Wine education still popular in crisis time
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ceylan Yeğinsu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 27, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Amid celebrations for its one-year anniversary, Istanbul’s Kayra Wine Academy Director Bülent Özfırat says they will continue to invest in offering wine courses and seminars despite the negative effects of the economic crisis on the wine industry
Though wining and dining is increasingly becoming a luxury even for the rich, the director of the leading Turkish wine academy promised yesterday to keep investing in educating people about wine.
The Kayra Wine Academy was established in Istanbul last year with the aim of creating a place where wine companies, producers, writers, academics and industry employees could come together. At a press conference Wednesday celebrating its one-year anniversary, director Bülent Özfırat acknowledged that the economic crisis had had a negative effect on the wine industry, with interest in quality wines rapidly diminishing.
Despite these setbacks, though, Özfırat said there were no plans to reduce the academy’s budget and promised that it would keeping putting together courses, seminars and events to create a dynamic, friendly and intelligent atmosphere where wine lovers can mingle and socialize.
8 to 10 percent decrease
Özfırat said that since 2008 the registered market for high-quality wines has decreased 8 to 10 percent, with only cheap wines seeing an increase in sales. Though the price of cheaper registered wines went up from 2 to 5 Turkish Liras, the expectation that people would start buying more quality wines was shattered as consumers replaced wine with beer or rakı.
"Since the start of the crisis five months ago, more people have been economizing by eating and drinking at home instead of at restaurants, which has resulted in a great setback for the quality wine market," Özfırat said, adding that people who organize social events at home often choose cheap to mid-range wines.
In order to sustain sales levels at such a critical hour for the Turkish wine industry, Kayra Wines, which established the wine academy, will be working to develop its mid-range wines as the academy continues its educational efforts. "Many people assume that a good wine is defined by its price," said Ozfırat. "Through our education, we teach people that a good wine is in fact identified by its ingredients and that it is not necessarily pricey."
In just one year, the Kayra Wine Academy has educated 586 people from the wine industry and 1,072 individual wine lovers. The academy has also brought to Istanbul a course organized by the U.K.-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust, or WSET, the world’s largest wine school, with 66 pupils receiving WSET wine certificates denoting successful completion of the curriculum. Though the academy’s annual expenditures are more than $1 million, Ozfırat said they would continue to invest in free seminars and courses while developing the facilities, which currently consist of laboratories, workshops, a restaurant and a library.
Investments abroad
Kayra Wines is also looking to expand its international recognition by investing in projects in France, Italy, California and London. "It was initially Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s mission to develop Turkish wines and we have been doing just that since 1944," Ozfırıt said.
The company’s wines have won many awards, both in Turkey and internationally. Its Terra Shiraz 2005 won a gold medal at the "Concours Mondial de Bruzelles" in Holland, a silver "Grand Harvest Award" in California, "The International Challenge du Vin" in France and a bronze medal at an international wines and spirits competition in London. Its Cumartesi wine, which is aimed at students and young professionals in Turkey, also has received several awards. The academy hopes to develop this market segment further by educating younger people about good wines.
In addition to the classes held at academy headquarters in Cihangir, Kayra also organizes tours to Turkish vineyards where pupils can receive more practical education. More information about these tours and other academy events can be found on its Web site, http://www.kayraakademi.com.
The Kayra Wine Academy was established in Istanbul last year with the aim of creating a place where wine companies, producers, writers, academics and industry employees could come together. At a press conference Wednesday celebrating its one-year anniversary, director Bülent Özfırat acknowledged that the economic crisis had had a negative effect on the wine industry, with interest in quality wines rapidly diminishing.
Despite these setbacks, though, Özfırat said there were no plans to reduce the academy’s budget and promised that it would keeping putting together courses, seminars and events to create a dynamic, friendly and intelligent atmosphere where wine lovers can mingle and socialize.
8 to 10 percent decrease
Özfırat said that since 2008 the registered market for high-quality wines has decreased 8 to 10 percent, with only cheap wines seeing an increase in sales. Though the price of cheaper registered wines went up from 2 to 5 Turkish Liras, the expectation that people would start buying more quality wines was shattered as consumers replaced wine with beer or rakı.
"Since the start of the crisis five months ago, more people have been economizing by eating and drinking at home instead of at restaurants, which has resulted in a great setback for the quality wine market," Özfırat said, adding that people who organize social events at home often choose cheap to mid-range wines.
In order to sustain sales levels at such a critical hour for the Turkish wine industry, Kayra Wines, which established the wine academy, will be working to develop its mid-range wines as the academy continues its educational efforts. "Many people assume that a good wine is defined by its price," said Ozfırat. "Through our education, we teach people that a good wine is in fact identified by its ingredients and that it is not necessarily pricey."
In just one year, the Kayra Wine Academy has educated 586 people from the wine industry and 1,072 individual wine lovers. The academy has also brought to Istanbul a course organized by the U.K.-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust, or WSET, the world’s largest wine school, with 66 pupils receiving WSET wine certificates denoting successful completion of the curriculum. Though the academy’s annual expenditures are more than $1 million, Ozfırat said they would continue to invest in free seminars and courses while developing the facilities, which currently consist of laboratories, workshops, a restaurant and a library.
Investments abroad
Kayra Wines is also looking to expand its international recognition by investing in projects in France, Italy, California and London. "It was initially Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s mission to develop Turkish wines and we have been doing just that since 1944," Ozfırıt said.
The company’s wines have won many awards, both in Turkey and internationally. Its Terra Shiraz 2005 won a gold medal at the "Concours Mondial de Bruzelles" in Holland, a silver "Grand Harvest Award" in California, "The International Challenge du Vin" in France and a bronze medal at an international wines and spirits competition in London. Its Cumartesi wine, which is aimed at students and young professionals in Turkey, also has received several awards. The academy hopes to develop this market segment further by educating younger people about good wines.
In addition to the classes held at academy headquarters in Cihangir, Kayra also organizes tours to Turkish vineyards where pupils can receive more practical education. More information about these tours and other academy events can be found on its Web site, http://www.kayraakademi.com.