A Very Turkish Weekend: Urla Wine Route and The Alaçatı Herb Festival
After spending the morning visiting Ephesus, we continued onward towards the sleepy village of Urla. A short 90 minute drive from Ephesus (and only 30 minutes from Izmir), Urla is located on the large Karaburun Peninsula to the west of Izmir. This is known as the Aegean region, which has been a major producer of wine for thousands of years, currently producing more than 50% of Turkish wine.
Our first wine tasting was at Urla Winery (Urla Şarapcılık in Turkish). They have a very beautiful facility that also includes a boutique hotel. We had emailed ahead of time requesting a tour, so when we arrived we were greeted and given a tour of the facilities for free. Then we moved into the tasting room and tried a variety of their wines — at the time of our visit in April 2019, they were selling five different white wines, one rosé, and 7 red wines, ranging in price from about $9 – $30 USD.
Urla Winery is located about a 15 minute drive from the small village of Urla, so we chose not to stay at the hotel because we wanted to explore the town – you will be hard-pressed to find taxis in the sleepy area.
From Urla Winery, we drove to USCA winery, which is about a 10 minute drive (heading back towards town). Unlike the large, modern Urla Winery, USCA almost felt like you were visiting a friend’s (beautiful) house. You pull up a steep driveway and walk into a house with an open tasting room. We were ushered out the patio doors and seated on table overlooking their lawn, with adirondack chairs and a few dogs lazing about.
It was near their closing time when we arrived, so we tasted just a few of their wines (a white, a rosé, and a red). They had a much smaller wine list than Urla, about 7 bottles total, with prices ranging from around $11 – $21 USD. It was a beautiful, relaxing environment, and could be good for families since kids can play in the yard, but overall we weren’t quite as impressed with their wines when compared to Urla Winery.
Above is a list of all the wineries located in the area. Due to time constraints, we only visit Urla and USCA, but we would have visited Urlice the same day if we had more time, as it is also located quite close to town.
After leaving USCA Winery, we headed into the town of Urla to check into our hotel, Art Design Otel. We paid 70 euros for a double standard room, breakfast included, and couldn’t have been happier with our choice. The small hotel is located in the old downtown, among cobblestone streets. It was easy to find, and we were able to find street parking nearby for free. The hotel itself is impeccably decorated, clearly demonstrating their attention to detail.
We did not have dinner plans, so the owner of Art Design Otel gave us some recommendations. One place called Hiç Lokanta stood out to us — which she described as using local ingredients, and taking a new-age approach to classic Turkish dishes. We were very happy for the advice because we were able to walk-in without a reservation and discovered they offer an 8 course tasting menu with wine pairings(!), for only $55 per person. We had a lovely meal and I would highly recommend Hic to future Urla travelers.
The next morning it was cold and rainy, so we were pleased to find that breakfast at Art Design Otel is served in a heated sunroom with a fire place! It was just THE CUTEST thing ever.
After breakfast, we packed up and started the 35 minute drive to the beach town of Alaçatı. A popular vacation destination in summer for it’s sandy beaches, the actual town of Alaçatı is located about a 10 minute drive off the water and is full of white-washed buildings covered in colorful flowers. If it wasn’t for the language, you might easily think you transported yourself to a beautiful seaside town in Greece or Italy.
We had booked a deluxe king room at the Alakapi Hotel for 120 euros a night, breakfast included. We initially thought the price seemed a little steep compared to our 70 euro room in Urla, but learned that the town’s biggest festival of the year was happening that weekend — The Alaçatı Herb Festival! Research online produced little information on what happens at the festival, so we really didn’t know what to expect…
Turns out, the town fills with people, live music, food vendors and is generally just a big party to celebrate Spring! Most women also don colorful flower crowns.
After exploring the town for awhile, we were ready for a snack and a drink. We chose Arven Alaçatı Wine Bar, which had great reviews and we really just wanted to try more Turkish wines. After a discussion with one of the very knowledgeable owners, we chose a bottle of Mozaik Mahrem Tannant 2011. This was one of the wineries near Urla we hadn’t been able to visit… and the wine was FANTASTIC. Probably the best wine I had during my entire two months in Turkey.
The ambiance and food were also wonderful — so much so, that we actually ended up going back to Arven a few hours later for dinner and another Mozaik wine.
By the end of our meal, we were happy to head back to our king-sized bed at the Alakapi Hotel. Our room had a walk out patio to the interior courtyard where the pool was located. Across the courtyard was the small bar and restaurant area where we had an elaborate breakfast the next morning. Because it was a cold and rainy weekend, we weren’t able to enjoy the pool, but we would definitely seek out Alakapi Hotel for future visits to Alaçatı. The drive from Alaçatı back to the Izmir airport is about 1 hour.
Overall, I would say this was one of my favorite weekends in Turkey. The landscape may not be as stunning at Cappadocia, but Urla and Alaçatı are not nearly as touristy as Cappadocia. If you are looking for a fun-filled weekend, a bit of wine tasting, and a very authentic Turkish experience, I would highly recommend Urla and Alaçatı. I look back very fondly on the evenings we spent curled up in these coastal towns next to a fireplace with a delicious glass of wine in hand…
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Fabulous Brittany!!!!! Another wonderful adventure.
Thank you! This is a weekend that will bring me fond memories for years to come 🙂
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Hi! Somehow I am just seeing this comment. Thank you so much for your comment and for reading along! I miss Turkey so much.