The country's most beautiful red wine grapes are grown on these plateaus with an altitude of 1,000-1,500 meters located in the Southeastern Türkiye, in upper Mesopotamia between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
Öküzgözü gives excellent results in Elazığ, a little further north. Considering that the temperature can drop to -25 degrees Celsius in winter in these regions with an altitude of 1,000-1,200 meters and a large temperature difference between day and night in summer, one can understand why grapes are so particular.
Boğazkere is the red wine grape variety of Diyarbakır. The vine’s resistance to drought ensures it grows well in the soil that is red, calcareous, and rich in clay. Boğazkere variety grows on the Mesopotamian plateau just south of the mountains separating the Anatolian Highlands, in the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. This grape variety has small, dark berries with thick skins and is rich in tannins. Among the most famous and popular wines, types in Türkiye are the wine varieties that emerge as a result of the mixture of Öküzgözü and Boğazkere grapes.
Öküzgözü and Boğazkere varieties are widely cultivated in Malatya, Elazığ, Diyarbakır and Mardin, Midyat.
The wines produced in Midyat and Mardin, known for their millennia-old winemaking tradition in the Eastern and Southeastern Türkiye. They are made with indigenous grapes Mazruna and Kerkus. Make sure to visit local wineries for a mystical wine tasting session.
