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Turkey ranks among the world's oldest wine regions, and many visitors are surprised to find it still producing good wine, largely from grapes grown only here: Okuzgozu, Bogazkere, Emir and Kalecik Karasi among them. These tours cover three areas: central Anatolia's Cappadocia, the Aegean shore around Kusadasi and Izmir, and Thrace to the west of Istanbul. Every tour is private and comes with a driver, so no one in your group needs to stay sober to drive.

Cappadocia: a short tasting

Our Cappadocia tasting with a wine expert costs from $140 per person and lasts two to three hours. In a rock-cut cellar at Kocabag Winery you try four local wines with cheese, then take a walk through the vines. It is the simplest to fit into a trip: an afternoon after a morning in the valleys, or a fallback on a day when the balloon flight is cancelled. Volcanic soil and cold winters give the region's Emir whites a crisp, mineral character.

Along the Aegean

Two tours leave from the port or hotels in Kusadasi or Izmir. From $300 per person, the Kusadasi shore wine tour first visits ancient Teos and its ruins, then pours wines at MMG and Ayda, with a wine-matched lunch included. From $380 per person, the Urla wine and art day brings together the Arkas Art museum, two wineries (Cakir and HUS) and the olive oil works of ancient Klazomenai; lunch is not part of the price. The first is timed around the ship, so it works for cruise passengers; the second fits travellers based in Izmir or Cesme.

The village of Sirince, in the hills near Ephesus, is famous for its fruit wines. They are sweet, which not everyone enjoys, but a stop is easy to add to an Ephesus day; read our guide to Sirince.

Thrace, from Istanbul

Our Istanbul wine-country day trip costs $580 per person for ten private hours among the vineyards of Thrace, tasting at Arcadia and Barbare and eating a wine-paired lunch by the Sea of Marmara. The price covers a licensed guide and a private van. Expect 2.5 to 3 hours of driving in each direction, so do not book it for the day you fly out.

Seven days of wine

From $3,800 per person, the week-long private wine tour connects Thrace, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale; Barbare, MMG and Ayda are among the wineries on the route. Domestic flights, museum entry and guides are covered; hotels and most meals are left out so you can pick your own level. See our longer private itineraries for other week-long routes.

Timing and practical points

The harvest lasts from late August to October, the most interesting season to visit the wineries. Spring is greener and quieter. July and August bring heat to the Aegean vineyards, though the cellars stay cool. You must be 18 to drink in Turkey. Shops may not sell alcohol from 10pm to 6am, so buy any bottles at the winery.

A wine day on the Aegean combines well with Ephesus on a different day; our cruise-port excursions list Ephesus trips from both Kusadasi and Bodrum.