̈A quarter century ago, the terroir of today’s Kastro Tireli Vineyards was a family-owned but virtually forgotten, secluded land where animals grazed freely. Yunus Mermerci was fascinated by the topography he saw during a business trip to Akhisar. This terroir perfectly coincided with his ever-present plan of establishing a vineyard. A test vineyard was planted in 2004 to mark the very first steps of this journey.
Kastro Tireli Vineyards is at the former Tireli Farm in Pınarcık Village of Akhisar, which is 200-280 metres above sea level and approximately 100 kilometres inland from the coastline, with an advantageous microclimate for viticulture. The dream of this terroir that is perfect for producing quality wines, with its red and ochre-coloured stony soil and small hills lined up one after the other along a gentle slope, began in the 2000s.
The French winegrowers from Côte-Rotie, who visited Türkiye in 2004 as guests of Yunus Mermerci, were very impressed with the Akhisar region. They saw potential in the area to produce high-quality wines and pointed him towards Tuscany. Here, Mermerci met Dr Andrea Paoletti, an Italian oenologist who was the chief consultant to top wine producers, including Ornellaia, the renowned organic wine producer Caia Rossa and the world-famous Brunello producer Val di Cava. The two decide to embark on this long and arduous journey together. In 2006, they began planting intensively following a series of studies in Côtes du Rhône in France and Tuscany in Italy. The first harvest was in 2010. The name Kastro Tireli means Tireli Castle. Tireli Farm belonged to Tirelizade İsmail Bahri Bey, the Akhisar commander of the Kuvâ-yi Milliye and the first mayor of Akhisar, and his family since the early Republic. The farm was passed down to them by the Karaosmanoğlu family, a prominent family in the region that included the famous Turkish novelist Yakup Kadri.
