The Story of Tomurcukbağ

When knowledge and love come together, miracles are born. Tomurcukbağ tells the inspiring story of Prof. Dr. Sabit Ağaoğlu’s passionate journey devoted to viticulture, centered around his love for Kalecik Karası grapes and wine. Ağaoğlu, who shaped his academic career around viticulture, discovered during his doctoral studies in Germany in 1971 that the Kalecik Karası grape was on the verge of extinction. Upon returning to Turkey, he began clonal selection studies together with his colleagues at the university. Thanks to this devoted effort, carried out with great dedication, the Kalecik Karası grape sprouted from just a few cuttings and was brought back to life, eventually becoming one of Anatolia’s most prized wine grapes.
In time, the dream of transforming this passion into a vineyard was born. This dream, which had been nurtured since the 1970s, became a reality in 2002 in Kalecik. Together with his wife Gülcihan Ağaoğlu, they established a vineyard on the fertile lands of the Kızılırmak River and named it after their daughter, Tomurcuk. The vines they lovingly nurtured gave life to wines that reflect the unique terroir of Kalecik.
Their core principle has been to turn the grapes grown in their vineyard—and Turkey’s native wine grapes—into wine in the most natural way possible. In the 2009 harvest, their traditionally crafted Trajan Reserve wine was born. Produced without the use of a press and fermented with the grape’s own natural yeast, this wine reflects years of dedication, a deep respect for nature, and a love enriched with knowledge. This journey, which began with Kalecik Karası, continues with the Narince grape. By sourcing each grape from the region where it naturally grows, they continue the production process based on natural fermentation and minimal intervention.
Tomurcukbağ aims to contribute to Anatolia’s wine culture by processing other native Turkish wine grapes with this same philosophy.