The day starts so early for this unique one-day getaway that my eyelids curse the hour I force myself out of the warm bed. It seems that they have all the right to do so given that the weekend is the only time for an ambitious metropolitan worker to get some sleep. The fact that I was out until late the previous night makes it all worse. Nevertheless I make it to the private bus arranged for our trip to Kutman Vineyards in Mürefte, Turkey right on time. Yasmin, Ekin and Fuat join me a few minutes later. Other participants include restaurant owners, finance managers and retired couples. We are on the way to take our share of vines from the harvest (between September and October) and turn them into our own wine: Chateau Mélange.
I take my seat on the bus and roll into sleep until the fresh smell of breakfast rushes up my nose and the introductory wine lecture from our tour guide, Kadri fills up my ears. Kadri talks about the musts of the wine culture as I cut the cheese and spread the honey: “one should never chill the wine with ice, but with cold water, as it breaks all its necessary structure apart”, “not all the establishments that say they are organic are organic. Organic production requires massive infrastructure, great care and years to clean the soil from harmful chemicals”, “I never understand the deal with Petrus. The fact that Paris Hilton posed with it does not make it a good wine! Definitely not worth the price” , “the most exquisite red wine I had was produced below the soil in earthed barrels by the monks, away from noise and temperature fluctuations”.
The 3-hour drive from Istanbul ends in front of Turkey’s first wine museum in Mürefte. This beautiful town once cherished and occupied by the Greeks splashes into the land on the coast of the Marmara Sea. Different vineyards and olive gardens occupy most of the earth with tiny estates watching over each. The weather is softer here cooled down with the salty wind from the sea. My lungs cheer up. Suddenly I am no longer sleepy.
We are greeted with wine (of course) and finger food by the 3rd generation owner of Kutman at 10.30 am in the morning. I realize at that moment that it won’t be a “sober” day. As I walk through the well-prepared museum tour I paste photos of ancient wine-making techniques into my memory and take a record of how much has changed over time. Just as my sleepless brain starts rejecting new data, we are invited back into the bus to climb up to the vines and start collecting the grapes for our very own red wine.
I pair up with Yasmin and the Pamukçus form the other team. We jump into the purple, green and brown with white plastic gloves and sharp scissors and come out with a heavy blue basket full of carefully chosen bunches of grapes. The hard work is cooled off with some great wine, grapes, crackers and cheese on top of rustic floor pillows below a fully grown tree. Serenity and peace fills up the air. Contentment is not far away. The tagged baskets are loaded back on the trucks as we head back to the Kutman facility.
The lunch served on fancy dinner tables inside the museum looks impressive but doesn’t taste so well. The starter comprised mostly of seafood is good but the steak that comes after is stiff and cold. The wine served with the food is unexpectedly extremely cold. Something I would not have expected from such a well prepared tour. Despite the disappointment, I continue to be extremely proud of all that has been prepared for us.
Our stomachs full, we are guided into the Gothic wine cellar, the treasure chest of the Kutmans. 25 plus years-old wine comfortable lie on the shelves with tiny price tags. My eyes light up. I am at the candy shop, helplessly pinching myself to set limits on my purchase. 1985 Papazkarası and 1998 Cabarnet Savignon take the lead as my favorites. Just as I free myself from extras, Kadri sneaks up behind me with better vintages: “Sinan this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You need to have at least 6!”
Finally we see the light again. The wallets empty, the cases full of good wine we head out of the cellar for a new task. The “work” areas are prepped up for each grape team: 2 tiny stools, aprons, a light bulb shaped barrel, a basin, a rolling pin and our tagged grape basket wait quietly for me and Yasmin. With a little direction from Kadri, we put on the aprons and grab the grapes one by one. Once the branches are separated they are ready to be squished inside the basin. All the force in our muscles gather at our bare hands to compress the juice out. I squeeze my teeth and start thinking of stressful moments to gather extra force. Suddenly I feel lighter and happier. I taste the truth behind the pleasure and contentment of a winemaker.
I am more amazed now that I have seen how that white blurry grape juice turns into dark red. I am extra careful now that I have preserved and filtered it multiple times. I am more patient now that I am still waiting to taste our very own Chateau Mélange. I feel wiser now that I have been through every stage that makes the wine on my table.
I am addicted. I want to do it all over again.
Kutman Vineyards accepted attendees for the first VIP Harvest Tour at its Mürefte facility from the second half of September until 3 Oct 2010. It is planning to continue the program every year. For pricing and more details please visit the website. Unfortunately an English version of the site is not currently available for foreigners.
