Viticulture from Tenedos to Bozcaada
July 2022 – June 2023
Bozcaada / ÇANAKKALE
Featured in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey for its wine and vineyards, Bozcaada or Tenedos is a region with 4000 years of viticulture history. With their unique cultivation techniques, terroir and grape varieties, growing grapes has always been a major source of livelihood for the islanders. Greek and Turkish growers on the 37 km2 island, most of which is covered with vineyards, used to sell their traditionally grown produce both in the domestic and international market, creating a considerably robust economy.
However, especially with the pressure of tourism since the beginning of the 2000s, winemaking in Bozcaada is on the decline. Land is being used to build accommodation options for tourists and the existing vineyards are in poor condition due to a lack of attention. In addition to these obstacles, some vintners are replacing traditional methods of growing with high-wire cordon trellising. These new generation growers experimenting with new methods and looking for ways to increase vineyard areas may succeed in reviving the art of winemaking that is undeniably a part of the island’s genetic code.
This documentary project entitled Viticulture from Tenedos to Bozcaada aims to document the adventures of Bozcaada’s vintners, from the locally born and raised to the newcomers. The story of the grape sapling from its merging with the soil to its cultivation, from pruning to hoeing, from the fight against diseases to its harvest, from foreign grape species to the rediscovery of local species that are thought to have disappeared will be told by the vintners themselves. These 30 vintners will share the history of viticulture on the island as witnesses to its current state.
