Mozaik winery, based in Urla near Izmir, is a family operated business started in 2006 by Ali and Melis Emin. The founder’s main business is horse breeding and it shows when you arrive at the winery. The first thing that you need to know is that it’s a challenge to find the entrance. You can easily get lost. I won’t even mention the fact that nobody answered for half an hour and when we got an answer, we had to wait half an hour more to be understood and get into the place. They were nice enough to open the gate to our car although it was the wrong entrance… I added here a picture of the exact location and how you must write the name of the winery in order not to get lost. Needless to say, it’s really worth your patience!

Here are also 3 pictures of the right entrance!

What a beautiful place! Of course, well, at first, you don’t understand you’re in a winery. No vineyards in sight from the wrong entrance… in fact, the main site is a ranch with horses around in a manicured paddock. The vineyards are a bit further. They cover 14 hectares on a low lying hill close to the seaside. I read somewhere that they produce around 60 thousand bottles a year.

You will be welcomed in a small and cosy house where a tasting will be organized and free of charge which, once again, is worth the effort!

The owner didn’t choose this site by chance. This place is part of the Urla region which one could compare to Tuscany because of its characteristics. They even took an Italian winemaker and oenologist to supervise the production. This is because of the owner’s love for Tuscany and Tuscan wines.

Big investments have been made in the production area : steel tanks, new oak barrels, a state of the art technology not only to produce wine but also to develop new varieties. The first harvest took place in 2010. They have mostly only reds : Syrah, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Marselan, Corinto (a relative of Sangiovese), Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Ekigaina (a hybrid of Cab Sauvignon and Tannat) and Rebo (a hybrid of Merlot and Teroldego). They have also had a rosé before and we tasted a Blanc de Noirs at the winery.

Mozaik winery produce wine with respect for the dynamics of the grape. It grows organically with little manipulations working with the laws of nature. Not many wineries in Turkey have vineyards with no installed irrigation system. Wines are macerated in steel tanks and then aged an average of 18 months in French oak barrels and a bit of American oak barrels as well.

Since 2010, they have collected many international medals. I must say I love the label. It’s classy, sober and modern at the same time. Among all the wines I tried, I like the original Ekigaina and i recently got amazed by their Sangiovese, the best in Turkey by far. By the way, the name of the label “Mahrem” means a secret, something intimate. Well, thats really it. It’s not a big production but it’s made with care.

Last but not least, Mozaik winery is part of the Urla Wine Route. It’s certainly the best organized wine route in Turkey.