Karnas Vineyards

The story

Karnas Vineyards: Michelin-Recommended Turkish Dining in Güvercinlik, Bodrum

The Estate & Philosophy

Karnas Vineyards is a family-owned boutique winery and environmentally conscious farm set on the Bodrum Peninsula, within the rolling hills of the Karaova Valley. Founded by the İşmen family in 2005, the estate spans 20.5 hectares of land and is home to sprawling vines of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Vermentino, as well as over 2,500 olive trees, including a prized 1,000-year-old specimen. The property’s dusky red main house, framed by soaring cypress trees, offers sweeping Aegean views.

The vineyard’s origin story is deeply personal: while living in the United States, the İşmen family discovered Zinfandel on visits to California and became fascinated with returning this dark-skinned grape to the lands where it may have originated—the Mediterranean coasts of Anatolia, the very birthplace of winemaking. This quest to create the “oldest new world wine” drives everything they do, blending tradition, sustainability, and minimal intervention.

The Culinary Experience

The restaurant at Karnas Vineyards is a natural extension of the estate’s philosophy. The artisanal farm, committed to sustainable and regenerative practices, supplies the kitchen with ingredients whose exceptional taste comes from the region’s temperate climate and the sea salt, minerals, and floral fragrances carried by the wind corridor between the Mandalya and Gokova Gulfs.

Guests can expect a menu rooted in Turkish cuisine, served in a fine dining setting. The estate offers tasting menus with optional wine pairings, allowing guests to experience the full expression of their award-winning, low-intervention wines produced under the guidance of oenologists Jose and Fulya Hernandez. The clay loam and stony soils, combined with a unique microclimate of cool sea breezes, promote a slow maturation of the grapes, resulting in low-yield, premium wines.

This commitment to quality has earned Karnas Vineyards a place in the Michelin Guide, recognized as a Recommended destination. Whether dining indoors in the private room or outside with views of the vines, the experience is one of place and purpose—a genuine taste of the Aegean terroir. The estate also offers cooking classes for those wanting to delve deeper into its culinary traditions.