Indigenous variety · White grape · Thrace
Kolorko
About this grape
Kolorko is an indigenous white grape native to Thrace — Türkiye's European landmass. It grows in a few villages south of Tekirdağ, around Şarköy and Uçmakdere on the Marmara coast.
Once more widely planted, it declined sharply after the 1960s and came close to extinction. Seyit Karagözoğlu of Paşaeli located a handful of growers in 2007–2008, each keeping only a few surviving vines, made a trial vinification in 2009, and began replanting from cuttings in 2010.
- Profile
- Highly aromatic, light-bodied; low alcohol, high acidity
- Best experienced in
- Şarköy & Uçmakdere, Thrace
Growing conditions
A late-ripening, low-yielding variety. As a wine it is highly aromatic and vivid, light-bodied with relatively low alcohol and notably high acidity — a profile sometimes compared to Misket grapes.
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
- Where is Kolorko grown?
In Thrace, in coastal villages south of Tekirdağ around Şarköy and Uçmakdere.
- Why was Kolorko nearly extinct?
Plantings declined steeply after the 1960s; by the 2000s only a few growers retained a handful of vines each, until Paşaeli began rescue and replanting.
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