HUS Şarapçılık / HUS Winery

Creating Chilean- Turkish Wines

The Painful History of HUS Winery

I first heard about HUS 3 years back from a friend that lives in Urla - he asked me 'Chris, do you know Juan and Ceylan, and their HUS winery, they have something special in the works and aside from how lovely they are, their food and wine is amazing too?' I unfortunately had to answer, sorry, no, I don't know them. But planned to visit ASAP.

Luckily I had a trip planned for that fall and made it a goal to go and meet Juan and Ceylan, which I did though briefly. That was my last chance, unknown to me, because tragically Juan passed away soon after quite suddenly at only 34 years old, leaving his wife Ceylan and one young daughter.

So HUS while started from the passion of Juan and Ceylan together, is a dream that Ceylan is now working to realize in his name yet alone. But it seems this is destiny for Ceylan, who is working the land that her great grandparents were given moving here from Crete after the 1920's population exchange. Ceylan's parents had a vision for vineyards and planted vines on their land in the mid 1990's, but Ceylan busy with her engineering consultancy career in Istanbul didn't share that passion. Until....

Until Juan came on the scene, born and raised in Vina Del Mar, Chile, and from a vineyard growing family. Juan and Ceylan met in the Americas and Juan followed her back to Istanbul. Where they later married and then when Juan saw Ceylan's family heritage - the vineyards in Urla's Hebiller area, they birthed the HUS winery together. (And a daughter at the same time!). As they researched the area, they found a number of older unkept vineyards that they started to oversee and are now utilizing the production from this recovered vineyards.

About the HUS Winery and Vineyards

HUS winery, as part of the Urla wine region, benefits from their location on a peninsula in the Aegean with HUS located just between Sığacık bay to the South and Izmir bay to the north. This has been a beneficial location for wine growing for longer than there is written history, due to the soil and the weather and the wind.

The wind knocks the edge off of the hot and rainfree summers in the evening, but that said, while red wines here are very common they all tend to work hard to get enough diurnal acidity produced in the grapes. The hot sunny climate means there's no problem hitting the brix target (sugar levels need ed for fermentation and flavour) though with these wines easily hitting and surpassing 14% alcohol if the winemakers choose.

The mild rainy winters ensures the vines get enough water to go with their abundant summer chlorophyl, and the combination makes for a nice wine growing region.

Syrah and Grenache were their first chosen plantings in 2018 on 10,000m2 (about 2.4 acres) of land and they continued restoring other varieties on their parent's earlier planted vineyards. They seek harmony between the land and people's desires and balance the past and the future in their approach.

HUS winery itself was built in 2019. Juan and Ceylan worked hard to consider the environment in their production location, preserving many very old olive trees (hundreds of years) and building the cellars underground to provide for relief from the hot summers. They seek minimal intervention in their production, seeking to preserve the grapes fullness for the wine. Their first production was 2019 of 12,000 bottles and a bit more in 2020.

HUS Winery Wines

As at most wineries, the winemakers and owners are guided by the land and the weather as far as what they produce seeking the best varieties for their wine. HUS also embraces that some different grapes have been planted in the past perhaps without the typical 'wine consultant recommendations' and they now utilize this vines with the occasional unexpected wine variety for Urla. This is reflected in their wine options below.

Emir White Wine

HUS Winery brought grapes from Nevsehir in Cappadocia to produce their 2021 and 2022 dry white Emir wine. This is a mineraly even salty (hint of) white that is distinct to central Anatolia. Also has a high acidity but is balanced by the mineral strength.

Citrus (towards the lime), minerals and green apple make up the flavours of this balanced wine. Tends to be a bit smoother, less acidic then some Emir wines, easy to drink.

'AN' Syrah- Grenache Rose' Wine

From HUS wineries own Urla Kuscular vineyards, this is a touch more acidic than many rose' wines. It is subdued at first, but opens nicely with some spice and red fruits, but noticeably not strawberry (which seems to the taste every Turkish rose' finds if not shoots for).

HUS Winery Dry Red Wine Öküzgözü and Boğazkere

Made with grapes from the Denizli Cal region, this is the Turkish blend you must try at any wineries from Central anatolia. The Öküzgözü is like a Malbec, big fruity and purple and the Boğazkere is tannic and full. The blend is very pleasant. This wine too sees some months in french oak barrels which brings it up a notch. Higher tannin and acidity, medium finish, flavours of black fruits, dark cherry are noted.

HUS Winery Dry Red Wine Syrah

Made from grapes that come from 850m, This is a more complex wine that also see French oak maturation. Has some plum, pepper and chocolate, but also some edginess in the one I've tried that I'm not sure how to describe.

HUS Winery 'Supernova' Carignan - Alicante

This is blended from two vineyards that are older and with grapes that aren't common now but have some history in the area. Lower alcohol at 12%. I've not tried this one yet, but look forward to it.

HUS Winery Juan Cariñena

These are special grapes form 50 year old vines at 500' elevation that are robust as they are unirrigated, the wine is the result of Juan Pablo's hard work to get this vineyard producing again. The wine sees 27 mos oak in French barrels. 2019 and 2020 vintages. This is HUS Winery's biggest wine, with strong oak, acidity and a lot of aging potential. Tobacco, leather, black fruits they're all here.

HUS Winery Cariñena Embalse, Carinena Meselik, Pie Franco

These are all older vines wines, none of which I've had the pleasure of tasting. But which are all expressions of Juan and Ceylan's efforts to recover older unmanaged vineyards.

HUS Winery Tasting Room, HUS Kitchen Restaurant and Accomodations

They have a lovely main buidling with a restauraunt, large terraces and seating among the olive trees. There is also 2 guiest rooms upstairs. The winery sits on a slight rise, so you get a good sense of the surrounding vineyards.

The restaurant has youthful, eager hip vibe and they make some progressive dishes worth trying.

If you choose to visit or want to stay in the rooms be sure to reach out and make a reservation. Sunset is a great time to be here.