2021 Öküzgözü, Kuzubağ

The Midnight Pulse of Anatolia

This is one of Turkey’s great native grapes given a serious, modern stage. Öküzgözü is naturally expressive, but here it feels darker, deeper and more composed, opening with ripe blackberry, black mulberry and damson, followed by dark chocolate, smoke, clove, cedar and a flicker of mountain herbs. There is real concentration, but also brightness, as if the fruit has been sharpened by cool air and altitude.

The palate is full-bodied and generous, with firm but polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, savoury finish. Black fruit leads, then come cocoa, smoky spice and a touch of oak warmth, giving structure without smothering the wine’s native character. It is strong in flavour, but still distinctly elegant: a red with depth, lift and a proper sense of place.

For when you want to discover a native grape that can sit confidently beside the world’s classic reds.
Pairs with lamb shish, slow-cooked shoulder, beef stew, grilled aubergine, spiced lentils, mushroom kebabs, or aged hard cheeses.
If this wine were… a landscape, it would be a high Aegean plateau at dusk, warm earth underfoot and dark fruit ripening in the cool night air.

Kuzubağ is one of Turkey’s most exciting new estate projects, founded by father and daughter Salih Kuzu and Aslı Kuzu after planting vineyards in their hometown of Çal, Denizli in 2007. The family waited patiently for the vineyards to mature before completing their contemporary winery in 2021, built into the landscape at the heart of the estate. Çal sits on a high inner Aegean plateau, with calcareous clay-loam soils, wide day-to-night temperature shifts and a long winemaking heritage. Under winemaker Semril Zorlu, Kuzubağ’s focus is clear: to show the potential of Çal through grapes grown in the region, with organic farming at the centre of the estate’s philosophy. The producer’s own site says its aim is to honour Çal’s ancient viticultural history and carry the distinct character of local and international grapes into the bottle.