When we first started this blog, the Çal Vineyard Route was the newest wine route in Türkiye. Later, the Lydia Historical Wine Route was also opened, so it’s no longer the newest — but it remains one of the most exciting wine journeys to explore.
The Çal Vineyard Route (Çal Bağ Yolu) was established in 2022; yet the region’s wine history dates back to ancient times. The area accounts for 40% of Türkiye’s wine production and 20% of its grape cultivation. Vineyards dominate the region’s natural landscape. Along the route, you’ll find both recently founded wineries and third-generation family estates. Here, producers combine traditional and modern wine-making techniques. The wineries use both local and international grape varieties, but one of them is truly special. The area is home to its own indigenous grape variety, Çal Karası, which was overlooked for many years but is now regaining recognition and prestige. Çal Karası, meaning ‘the black grape from Çal,’ has been scientifically proven to be genetically identical to Liatiko from Crete, Greece, thanks to the efforts of wine producer Seyit Karagözoğlu. This discovery could create a new bond between Turkish and Greek wine producers.
Another essential point of the route is that it includes both ancient cities and natural wonders, so one day is not enough to explore them all. After several visits during different seasons, we are here to share all the experiences. Enjoy!
We planned our trip to include both wineries and tourist attractions (Click to add to the Google Maps).
Kaynak: https://www.calbagyolu.com/calbagyolu
Küp Şarapçılık
Küp is not only the largest but also the oldest producer on the route. Its production ranges from table wines to premium wines, and it also offers excellent fruit wines. Established in the 1950s, Küp is now run together by the family’s second and third generations.
Küp has both a historic wine-producing building and a modern, technologically equipped one on the same site. It is highly recommended to tour the old vine factory before wine tasting, as the building is architecturally unique in Türkiye. Visitors can enjoy wine tastings and buy bottles directly, but our experience there was truly special. During our visit with our wine-tasting group, Tadında Dünya, we were offered a special tasting set: a vertical tasting of the Epic series, spanning vintages from 2013 to 2021. We were delighted to have this opportunity—it was an educational and exploratory experience. After all, it’s not possible at every winery to taste library wines like these. Our favorite vintages were 2013 and 2016. Both years had excellent growing seasons, and that quality is clearly reflected in the wines. Detailed tasting notes can be found under the ‘Favorite Wines’ section.
Lermonos Wines
Lermonos is one of the newest producers on the route, drawing its strength from women’s leadership. It features the first restaurant on the route serving local delights and offers both a lovely open terrace overlooking the vines and a cozy indoor space. Recently, Lermonos has operated a guest house, becoming the first accommodation facility on the route.
Lermonos produces its wine from both local and international grape varieties. One of our favorites is Sauvignon Blanc, which shows a beautiful regional character; tasting notes can be found under the ‘Favorite Wines’ section.
Erdel Winery
Erdel Winery is located in Hanchalar village, formerly known as Hancılar (‘innkeepers’ in English), reflecting the area’s historical roots. Established in the 2000s, the winery aims to create more employment opportunities in the village. Erdel is the second-largest producer on the route, offering a wide range of wines, from table wines to fruit wines. The winery is also in the process of opening a new fine-dining restaurant, which will be a significant addition to the route. We had the chance to be the first guests of the restaurant, enjoying its delicious dishes paired with wines.
Kuzubağ Winery
Let us introduce you to the youngest producer on the route, a family-run vineyard, Kuzubağ. Although newly established, the winery is dedicated to producing high-quality wines and experimental series using local grape varieties. In particular, it has a special focus on Çal Karası; producing blanc de noir, red and sweet version of this unique grape. During our visit, we had a chance to taste all of them.
Kuzubağ is located in the heart of its vineyard, giving the wine-tasting area a stunning view. If you’re lucky, you can enjoy a glass of wine while watching an incredible sunset. We have many favorite wines from this winery; wine tasting notes can be found under the ‘Favorite Wines’ section.
General Remarks – Notes
- Although it is technically possible to visit all of the wineries in a single day, we recommend staying at least one night in the area. This allows more time to enjoy the tastings and also explore the region’s historical and touristic sites. While accommodation options in the immediate area are still limited, its proximity to Denizli/Pamukkale (around 40 minutes away) makes day trips feasible.
- Dining options are available at Lermonos and Erdel, where you can combine tastings with lunch or dinner. At the other two producers, food service is limited to cheese plates and small bites. Kuzubağ provides a lunch option if you book in advance.
- Especially during spring and summer weekends, the wineries can get quite busy. Be sure to make a reservation in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Since it is not possible to get around the region by public transport, we strongly recommend renting a car if you are arriving by plane.
- For any additional questions, you can contact the route via its social media channels; they are extremely helpful.
Favorite Wines
These wines are a selection of the highest-rated bottles from our vineyard road trips over the past two years, as well as from the ones we brought home. Hence, tasting dates should also be kept in mind.
- 2013 Küp Chardonnay Epic – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli, Bekilli (8/31/2025)
Tasted comparatively by the Tadında Dünya Team during the Vertical Tasting held at Küp Tasting Area on 31.08.2025.
On the nose; nut cake, roasted almond, marzipan, wild mushroom. On the palate, quite salty, almond, caramel brittle, quince. Despite being 2013, still very vibrant, high acidity, razor-sharp. Expected more mature fruit, but surprisingly youthful. In blind tasting would not be identified as 2013.
Balanced, high aromatic intensity, multi-layered, long finish. The current state is very surprising. Opened into a baby biscuit, quince dessert, and praline hazelnut. After one hour became excellent. (94 points) - 2016 Küp Shiraz Epic – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli, Bekilli (8/31/2025)
Tasted comparatively by the Tadında Dünya Team during the Vertical Tasting held at Küp Tasting Area on 31.08.2025.
On the nose; lovely fruitiness, dense black fruits, blueberry, blackberry, softened oak touch, varietal character nicely present with spices, violet. On the palate, high aromatic intensity, flavors explode in the mouth. Long finish. Still no tertiary notes, very pleasant now, still ageable.
Balanced, high intensity, long finish, medium complexity. (92 points) - 2023 Kuzubağ Merlot Hür Amfora Çal – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli (8/24/2025)
Deep red color. On the nose, dried grapes, dried sour cherry, licorice, red pepper, and blueberry, with high aromatic intensity. On the palate, the tannins are very strong yet elegant, full-bodied, medium+ finish. Notes of coffee beans, dark chocolate, and beautiful amphora-derived aromas emerge, with sour cherry being dominant.
Very enjoyable to drink, full-bodied, and with high aging potential. (92 points) - 2022 Kuzubağ Merlot Çal – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli (8/31/2025)
On the nose; tobacco, dried meat, dried plum, fig, ripe fruits, some quickly developed aromas, slight animal notes, but not unpleasant. On the palate, medium+ acidity, tannins very smooth, medium body, medium+ finish. Fruitiness is very nice, balanced, aromatic profile settled, good aging potential. (92 points) - 2022 Kuzubağ Sultaniye Hür – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli (1/19/2025)
Kuzubağ has experimented with producing a semi-sweet wine from Sultaniye, the most commonly cultivated seedless grape in the region, for the first time using the on-vine drying technique within late harvesting.
The color is pale lemon. No sediment. Medium legs. On the nose, there are notes of petrol, clove, quince (cooked), pear, and hints of lightly oaked white wine-vanilla and another sweet woody aroma, as well as pear. Both on the nose and palate, there’s hazelnut, likely from the oak. The palate is quite elegant, with a slight sweet wine tanginess. High acidity. Flows like oil. Medium body, with a medium to long finish. The intensity of flavors on the palate feels a bit low, but it has the potential to evolve significantly with aging. The palate is balanced, and the sweetness is not overwhelming. It sparks great curiosity about how it will develop with age. Great wine! (92 points) - 2024 Lermonos Sauvignon Blanc Rindera – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli (9/2/2025)
On the nose; slightly herbal, asparagus, thyme, rosemary, nigella seed, light grass, little florality. On the palate, high acidity, medium+ aromatic intensity, medium finish. Slight saltiness. Compared to previous years, the yeast-dominant aromas have faded, showing more of the grape’s varietal character, a more herbal style of SB.
Balanced, medium aromatic intensity, medium finish, no complexity. (90 points) - 2016 Hanchalar Öküzgözü – Syrah – Turkey, Western Anatolia, Denizli (1/15/2025)
Hanchalar is a sub-brand of Erdel Sarapcilik, which produces mostly table wines for the 5-star hotels. However, this sub-brand has made its own way. This wine has a really complex structure, well-aged aged and very rich on the palate. It does not have more aging potential, but perfect for drinking today.
The wine looks garnet-brick colored. The legs are slow. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like black pepper, blackberry, raisin, flint, dust, forest floor, vanilla, coffee, and meaty. It tastes like black pepper, meaty, blackberry, forest floor, espresso, and black cherry. The body is medium. The wine has a satin-like texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has high acidity. Tannins are medium and softened, but balanced. (91 points)
Bonus Ones
Since these are fruit wines, they were left out of the standard rating system. However, as we have enjoyed them for many years, we didn’t want to leave them out of our recommendations.
- Küp Cherry Liquer Wine: %100 cherry, has %8-9 alcohol coming from its own sugar, and %10 alcohol added externally. Made in a fortified style. High body, high alcohol. It can be consumed at best in the winter, especially on cold nights, or for a New Year’s party. Also a good pair with the desserts, especially brownies and cheesecakes.
- Küp Pomegranate Wine: %100 pomegranate. %8 alcohol. Low body, a little sweet but also sour, coming from pomegranate. A great summer wine that pairs well with a pool party, better served cold.
Touristic Landmarks
After exploring the vineyards, you can also visit these wonderful historic sites and attractions.
Pamukkale & Hierapolis
Pamukkale is often referred to by locals as the 8th wonder of the world – and many even believe it truly is. While not officially the case, it remains a unique natural beauty that could easily deserve such a title.
This UNESCO-protected region combines the natural wonders of Pamukkale with the ancient sites of Hierapolis. You should set aside at least half a day to explore it properly. There’s also the Cleopatra Pools, where you can swim in an ancient pool—legend has it that Cleopatra herself bathed here for her beauty. You can also see the amphorae that were once used for winemaking in ancient times.
It’s a must-see stop on the route. For more information, visit: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485/
Laodicea
This is a very large ancient city with many sites to explore. You should set aside at least two hours for your visit. It can easily be combined with a trip to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. Wearing a hat is highly recommended, as there are no trees to provide shade. For more information, visit: https://denizli.ktb.gov.tr/EN-251394/laodikeia-ancient-city.html
Kısık Kanyonu (Kısık Canyon)
It’s a hidden spot and free to visit. There are no signs, making the canyon difficult to find. Visiting in spring is highly recommended, as the water in the canyon dries up during the region’s hot, dry summers.
Hançalar Köprüsü
This is an ancient bridge, built over 700 years ago. There’s a small tea spot nearby—nothing fancy—but it’s still worth a visit for a brief stop to rest and recharge.
Kaklık Cave
A hidden underground miniature of Pamukkale lies just along the route to the Çal Vineyard Route. Tickets cost only €1.50 and a full tour takes about half an hour. Wearing slippers is highly recommended as the ground is very wet.
Want to Explore More?
Here are some other resources you can read before your visit: