Narince is the white grape of Tokat, a province in the inland Black Sea region of northern Anatolia. It grows there on the climatic boundary between the humid coast and the dry interior, above all in the Yeşilırmak basin, in districts such as Erbaa and Niksar. The name comes from narin, delicate, and means roughly “delicately”: the berries are thin-skinned and sensitive, and the wine is known for finesse rather than power.

Leaves for sarma

In Tokat the vine has a second use. Its leaves are prized for sarma, vine leaves rolled around a filling of rice, and many growers sell the leaves to processors and the grapes to wineries. Two designations of origin protect the leaves, since 2017 those of Erbaa and since 2019 the brined Narince leaves of other Tokat districts, and they are exported to many countries. Because the leaves are picked long before the harvest, the vines are left more exposed to disease and sunburn. The grapes ripen fairly late and are usually picked from mid-September.

In the glass

This grape’s colour and palate, on the scales wine professionals taste by: each range runs from the lightest typical wine to the richest.

Colour
medium lemon
Sweetness
dry
Acidity
medium to medium(+)
Alcohol
medium
Body
medium to medium(+)
Intensity
medium to medium(+)

Similar in the glass VerdejoPinot BlancGrüner Veltliner

Steps of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s tasting grid (WSET Level 3, 2022). Typical ranges, not measurements: site, vintage and cellar move every wine. Low alcohol means under 11 %, high 14 % and more; intensity is how much flavour the wine has. The colour is that of a typical bottle when it is drunk.

Neighbours in the glass

Narince among the white grapes by acidity and body. In colour and linked: the three grapes closest across all six scales; the five most planted are named too.

lowmedium(−)mediummedium(+)highlightmedium(−)mediummedium(+)fullAcidity →Body →soft and lightfresh and lightsoft and fullfresh and fullChardonnayChardonnay (one of the five most planted of its colour): Acidity medium to high · Body medium(−) to fullTrebbianoTrebbiano (Ugni Blanc) (one of the five most planted of its colour): Acidity medium(+) to high · Body light to medium(−)Sauvignon BlancSauvignon Blanc (one of the five most planted of its colour): Acidity medium(+) to high · Body medium(−) to mediumPinot GrisPinot Gris (one of the five most planted of its colour): Acidity medium(−) to medium · Body medium(−) to fullRieslingRiesling (one of the five most planted of its colour): Acidity high · Body light to medium(+)GleraGlera: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body light to medium(−)MuscatMuscat: Acidity medium(−) to medium · Body light to fullChenin BlancChenin Blanc: Acidity high · Body medium(−) to fullMüller-ThurgauMüller-Thurgau: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body light to medium(−)VermentinoVermentino: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium(−) to mediumSemillonSemillon: Acidity medium(−) to high · Body light to fullPalominoPalomino: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body medium(−) to fullGewürztraminerGewürztraminer: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body medium(+) to fullViognierViognier: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body medium(+) to fullGarganegaGarganega: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium(−) to mediumAlbariñoAlbariño: Acidity medium(+) to high · Body medium(−) to mediumMelon de BourgogneMelon de Bourgogne: Acidity medium(+) to high · Body light to medium(−)TorrontésTorrontés: Acidity medium(−) to medium · Body mediumSilvanerSilvaner: Acidity medium(−) to medium · Body medium(−) to fullChasselasChasselas: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body light to medium(−)FurmintFurmint: Acidity high · Body medium to fullAssyrtikoAssyrtiko: Acidity high · Body medium to medium(+)MarsanneMarsanne: Acidity low to medium(−) · Body medium(+) to fullHeidaHeida: Acidity medium(+) to high · Body medium to fullPetite ArvinePetite Arvine: Acidity medium(+) to high · Body medium(+) to fullEmirEmir: Acidity medium(+) to high · Body light to medium(−)AmigneAmigne: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium(+) to fullRäuschlingRäuschling: Acidity high · Body light to medium(−)CompleterCompleter: Acidity high · Body medium(+) to fullVerdejoVerdejo: Acidity medium(+) · Body medium to medium(+)Grüner VeltlinerGrüner Veltliner: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium(−) to fullPinot BlancPinot Blanc: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium(−) to medium(+)NarinceNarince: Acidity medium to medium(+) · Body medium to medium(+)
  • Narince
  • The three closest
  • Other grapes

Across all six scales

Filled, the grape of this page; outlined, its neighbour. Closeness is the mean gap between the ranges on all six scales; on just two scales a neighbour can look further away. Source: Weinquiz after the WSET tasting grid.

Every grape on the grape map →

The Diren family

The modern history of Narince is closely tied to the Diren family. Their winery in Tokat, founded in 1958, made the first wine of its Dörtnal label from Narince, and for years the family gave vines to growers free of charge to keep the grape going. Today Narince is also grown in Cappadocia, the Aegean and Thrace, and wineries in other regions buy grapes from Tokat’s growers.

Steel or oak

Narince is one of the most versatile Turkish whites. Unoaked, from steel tanks, it is aromatic and crisp, with citrus, yellow fruit and white blossom, good acidity and a medium body. It also takes well to oak: fermented or aged in barrels it becomes creamier, with notes of vanilla and toasted nuts, and good examples can age for a few years. There are even sparkling and skin-contact versions. And it is a popular blending partner: Kavaklıdere’s Çankaya, one of the classic Turkish whites, combines it with Emir and Sultaniye.

Around the world

  • 787hectares of bearing vines worldwide, 2016
  • No. 294of 1,589 wine grape varietiesGrown in a single country.

By country

  1. Turkey787 ha · 100 %

Turkey last reported figures for 2016. Bearing vineyard area around 2023, from the latest year each country reported, rounded. Source: Anderson, Nelgen and Puga, University of Adelaide (2026).

At the table Narince suits grilled oily fish, spiced chicken, aubergine salad and dishes with plenty of onion. The oaked versions stand up to roast chicken, cream sauces or a mushroom risotto. And it naturally goes with sarma wrapped in the leaves of its own vines.