Elmalı

Elmalı is a small town with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated on a small plateau at an altitude of about 1,100 metres 110 km west of Antalya and a 90 minute drive from Kalkan. Although inhabited much earlier, the area became an important centre during the Bronze Age between 3,000 and 2,000 BC.

Today, it is an agricultural centre with the main crop being apples; the Turkish for apple is elma. International and domestic tourism is minimal. When we looked around and had lunch, we didn’t see any other tourists. We were grateful for our smattering of Turkish. Although only 90 minutes from Kalkan it felt a world away – a “proper” place, with prices to reflect!

We stayed on a vineyard, a few miles from Elmalı, which was first planted in 1998 and has been selling wines since 2008. It grows many varieties, some well known such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Malbec as well as some indigenous grapes like Acikara, which means black spice.