Kuzeybağ Winery

Kuzeybağ Winery: Rediscovering the True Spirit of Öküzgözü and Kösetevek Wines

Kuzeybağ Winery located in the Koruk Village of Elazığ, offers one of the most authentic expressions of Turkey’s historic viticultural heritage. Set in the north of Mesopotamia — the birthplace of winemaking — Kuzeybağ crafts its single-varietal wines with minimal intervention, using techniques passed down through three generations.

This commitment to tradition and terroir is paying off. At the 2022 Istanbul Sommelier Selection, Kuzeybağ’s Kösetevek scored an impressive 92 points, judged by two professional sommeliers. Their consistent recognition places Kuzeybağ Winery as a notable producer of authentic Turkish varieties today.

Kuzeybağ Winery: Minimal Touch, Maximum Character

At Kuzeybağ Winery, their philosophy is simple but profound: produce wines that allow the grape to speak for itself. Their process involves minimum winemaker manipulation, favoring nonintervention methods that show the inherent character of the fruit.

Working with vines — many over 35 years in age — grown on clayey, calcareous, and rocky soils, the Kuzeybağ team applies local viticulture knowledge, blending it with modern scientific understanding. This results in wines that are not just technically excellent, but deeply connected to the land they come from.

Rediscovering Kösetevek: A Rare Anatolian Jewel

Three abstract landscapes with striped patterns over hills. Top: blue sky, middle: purple dusk, bottom: red sunset, each with serene vibes.

One of Kuzeybağ Winery’s proudest achievements is the revival and celebration of the Köstevek or Kösetevek grape. A nearly forgotten variety, Köstevek is one of the few grapes globally with flesh-colored pulp. Traditionally, it grew mixed in with Öküzgözü in vineyards and was mistakenly vinified as Öküzgözü for generations.

The daughter of the winery wrote about this grape's viticultural potential for a Masters thesis in 2016, and they have brought that work to life in an excellent wine.

Kuzeybağ’s dedication to careful vineyard selection, hand harvesting, and separate vinification has finally given Kösetevek its own platform. Their Köstevek 2022 red wine — honored with 92 points in the 2022 Istanbul Sommelier Selection — showcases this grape’s vivid, distinctive character, with its subtle structure and rare flavor profile now fully on display.

Kuzeybağ Winery and Öküzgözü: A Benchmark for the Grape’s Potential

For enthusiasts eager to experience Öküzgözü in its truest form, Kuzeybağ Winery’s Öküzgözü offerings are essential. Having personally enjoyed their Öküzgözü wines since the 2019 vintage, I can attest to the full extraction, intensity, and vibrancy they achieve.

Öküzgözü, native to Elazığ and its surroundings, thrives in Kuzeybağ’s carefully tended vineyards. Grapes are harvested by hand during the cool morning hours, then wine is made mere steps from where they grow, ensuring that freshness and aromatic complexity are preserved. The resulting red wine offers a dense aromatic structure, full body, and a long, satisfying finish — a testament to both grape and place. This grape has more distinct aromas and higher acidity than the Kösetevek which has higher sugar and tannins.

Kuzeybağ also offers an Öküzgözü Rosé (2023), produced with the same minimal intervention philosophy. Bright, aromatic, and layered, it brings a fresh dimension to the native grape’s potential, further showing the versatility and depth of Elazığ’s wine treasures.

Why Kuzeybağ Winery Matters

Kuzeybağ Winery stands out not just for its technical skill, but for its respect for heritage. In an era where winemaking often trends toward homogeneity, Kuzeybağ’s steadfast focus on native varieties, ancestral techniques, and pure expression offers something rare and valuable.

Their repeated recognition at respected competitions like the Istanbul Sommelier Selection — especially the high marks for Kösetevek — underscores that this is not a mere exercise in nostalgia. It is a forward-looking project, demonstrating that Turkey’s indigenous grapes, when treated with care and skill, can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest.

If you are seeking a wine experience that is both rooted in history and alive with energy, Kuzeybağ’s Öküzgözü and Kösetevek wines are vital benchmarks. These are not just wines from Turkey — they are wines of place, culture, and time, crafted with a sensitivity that few producers achieve.