's why I think it is the most fascinating period of the vine's life cycle.For me, the meaning of the word Véraison is also huge in my own life cycle, and I even have it tattooed on my arm. It represents the period when I am me and reminds me that transformation is always present. The title of this publication comes both from this magical period in the vineyard and from my own journey. A journey of transformation, growing with your surroundings, and becoming whole. Just like the vine. The logo is actually a bit of time, a bit of transformation, a bit of "me". The logo was created by Ester, fortunately.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/2/1660643367814.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="6.04" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">

The period of Véraison

Bozcaada is mentioned as Tenedos in the epics of Iliad and Odyssey written by Homer. That's why you're likely to hear the word Tenedos a lot on the island, so let's start from there.Tenedos being an island of grapes leads back to many years. Tenedos coins from the 5th century B.C. have images of grapes on them. These images give clues that viticulture has a history of thousands of years in the history of the island. In addition, in the 17th century, Evliya Çelebi talks about the island's various fragrant grapes and vineyards in his travel book and memoir. There are even expressions for Bozcaada grapes such as juicy, delicious, pleasant to eat and fragrant. There was a muscat grape mentioned in that memoir, and travelers who came to the island talked a lot about this fragrant grape. As you can see, viticulture on the island dates back to ancient times.Viticulture on the island has changed over the years due to many natural and social transformations. The closest thing to us, even the one that changed the fate of viticulture on the island, is the phylloxera disease. This is a root disease that, towards the end of the 19th century, came out of America and spread to Europe and dried up the vines. As such, a lot of wine was sent to Europe from regions where phylloxera didn't reach. Bozcaada was one of them. Towards the middle of the 1900s, a disease came to the island and a great transformation began. The vineyards were all lost, all the grapes were gone.In fact, we can look at it from both the sweet and the bitter side.🌶 Bitter;&nbsp;Along with the lost vineyards, many old grape varieties were also lost. Maybe the grapes -that we don't even know the name of-&nbsp;grew there, and they don't exist anymore.🧁 Sweet;&nbsp;After the vines were lost; durable, brand-new vines grew. You can imagine as a fresh start.This new beginning occured with&nbsp;Çavuş&nbsp;grapes. Çavuş is a type of grape that cannot fertilize itself. Vasilaki, Kuntra and Karalahna grapes were planted next to it for insemination. For this cycle, the vines had to be planted in an orderly fashion, in other words, a new vining system was developed. You can think of it as planting 2 rows of Çavuş grapes, 1 row of pollinators (Kuntra, Karalahna or Vasilaki). This layout also suits the island very well; imagine row-to-row geometric vines!<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1660310324161.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.50" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">Stories of the island grapes</h2>We are in the vineyard.Right in the middle of the vineyard, I speak with the very well-respected Prof. Dr. Necati İnceoğlu and his wife Prof. Dr. Mine İnceoğlu, accompanied by Ecem, who told me about Bozcaada vineyard by vineyard. A wind passed through our table that I will never forget.I would like to share about the vineyards and island grapes with excerpts from this conversation. Because the table is long, the glasses are full, and the conversation is lively.Prof. Dr. Necati İnceoğlu, who literally wrote the book on viticulture (Bozcaada Vineyard Guide) has been teaching in the field of architecture for more than 40 years. Then he retired and has been in Bozcaada since 2004 with his wife, Mrs. İnceoğlu.The note on the back of his book attracts my attention.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“There are still good vineyard farmers in Bozcaada, whose names I have mentioned in this book. I'm afraid they are the last generation, unfortunately they are not known by young people. Make friends with one or two of them, learn the craftsmanship from them, but it's up to you to turn it into art. Develop your own technique, you will enjoy it immensely, and you will immediately recognize your vineyard you have pruned, like a language, an accent, a signature.”</blockquote>I say let's talk about the viticulture on the island and I ask Mr. İnceoğlu:&nbsp;"What is this issue?"<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“The economy of the island was based on viticulture until the 2000s, while most of the viticulture and winemaking were done. But it turned to tourism after the 2000s. The engine of the economy on the island has been tourists. However, it was the viticulture itself that created tourism. The vineyards, rural landscape, unspoiled urban texture and wine culture in Bozcaada attracted the attention of tourists. But this tourism has become a monster of the viticulture that created itself. Tens of acres of vineyards are abandoned each year. One of the main reasons for this is that the motels started to develop; the economic return of vineyards is considerably lower than the economic return of motels. As such, people sell their vineyards and open motels. A two-room motel may bring twice the yield of our huge vineyard. Tourism has become a monster, it is destroying this viticulture that created it. It's been a great transformation. Transformation from production economy to consumption economy. The misfortune of this island.”</blockquote>It gave me both anxiety and hope to talk about this in the middle of the vineyards. Because it is possible to transform this consumption-oriented tourism; it is in our hands. We can adapt to the environment rather than change it. Rather than mass tourism, a more balanced development is possible by participating in the life of this region, with more limited expectations within the possibilities of the island, by preserving the greenery. It's possible to sway in the island breeze without the fancy hotels, sun loungers, and roads filled with cars. We can imagine an environmentally friendly tourism that highlights the rural landscape and is dominated by viticulture. If this infrastructure is not preserved - I am writing to include all of us&nbsp;- we will find other seas, other beaches to go to, but we will lose these vineyards that have no place to go. “Our luck is that boutique winemaking is emerging,” says Mrs. Mine as the wind is blowing.<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“A more serious and conscious agriculture is carried out by the people coming in from the cities, this is a very good development. Viticulture is in the hands of the supra-urban culture. This is a great hope for Turkey.”</blockquote>Mr. Necati adds:<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“Viticulture has an artistic side and a craft side. For example, there is Mr. Gültekin on the island, he grafted almost half of the vineyards here. You have to go and find him, you have to ask questions. There are many people like Mr. Gültekin, they are the ones who know their craft the best. You need to learn the craft from them. Turning it into art is in the hands of the newcomers.”</blockquote>Time passes, our table seems to grow. There’s still time until sunset, but the colors are starting to turn orange. Car horns? No. Birds chirping? A lot.&nbsp;Mrs. İnceoğlu takes Cabernet Sauvignon, which she made herself, and pours the wine into the carafe. It's like a dream. I look at Ecem, "Is this real?" The eyes are full, the conversation flows., the wind is blowing sweetly.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1660310355412.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.50" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">And I say “Wind! The first word that comes to mind when the island is mentioned is wind. The wind that describes the character, traces and breath of the island. How does it effect viticulture in Bozcaada?” Mrs. İnceoğlu takes the word:<blockquote fr-original-style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px;" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); border-color: rgb(41, 174, 125); border-width: 4px; font-style: italic; padding-left: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; border-left-style: solid; box-sizing: border-box;">“For example, in southern Denizli, the soil is very stony at altitudes of 850 metres. The temperature difference between day and night is huge. The region is very suitable for viticulture. When we look at Bozcaada, the island is at sea level, viticulture is difficult. Soil is tough. Bozacada's luck is the wind and its whip.”“Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, suited the island very well. It loves the challenge. It’s a warrior grape.”</blockquote>Ecem chimes in to say, “Cabernet makes its bread out of stone!” That's why it's a successful grape on the island. We are talking about the 10+ year old Cabernet Sauvignon in our glasses after all.In addition to the local grapes, new types of grapes started to come to the island in the 2000s such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz. In fact, most of the newly planted vineyards are of the new species. The Cabernet Sauvignon in our glass is one of them. The presence of other grape types besides local grapes has been in a state of transformation. New species, new bonding technologies, new systems. I will talk about these at length in the next issue, but for now I will stop here.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1660310403124.png" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.81" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Çavuş, Vasilaki, Karalahna, Kuntra<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">A voice inside me piped up,&nbsp;“Make Çavuş great again!” I chuckled, keeping the joke to myself. But this smile brought up the subject. As you know, Cabernet Sauvignon is not the first grape that comes to mind when Bozcaada is mentioned. Çavuş has always been in the lead role. In the past, trucks of Çavuş grapes were sent to Istanbul every day. This is not the case this year, the amount is small. The reason is that old vineyards are completing their economic life, many vineyards are abandoned and there is no market for Çavuş grapes. Demand is declining and the focus is on grapes with high commercial yields. On one hand, this is good news; new types, new volumes, new wines. On the other hand, Çavuş is the island’s grape. There is also an emotional bond, its sustainability is very valuable in terms of island culture.Although we talk about tourism pushing the limits of the island, economic transformation and abandoned vines; Bozcaada had very good developments too. The vineyards could have diminished or disappeared, but they did not. There are many manufacturers, they look after thousands of acres of vineyards. They are developing ties and working to make them sustainable. Exactly for this reason, the island is growing and growing. Maybe it will grow with the friendship of viticulture, winemaking and tourism. This is in our hands.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/5/1660310191552.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.34" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Here, I am leaving a memory from our conversation in the vineyard. A still from the vineyard of Mr. And Mrs. İnceoğlu, and us. It was beautiful to get to know them and share a table with them.I end this article with some news:&nbsp;“Çarvuş harvest has begun on the island!” If you want to cut, see, and experience grapes, you might want to go.

viticulture ile ilgili hikayeler