8 Nights / 9 Days Istanbul • Ancient Anatolia • The Aegean

Some journeys follow a map. This one follows the vine.

Long before Bordeaux and Burgundy became synonymous with wine, vines were being cultivated across Anatolia. Wine moved through these lands alongside merchants, armies, poets and pilgrims—through cities whose names still live in mythology and along roads traveled for thousands of years.

The Turkish Wine Odyssey follows that ancient thread across western Türkiye.

We begin in Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meet, before turning south toward the vineyards of Gallipoli and the ruins of Troy.

From there, the road winds through the forests of Mount Ida, the ancient kingdom of Lydia, volcanic wine country, the white terraces of Pamukkale and the vineyards of the Inner Aegean, eventually reaching Aphrodisias and Ephesus.

Along the way, we drink with some of Türkiye's most interesting winemakers, taste grapes rarely encountered outside the country, break bread with local producers and stay in small hotels, vineyard estates and countryside retreats chosen as much for their character as their comfort.

Ancient cities appear almost casually along the way: Troy. Sardis. Hierapolis. Aphrodisias. Ephesus.

So do the women of Anatolian mythology—Athena looking out over the Aegean from Assos, Aphrodite at Aphrodisias, Artemis at Ephesus—echoes of a landscape where wine, ritual, beauty and storytelling have been intertwined for millennia.

This is not a traditional wine tour.

It is a road journey through one of the oldest wine landscapes in the world—a story told through vines and ruins, village kitchens and ancient roads, volcanic earth and the blue Aegean.

And, naturally, a very good glass of wine.

A Different Kind of Wine Journey

Türkiye is one of the world's oldest wine landscapes—and one of its least explored.

That is precisely why we are going now.

This first of its kind wine journey was crafted for travelers who want to discover a wine country before it becomes an obvious wine destination.

To drink the grapes where they grow. To understan

d the civilizations that cultivated this land long before us. And to experience the extraordinary intersection of wine, history, mythology and modern Turkish life.

Istanbul • Gallipoli • Troy • Assos • Mount Ida • Cunda • Sardis • Kula • Çal • Pamukkale • Aphrodisias • Alacati • Ephesus

Over nine days, we travel from the Bosphorus to the Aegean, following a route that brings together the Türkiye of antiquity and the Türkiye being created now.

There will be famous places. But just as importantly, there will be the places in between: a vineyard lunch in Gallipoli, bread and cheese made in a mountain village, an afternoon tasting among volcanic vines, a sunset over the Aegean, and wines made from grapes whose names you may never have heard before.

The pace is intentionally intimate, with a small group and private transportation throughout.

The Experience

• 8 nights in character-rich luxury boutique hotels, vineyard estates, and countryside retreats

• Private journey from Istanbul through western Anatolia to the Aegean

• Seven distinctive Turkish wine experiences, from Gallipoli to the Inner Aegean

• Tastings at Porta Caeli, Vasbos, Maadra, Yanık Ülke, Kuzubağ, Lermonos and Yedi Bilgeler

• Vineyard lunches and encounters with Turkish winemakers

• Troy, Sardis, Hierapolis, Aphrodisias and Ephesus

• A traditional cheese and sourdough workshop in the Mount Ida countryside

• The white travertine terraces of Pamukkale

• Istanbul's palaces, bazaars, hidden courtyards and the Bosphorus

• Private guiding throughout the journey

• Time built in for long lunches, beautiful hotels and the pleasure of simply being somewhere extraordinary

The Route

Day 1 — Istanbul: Where Continents Meet

Our journey begins in Istanbul, a city suspended between Europe and Asia and shaped by centuries of empire, migration, trade and appetite.

Arrive throughout the day and settle into our hotel before gathering for our first evening together.

For those who wish, we'll begin as travelers have for centuries: with water. A traditional Turkish hammam offers a restorative ritual after the long journey, followed by our welcome dinner and the first glass raised to the road ahead.

Day 2 — Istanbul: Palaces, Bazaars & the Bosphorus

Today we step into the many layers of Istanbul.

We move between Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern and the old bazaars, but also look beyond the monuments—into hidden courtyards, artisan workshops and the everyday life that makes this city endlessly compelling.

As evening falls, we take to the Bosphorus. Europe on one side. Asia on the other. Minarets and palaces silhouetted against the evening sky.

Tomorrow, we follow the vine south.

Day 3 — Gallipoli: Into Wine Country

We leave Istanbul behind and travel toward the Gallipoli Peninsula, where vineyards roll toward the sea and a new generation of winemakers is helping reshape the story of Turkish wine.

At Porta Caeli, we settle in for a vineyard lunch, cellar visit and tasting—our first introduction to the soils, grapes and ambitions of contemporary Turkish winemaking.

Later, we continue toward Mount Ida and Manici Çiftlik, a countryside retreat surrounded by olive groves, forest and the slower rhythms of rural Anatolia.

The city has disappeared behind us.

The road has begun.

Day 4 — Troy & Assos: Wine, Myth & the Aegean

Today we enter one of the world's great stories.

At Troy, archaeology and mythology overlap across nearly 5,000 years of settlement. This is the landscape of Homer's Iliad—of Helen and Paris, Hector and Achilles, and a city destroyed and rebuilt again and again.

From Troy, we continue through the North Aegean to the sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus before visiting Vasbos, a women-owned winery near Assos.

The day ends high above the sea at the Temple of Athena.

Its columns have watched the Aegean for more than 2,500 years.

We arrive as the light begins to turn gold.

Day 5 — Mount Ida: Bread, Cheese & the Vine

After the epic scale of Troy, today becomes smaller and more intimate.

In the villages around Mount Ida, traditions are still carried through hands: bread kneaded and fermented, cheese made from local milk, recipes passed through families rather than written down.

We join a cheese and sourdough workshop before continuing to Maadra Vineyards for a tasting among the vines.

Then onward to Cunda, where the afternoon is left deliberately slow.

Swim. Wander. Order another glass of wine.

Day 6 — Sardis: Kings, Gold & Volcanic Earth

We turn inland toward Sardis, once the extraordinarily wealthy capital of the Kingdom of Lydia.

The city stood along the ancient King's Road and became associated with one of history's transformative inventions: coinage.

From there, the landscape changes dramatically as we enter the volcanic terrain around Kula—lava fields, basalt and dark mineral earth.

Tonight, we stay among the vines at Yanık Ülke, where those volcanic soils become part of the wine in our glasses.

Ancient geology meets modern winemaking.

Day 7 — Çal & Pamukkale: The Wines of the Inner Aegean

Today introduces us to a side of Turkish wine rarely encountered outside Türkiye.

In the high vineyards of Çal, altitude, dry air and cooling winds create a distinctive terroir and nurture indigenous varieties including Çalkarası.

We visit Kuzubağ for a cellar tour and tasting before settling in for lunch at Lermonos Winery.

Later, wine country gives way to one of Türkiye's most surreal landscapes: Pamukkale, where mineral-rich thermal water has created brilliant white terraces across the hillside.

Above them lie the ruins of Hierapolis, an ancient city built around these same healing waters.

We stay into the softer evening light, when the white landscape begins to glow.

Day 8 — Aphrodisias: Beauty, Wisdom & the Seven Sages

We begin at Aphrodisias, the ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite.

Famed for its marble and extraordinary school of sculptors, Aphrodisias feels almost impossibly elegant—temples, theatres and monumental spaces scattered across the Anatolian countryside.

From Aphrodite, we move to philosophers.

At Yedi Bilgeler—The Seven Sages—the ancient world becomes the inspiration for a modern vineyard. We taste among the vines before continuing to Alaçatı for our final night.

Beauty, wisdom and wine.

A fitting trilogy for the end of the road.

Day 9 — Ephesus: Artemis & the End of the Road

Our final day brings us to Ephesus, one of the great cities of the ancient Mediterranean.

We begin with the Artemision, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and dedicated to Artemis, before continuing through the marble streets of Ephesus.

The Library of Celsus rises ahead. The great theatre opens toward what was once the harbor. Temples, fountains and houses reveal a city that was sophisticated, cosmopolitan and deeply connected to the wider Mediterranean world.

It is here that our road across Anatolia comes to an end.

Nine days after leaving Istanbul, we have crossed kingdoms and vineyards, followed myths and ancient roads, drunk from volcanic soils and Aegean hillsides, and encountered a Türkiye that reveals itself slowly—in layers.

Exactly as the best journeys should.

The Vines

Türkiye is one of the oldest wine lands in the world—and somehow, still one of its best-kept secrets. From Gallipoli to the Aegean, we’ll follow the vines through ancient landscapes, discovering indigenous grapes, beautiful estates and the winemakers bringing this very old wine story back to life.

PORTA CAELI

Gallipoli Peninsula

Porta Caeli means “Gate of Heaven” in Latin — a fitting name for a vineyard rising from one of Türkiye’s most storied landscapes. Established in 2011 on the historic Gallipoli Peninsula, the estate planted its vines unusually close together, encouraging them to struggle and compete for water and nutrients — a deliberate philosophy of stress yielding more concentrated fruit. At the entrance to the vineyards stands Gate of Heaven, a monumental sculpture by Turkish artist Seçkin Pirim that inspired both the estate’s name and its labels.

Today, vineyard, winery, contemporary art collection and the intimate 21-room Caeli Hotel exist together as one remarkable estate. It is where our own wine journey begins: amid the winds of Gallipoli, in a landscape better known for history than wine, discovering one of the ambitious estates helping write the next chapter of Turkish winemaking.

V’ASBOS VINEYARDS

Assos & the North Aegean

V’Asbos began in 2012 when three friends, united by a love of wine and of Assos itself, set out to prove the potential of this wild corner of the North Aegean. Their philosophy is simple: they describe themselves as gardeners of their terroir, tending individual vines and parcels rather than farming for maximum yield.

Only around 25,000 bottles are produced each year, divided among a handful of micro-cuvées and matured not only in oak but in clay amphorae and glass globes. The vineyards sit in the volcanic landscape surrounding ancient Assos, shaped by stone, sea and relentless Aegean winds. Women from the surrounding community are an important part of the vineyard team, caring for vines that are harvested at dawn before the heat of the day arrives. It feels less like visiting a commercial winery than discovering a fiercely personal interpretation of Assos in a bottle.

MA’ADRA VINEYARDS

The Madra Mountains

Ma’adra began not with a winemaker, but with an architect. After a long career in architecture, Fikret Özdemir turned his attention to wine, searching for a landscape capable of producing something extraordinary. Beginning in 2003, the land was studied for soil, wind, humidity and sunlight; the mountainside was then painstakingly terraced and prepared before the first vines were planted in 2007. The inaugural harvest finally arrived in 2012.

Even the name reaches further back. Ma’adra is tied to the ancient name of the Madra Mountains and to the mythology of the earth mother Ma. High above the Aegean, the vineyards climb terraces at roughly 550 meters, where mountain and sea winds cool the vines. The winery itself was designed by Özdemir to use gravity throughout the winemaking process — architecture, landscape and wine becoming part of the same story.

YANIK ÜLKE

The Burnt Land

Few wineries have a landscape quite like this one. More than two thousand years ago, the geographer Strabo described this volcanic region of western Anatolia as Katakekaumene — “The Burnt Land.” The name survives today as Yanık Ülke.

Its vineyards lie among the black volcanic soils of Kula, a landscape shaped by ancient lava flows and volcanic cones. At approximately 924 meters above sea level, dramatic differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures combine with the mineral-rich volcanic earth to create one of Türkiye’s most distinctive wine regions. Yanık Ülke was created around the idea of bringing wine back to a landscape celebrated for it in antiquity. Here the connection between archaeology, geology and the glass in front of you is unusually literal: we are drinking wine grown from the Burnt Land itself.

KUZUBAĞ

Çal & the Ancient Land of Dionysus

For the Kuzu family, this is a return home. Their Yörük ancestors settled in Çal generations ago, and founder Salih Kuzugrew up here before returning with his daughters, Aslı and Gülin, to plant the family's first vineyards in 2007. They waited nearly fifteen years for those vineyards to mature before building their winery among the vines.

But the story of wine here is far older than the family. Çal has been a viticultural landscape for thousands of years and, according to ancient tradition, the surrounding Meander Valley was associated with Dionysus himself. Kuzubağ has made the indigenous Çal Karası grape central to its mission, helping revive a variety inseparable from the region's identity. Even the striking winery disappears partially underground, intentionally allowing the vineyard rather than the architecture to remain the star. In 2022, Kuzubağ joined neighboring producers to establish the Çal Vineyard Route, helping reintroduce this ancient wine country to modern travelers.

LERMONOS

A Woman’s Return to the Vineyards

Lermonos is the story of Hürriyet Yılmaz, a physician who eventually left medicine for another kind of life among the vines. Her connection to this landscape began much earlier: childhood holidays spent with her grandmother and among the vineyards of Denizli stayed with her long after she entered medicine.

Eventually those memories drew her back. What began as a personal return to nature grew into Lermonos — a vineyard and winery on the high Çal plateau devoted to sustainable farming, regional gastronomy and the preservation of local wine culture. Native grapes, particularly Çal Karası, grow here in limestone soils swept by cool winds. On a journey filled with ancient stories, Lermonos gives us a wonderfully contemporary one: a woman changing the course of her life by returning to the landscape of her childhood.

YEDİ BİLGELER — THE SEVEN SAGES

Ephesus & the Aegean

This may be the vineyard whose story fits our journey most perfectly. Yedi Bilgeler means “Seven Sages,” and the estate was founded by two physicians whose fascination with wine was matched by their reverence for the philosophers and thinkers of ancient Anatolia.

That idea runs through everything here. The wines bear the names of ancient philosophers — Thales, Pythagoras, Solon, Anaxagoras, Bias and others — while the estate itself was conceived as a meeting of civilizations: European château architecture interpreted through the spirit of an Anatolian caravanserai, with Doric columns recalling the classical world surrounding us.

Set among vineyards near Ephesus, Yedi Bilgeler deliberately treats wine as something larger than a drink — a meeting of agriculture, knowledge, conversation and culture. After days spent following Homer, ancient cities and the gods of the Aegean, we arrive at a vineyard devoted to the people who once asked the great questions beneath these same skies. 

This Journey Is For You If…

• You are curious about wine and the stories and people that create it.

• You would rather meet the winemaker than simply order the bottle.

• You believe an ancient ruin becomes more interesting when you understand the people, myths and landscapes surrounding it.

• You want to taste a country rather than simply see it.

• You understand that sometimes the most memorable part of a journey is the place you had never heard of before you arrived.

From the Bosphorus to the Vineyards

No two stays on this journey are quite alike.

A 19th-century palazzo in Istanbul. A country retreat beneath Mount Ida. A pine-fringed Aegean hideaway. A vineyard hotel on volcanic earth. Thermal waters at Pamukkale. A stone house in Alaçatı.

Together, they become another way of experiencing the landscape as we travel across Türkiye—a night, a glass, a story at a time.

Where We’ll Stay

Hotels with a story of their own.

Where we sleep is as much a part of this journey as where we go.

The Turkish Wine Odyssey moves through a collection of distinctive hotels, vineyard estates and countryside retreats chosen for their character and their connection to the landscape—from a 19th-century palazzo in Istanbul and a country retreat beneath Mount Ida to an Aegean hideaway and a tiny hotel surrounded by volcanic vineyards.

Some nights are polished, others wonderfully rural. One morning we wake in the heart of Istanbul; another among the vines. The hotels change as the landscape does.

Istanbul

Soho House Istanbul

We begin with two nights at Soho House Istanbul, set within the 19th-century Palazzo Corpi in Beyoğlu. Layered with frescoes, marble and old-world grandeur, the house feels particularly suited to the beginning of our journey—a historic setting reimagined for contemporary Istanbul.

From here, we have the city at our doorstep before leaving the Bosphorus behind and setting out toward the vineyards, ruins and ancient roads of Anatolia.

Mount Ida & Assos

Manici Çiftlik

At the foot of mythic Mount Ida, Manici Çiftlik shifts the rhythm almost immediately.

Surrounded by olive groves, forest and countryside near Assos, it is the kind of place that makes you want to linger over breakfast and forget what time it is.

We stay here for two nights while exploring Troy, Assos, the Temple of Athena and the wines and food traditions of the North Aegean.

Cunda Island

Ortunç

Hidden where pine forest meets the northern Aegean, Ortunç is our exhale.

This secluded island retreat gives us a slower afternoon by the sea after our days around Troy and Mount Ida—a chance to swim, wander, have a long lunch or simply do very little at all.

It is quiet luxury in the way we like it best: beautiful, understated and surrounded by nature.

Kula Wine Country

Villa Estet at Yanık Ülke Vineyards

This may be the stay that best captures the spirit of the entire journey.

In Kula’s dramatic volcanic wine country, Villa Estet is an intimate vineyard hotel surrounded by the vines of Yanık Ülke.

Here, the landscape itself becomes part of the experience. Dark volcanic soils stretch beneath the vineyards, giving us a glimpse into the geology that shapes the wines of this extraordinary corner of Türkiye.

Wine isn’t somewhere we leave the hotel to find.

We’re sleeping in the middle of it.

Pamukkale

Richmond Pamukkale Thermal

After days of vineyards, ruins and ancient roads, we trade wine country for water.

Richmond Pamukkale Thermal places us close to Pamukkale’s extraordinary white travertines and gives us something equally welcome: time to soak in the region’s thermal waters.

It is a restorative pause built naturally into the journey—a chance to slow down before continuing toward Aphrodisias and the Aegean.

Alaçatı

Alavya

Our final night brings us to the cobbled lanes of Alaçatı and Alavya, an intimate collection of stone houses gathered around gardens and courtyards in the heart of the old town.

After crossing Anatolia, it feels like exactly where we should end: close to the Aegean, surrounded by old stone, bougainvillea, little restaurants and the easy rhythm of one of Türkiye’s most beautiful coastal towns.

One last evening. One last bottle.

And then, Ephesus.

Meet Your Wine Educator

Joanne Close is the founder and director of Wine Educate and the instructor for the Level 3 Award in Wines. Having worked in the wine business for the last 24 years, she has experienced a wide range of roles, from wholesale sales rep and brand manager for her family’s vineyard, Chateau Camplazens, to retail sales for a large chain and now owning a specialty wine shop, The Independent. In every wine experience, education was always her favorite part, and she now feels extraordinarily lucky to teach wine classes as a profession. She received her WSET Diploma in Wines & Spirits in 2006 and has been operating a WSET APP in New Orleans since 2020.

Wine Educate is a New Orleans–based wine school and WSET Approved Program Provider, offering internationally recognized education in wine, spirits, beer and sake.

Founded by wine educator Joanne Close, Wine Educate believes the best way to understand wine is not simply by studying what’s in the glass, but by understanding where it comes from—the land, history, culture and people behind it.

That philosophy takes Wine Educate well beyond the classroom, with immersive, educator-led journeys through the world’s great and lesser-known wine regions. In Turkey, Joanne will lead us through a wine culture thousands of years in the making, introducing us to indigenous grapes, local winemakers and the extraordinary landscapes that have shaped wine here since antiquity.

Consider her our guide to drinking our way through history.

What’s Included

Accommodation

Eight nights in a carefully selected collection of boutique hotels, vineyard estates, and countryside retreats throughout the journey.

Wine

Private and curated wine experiences across several of Türkiye's most distinctive growing regions, including cellar visits, vineyard tastings and introductions to indigenous Turkish grapes.

Culture & Archaeology

Privately guided visits to Istanbul, Troy, Assos, Sardis, Pamukkale and Hierapolis, Aphrodisias and Ephesus, alongside smaller archaeological sites and cultural encounters along the route.

Food & Local Encounters

Daily breakfast, our Istanbul welcome dinner, selected winery lunches and curated dinners, in addition to a hands-on cheese and sourdough experience in the Mount Ida region.

Transportation & Guiding

Private transportation throughout the journey, airport transfers as specified, professional guiding, entrance fees and local destination support.

Not Included

• International flights

• Internal flights

• Lunches and dinners not specified in the itinerary

• Alcoholic beverages outside of tastings specified in the itinerary

• Tips for guides, drivers, hotel, and waitstaff

• Travel Insurance

• Personal Expenses

• Optional spa, hammam, or upgraded experiences

Journey Investment	(Per Person)		Availability
Shared Room	$9,950	6 Spots Available
Private Room	$12,450	8 Spots Available

Payment Schedule -$1950 non-refundable deposit due within 7 days of booking. 2nd Payment due January 15th, 2027. Balances due March 15th, 2027.

Contact Us

For questions or to reserve your spot, please contact us at either:

joanne@wineeducate.com

thecuratedpassenger@gmail.com

+ 1 323.608.8553

We’re happy to help with room selection, itinerary details, or any special requests.