Sunset Wine Tasting in Ürgüp

Cappadocia has been making wine for at least 4,000 years. The same volcanic soil that built the fairy chimneys is also why the wines exist — porous tuff drains perfectly, and the mineral profile gives Cappadocian whites a quality that Turkish sommeliers describe as “stony” or “saline.” This tour takes you to three working Ürgüp wineries, finishing on a vineyard terrace with the sun setting over the Erciyes massif.

What you’ll taste

You’ll try 6 wines — two at each of three wineries. We balance whites and reds across the tasting, including:

• Emir — a high-altitude white grape native to Cappadocia. Light, mineral, lemony. Pairs beautifully with the volcanic terroir.
• Narince — another indigenous Anatolian white with a fuller body and notes of green apple and almond.
• Kalecik Karası — Turkey’s most famous red grape, often compared to Pinot Noir for its lightness and red-fruit character.
• Öküzgözü — a deeper red (“ox eye” — named for the dark, round berries) with structured tannins.
• Boğazkere — Turkey’s most powerful red (“throat-burner”) from southeastern grapes — small pours, big personality.
• A blend or aged reserve from each winery’s flagship line — varies by season and what’s been released.

Your guide is a trained sommelier and explains the grape, the terroir, and what to look for at each tasting. You’re encouraged to ask questions and to be honest about what you like and don’t — there’s no pressure to enjoy everything.

The route

Pickup is 3 hours before sunset. We drive to Ürgüp (15 min from Göreme), a town that has been the wine center of Cappadocia since the Hellenistic period.

Winery 1 — Turasan (45 min): The largest and oldest of the major Cappadocia wineries (founded 1943). You see the cellar — a 60-meter underground cave carved into volcanic rock, naturally cool year-round — and taste two wines paired with bread and local cheese. Turasan also has a museum-style room about Cappadocia winemaking history.

Winery 2 — Kocabağ (45 min): A mid-size producer with a strong reputation for indigenous grape varieties. Their Emir is one of the best in the region. Tasting in the upper room with views over the vineyards. They share their winemaking process — fermentation tanks, oak aging, bottling line.

Winery 3 — small family producer (60–75 min, including sunset): This rotates between two or three small Ürgüp producers (Mahzen-i Ürgüp, Atyhouse, or a similar boutique). The visit is more personal — sometimes the winemaker themselves pours the wine. You taste two wines on the vineyard terrace as the sun sets, with a meze plate (white cheese, olives, dried fruit, walnuts, cured meat).

Highlights

• 6 wine tastings across 3 wineries (white + red balance)
• Underground volcanic-rock cellar at Turasan — naturally air-conditioned
• Indigenous Anatolian grape varieties you can’t easily try outside Turkey
• Sunset on a working vineyard terrace
• Light meze pairing at the final winery
• Sommelier commentary throughout — learn what to look for in Anatolian wines

Practical notes

• The driving between wineries is short (5–15 min). All in air-conditioned vehicles.
• Spit buckets are provided at each tasting — you don’t have to drink everything.
• All wines available for purchase at the wineries with no markup vs. shop prices.
• We don’t visit the same wineries every day — the rotation depends on which producers are open and serving on the booking day.

Frequently asked questions

I don’t drink wine. Can I still come? Yes — most wineries have non-alcoholic options (grape juice, ayran, soft drinks) and the meze plate at the end is the same regardless. Some non-drinkers enjoy the tour just for the cellar visits and the vineyard sunset. But the price doesn’t drop for non-drinkers — let us know in advance and we’ll discuss.

What’s the legal drinking age? 18 in Turkey. Bring ID — wineries occasionally check.

Can I buy wine to take home? Yes. Each winery has a shop. Note: most international airlines limit liquids in hand luggage; check your country’s import allowance for wine in checked luggage. We can arrange shipping for some destinations through the wineries — ask.

How drunk am I going to get? Six tastings of about 30ml each = roughly two glasses of wine total over three hours, with food. Most guests feel pleasantly relaxed but not drunk. If you want lighter pours, just say so.

Is the food substantial? The meze plate at the third winery is a real plate (cheese, olives, walnuts, cured meat, dried fruit, bread). It’s enough to balance the wine but not a full dinner. Eat lunch before the tour.

Do you cancel for weather? Almost never — most of the tour is indoors (cellars, tasting rooms). The only weather-dependent part is the final terrace, and even that has a covered alternative if it’s raining.

Can I do this tour as a private group? Yes. Ask about private tour pricing for groups of 4–10. Custom routes are possible (e.g., adding a fourth winery, or focusing only on indigenous grapes).

Why book this tour with us

We’ve worked with these specific wineries since 2018 — the relationships mean we get the proper tour (cellar access, head winemaker time, full pours) instead of the rushed visitor-center treatment. Our sommelier-guides actually know wine, not just the script. And the third stop — the small family producer — is the difference between a generic wine tour and a Cappadocia wine tour. That’s where you taste what this region actually makes when nobody is selling to a bus.