Awakening of an antique terroir
When we started traveling around North Eastern Thrace in pursuit of a special terroir and collecting soil samples, we did not expect to find such a rich and deep-rooted history.
Our region, a historical transcontinental crossroad, holds traces of many cultures since antiquity. It is also the homeland of the largest Thracian kingdom in history; Odrysia. Thracians, who generally lived in tribes, united under the Odrysian Kingdom which existed between the 5th century BC and the 1st century AD. Odrysians were known for their skills in warfare and winemaking.
Kırklareli was a terroir famous for its quality from the ancient times until the Balkan War and the first World War which followed it. As a result of the economy, political instability and population migration caused by the war, the vineyards were neglected and at the beginning of the 20th century the wine production in Kırklareli region halted.
After the Republic of Türkiye was founded, the Tekel (state alcohol monopoly) factory was established in the south of Thrace, in the region of Tekirdağ. As a result of these historical developments, the high quality viticulture potential of Kırklareli, which was relatively far away from Tekirdağ, became idle and the winemaking tradition that had been in the region for thousands of years was interrupted. We arrived here in 2004 as a result of our scientific research and were amazed by the potential of this terroir. In the end it turned out that we were merely repeating history though scientific means—supporting and corroborating the long history of high-quality viticulture in the region. We are truly happy and proud to be the very first winery established in Kırklareli in the history of Türkiye, pioneering the awakening of a great terroir from its 100-year long sleep.
- One of the old names of Kırklareli is “Lozengrad”, which means “Grape Town” or “Vineyard City”.
- Tradition of harvest festivals, vineyard and river ceremonies are the reflection of the authentic folk culture that has existed in Kırklareli for centuries, some of which still continues today.
- The famous Ottoman traveler and writer Evliya Çelebi came to Kırklareli in 1658. He recorded that there were thousands of hectares of vineyards that one gets lost in them upon entering.
- A painter who painted Kırklareli in the 1830s says that the vineyards stretch along the road and vine branches reach the streets. In these years, the people of Kırklareli made and sold wine, drank grape juice and Hardaliye, a traditional drink made of grapes, also produced molasses and other traditional desserts from grapes. During those years, many households owned presses and barrels to make wine. After the war barrels holding over 40-50 tons of wine or must were found in the cellars of abandoned houses and warehouses in Kırklareli.
- In some locations, large amphoras were found underground and still exist today. These were historically used as water storage, as well as for fermenting and aging wine.
At every stage of operations in Arcadia Vineyards, we give utmost care to honoring the rich history of the region and we are grateful for the deep-rooted heritage we have inherited. In the honor of the little-known Odrysian Kingdom, we have named one of our upper labels Odrysia and decorated the labels with the images of silver and gold Ritons (horn-shaped ceremonial wine vessels) from that period.
