Dessera Winery Hotel

The Vino Dessera winery hotel is our favorite place to stay when enjoying a wine tour in Thrace from Istanbul. Turkey is a huge country and has a number of wine-growing regions, the Thrace region in European Turkey is the most accessible for most of our wine lovers as Istanbul is the entry point for almost everyone visiting this ancient country.

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The Vino Dessera winery hotel is found on gently rolling hills near to the Bulgarian border, a 2-hour drive from Istanbul. For our Turkey wine tours, we recommend taking a two-night trip out into Thrace staying one night at Dessera in Kirklareli and then at Barbare Winery in Tekirdag. This way you get to see a number of wineries in the region very comfortably.

The hotel is not just comfortable however, it is a real experience as you are immersed in winery life. A tour of the winery with the owner, a tasting of “work in progress” from tanks or barrels, the opening of bottles of course and a walk around the vines getting up close and personal to Turkish grapes. All of this is done with the owner or winemaker, which is highly entertaining and informative.

It is one thing drinking this wine in a hotel or wine bar in Istanbul and enjoying it of course, but it is quite another thing when the winemaker invites you to taste from tanks, barrels, and bottles in his winery. The overall wine experience and “taste of place” will always provide a lasting memory.

This vineyard hotel now has 18 rooms, minimalist in style with heavy use of wood giving a warm and rustic feeling to the place. Great common areas to eat and drink in, views over the vines are always welcome. Lunch and dinner can be taken here and breakfast is always included on your overnight here of course. The wine is superb and drinking it with the owner and winemaker makes it even better.