Vitikultur Çakal
Rosé grape
Light • Fruity
Çakal
Çakal — full name "Çakal Üzümü," the "jackal grape" — is an indigenous variety brought back from the brink of extinction. It earned its name because it ripens early: jackals coming down from the hills eat its berries while ignoring later-ripening vines nearby.
It survived in old vineyards in southern Thrace and the Kaz Dağları in the hands of just a few growers. The Paşaeli winery encountered it while searching for old Sıdalan vines and began planting it around 2020 to save the variety.
- Type
- Rosé grape
- Origin
- Thrace
- Profile
- Light, fruit-forward rosé; strawberry, tropical fruit, low tannin
- Best experienced in
- Southern Thrace & the Kaz Dağları
- Pairs with
- Spicy Asian dishes, Thai cuisine
Growing conditions
A thin-skinned, early-ripening variety with pinkish-red ("gris") skin — too pale for a true red and too colored for a white, so it is made into rosé. With low tannin and medium acidity it yields light- to medium-bodied, fruit-forward rosés with strawberry jam, tropical fruit, and mango notes.
Where it's grown
Producers growing this grape
Aegean · Tire, İzmir
Paşaeli
A family-owned producer founded in 2000 by Seyit Karagözoğlu, based in the İbni Melek industrial zone in Tire (İzmir). The name comes from the ancient city of Paşaelis; fruit is sourced from estate and contracted vineyards across several Turkish regions.
Grape varieties: Karasakız, Sıdalan, Çakal, Yapıncak
Frequently asked questions
- What does "Çakal" mean?
It is Turkish for "jackal" — the early-ripening grape was eaten by jackals coming down from the hills before later varieties ripened.
- Is Çakal a red or rosé grape?
It is a pink-skinned "gris" variety: too pale for a true red and too colored for a white, so it is made into rosé.
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