Turkish Wine Producers Worried By New Anti-Alcohol Law

(Wine-Searcher) - Off the coast of the mythical Troy, the small windswept Aegean island of Bozcaada has lived for – and made its living from – wine since the days of antiquity. But the Turkish government’s latest law on alcohol now threatens its heritage and the entire wine industry.

In early September the grape harvest is coming to a close. Another few days and the last pierre d'or and résine noire grapes – the local varieties – will be in the wine press. In 2012, Mehmet Tanay produced more than 600,000 bottles, but this year he’s revised his ambitions downwards.

“The year will be average," predicts Tanay, one of the largest producers on Bozcaada. “Since the law was passed our business has fallen by 5 to 10 percent.”

The law that’s annoyed Tanay and other Turkish wine producers was controversially passed by the country’s parliament in May and came into effect last week.

As well as banning all advertising – in the press as well as on television – it forbids retail sales of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and prohibits any alcohol sales in the immediate vicinity of schools and mosques throughout the country.

Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has justified the new restrictions on the grounds of public health. But his opponents only see the latest manifestation of his desire to “Islamise” Turkey. The anti-alcohol law was the favorite target of demonstrators during the anti-government revolt that shook the country in June.

“We no longer have the right to hold tastings, to host events based on our business," Tanay says. "With this law it is impossible to communicate.”

The ban even applies to the internet. Tanay's website shows only a black page. And the very short "Festival of Wine," which until now marked the Bozcaada grape harvest, has become the “Festival of the Grape." All tastings are also forbidden.

The island is considering its economic future and fears losing part of its soul. Viticulture and allied tourism provide a living for two-thirds of Bozcaada’s 2,400 inhabitants.