Grape Guide
Narince
WhiteNarince is a Turkish white grape whose name means delicate, grown above all along the Yeşilırmak River valley around Tokat in north central Anatolia. It makes fresh, citrus and orchard-fruited dry whites that take oak well and are among the few Turkish whites with real ageing ability.
Key characteristics
- Native to the Tokat area of northern central Turkey
- Large bunches of thin-skinned, yellowish-green berries
- Late ripening, with high sensitivity to botrytis bunch rot
- Performs best on permeable sandy and gravelly soils in dry conditions
- Dual-purpose: wine grape and table grape, with leaves used for dolma
Typical flavors
Major regions
Tokat · Çorum · Amasya · Sivas · Cappadocia (Nevşehir) · Central Anatolia
Also known as
Güzül Üzüm · Kazova · Narance · Nerince
Narince is generally ranked among the most important native white varieties of Turkey, and it ranks among Turkey's most widely planted white varieties. The wines run from crisp and unoaked to broad, barrel-fermented versions with a rounded, almost creamy texture, and they are made both dry and off-dry. The fruit profile centres on citrus, from orange to grapefruit and lime, with green apple and a floral lift; fuller examples carry a firm, structured mid-palate rather than a light, neutral one.
Its value to producers lies in structure and flexibility. Acidity is moderate and body can be considerable, which lets Narince take barrel fermentation and extended lees contact without collapsing, and a small number of bottlings are built to improve for several years. It also works as a blending partner: lighter, more piercing varieties such as Emir sharpen it, and Chardonnay or Sémillon are sometimes combined with it. Much of the crop never reaches a winery, since the variety is also a long-established table grape.
Narince comes from the Tokat region of northern central Turkey, inland from the Black Sea coast, and the area remains its centre. The name is Turkish for delicate or fragile, a reference to the thin skins of the berries, which are easily damaged. It has long been used for both eating and winemaking, and its leaves are a traditional wrapping for dolma, so the plant has been propagated for general household use well beyond commercial wine.
Its ancestry is not firmly established. One DNA study, reported in 2013, suggested a probable natural cross between the red Kalecik Karası and Bekari, but it relied on only about twenty markers, so the result should be read as tentative rather than settled.
Commercial varietal bottling developed in the late twentieth century, when larger Turkish houses began treating native grapes as an alternative to international varieties. Kavaklidere is credited with launching a varietal Narince. As winemaking spread through Anatolia, plantings moved beyond Tokat, notably to volcanic uplands in Cappadocia, where producers looked for cooler, higher sites. Today Narince is found in the neighbouring provinces and across central Turkey, though Tokat remains the benchmark source.
Narince is late to ripen, and its berries are yellowish-green with thin skins, carried in big bunches. Those delicate skins leave it open to botrytis bunch rot, so a wet autumn is a genuine threat; the vine does best where conditions are dry and the soil is permeable enough for water to drain away fast. In its heartland it is planted on sandy, gravelly alluvial ground beside the Yeşilırmak River, at around 600 to 700 m, where the Pontic mountains shield the interior from the humid Black Sea coast. Because bunches are large and ripening comes late, canopy management and good airflow matter. Growers aiming at wine rather than table fruit must hold yields down, since the variety can crop heavily and then give dilute fruit. As it is also a table grape, not every plantation is run with wine quality in mind.
Most Narince is made as a dry or off-dry still white. Stainless steel versions are fresh and fruity, led by citrus, apple and floral notes, and intended for early drinking. A significant share is fermented or aged in oak, which suits its body and thick mid-palate; these wines show orange peel and grapefruit over toasted, creamy notes and can be fairly full. It is probably the only Turkish white wine with a proven track record for bottle age, and the best examples develop honeyed, nutty complexity over several years. Blending is common: Emir adds acid and bite, while Chardonnay and Sémillon appear in some cuvées, and Kavaklidere's Çankaya combines Narince with Emir and Sultaniye. Occasional sparkling and late-harvest versions exist, but dry still wine is the commercial core.
Where it grows
Tokat
The historic home, on sandy and gravelly alluvial soils along the Yeşilırmak at about 600 to 700 m. Diren and Vinkara are among the estates specialising in the variety here.
Çorum and Amasya
Neighbouring provinces to the west of Tokat, with smaller plantings that share the same river-valley and continental conditions.
Sivas
A province to the south of Tokat, where Narince is also planted, in a colder, more continental setting than the lower valley.
Cappadocia
Volcanic soils at about 950 m, where Kavaklidere's Côtes d'Avanos vineyard supplies Narince for varietal bottlings and for blends with Chardonnay.
Producers across Turkey
Doluca, Kavaklidere, Kocabağ and Turasan are established names making Narince, so it appears in the lists of wineries far from Tokat itself.