From Turkey with love: Day 2 | Silva and Haluk's exquisite winery

BODRUM, Turkey: Ducks quacking, vintage steel chairs reflected on a small lake, and whispers of soft winds on vineyards and olive trees welcome visitors at Karnas Bağları boutique winery in Bodrum, Turkey. 

Once at the winery, the visitors are greeted and welcomed with a heartwarming couple; Silva and Haluk.

The two have been married for more than 40 years. They smile at the visitors and tell them of how the idea of establishing a winery came to them after retiring from their engineering post.

“We are mainly known by the Zinfandel wines, which are also known as Primitivo,” Silva told Annahar.

Zinfadel includes a variety of black-skinned wine grape.

It takes 20 minutes to get to the vineyard from Bodrum Airport. The distance is rather short, and the vineyard is a must see.

After being greeted by cheerful ducks and swans, the couple invites visitors inside the freezing winery.

“People who come here in the summer love it, because the temperature is refreshing inside,” Silva said.

Haluk, however, who travels for cheese tasting and discovering new wine producing techniques, told Annahar that they make all types of wine; in that region however, red wine is more appreciated.

“In the united states, red wine is now considered a food and not a beverage,” he said, adding that “it is the healthiest drink between all alcoholic beverages.”

Furthermore, not only is the sight of the visitors pleased with the inviting aesthetic of the winery, but so is their hearing, with the classical music that almost tenderly beckons them to enter.

Apart from aesthetic purposes, the music also has a practical function.

“This type of music drives away yeast which is bad for the wine,” Silva mentions, adding that “mainly, any musical vibration could help in driving away yeast as well.”

After completing the enriching tour inside the winery, the time came for some wine tasting and food pairing in the garden that hugs the vicinity of the winery.

The flowers reflect on the gleaming lake, adding to the scenery an almost ethereal touch.

Despite the distracting beauty that makes the visitors forget their purpose of being there, Silva reminds them, and begins an unforgettable wine tasting journey.

“Let’s start with this type of wine,” she said invitingly.

Picking a role creates a successful team, and Silva and Haluk are here to prove it. She is the wine expert, while he is the olive expert.

Haluk made sure to step in before the wine tasting and suggested that the visitors start with the oil tasting before the wine.

The secret of good olive oil is the ticklish feeling it leaves in the throat, several minutes after tasting it, as the experienced man told Annahar.

The wine tasting journey began right after that with KARNAS Shiraz, which is somehow fruity, and suitable for aging. It bears the taste of black plums, blackberries and violets.

After that, it was time for Karnas Shiraz 2015, which was paired with freshly made bread with some olive oil. To top it, one can add goat cheese, and mandarin and figs jam.

However, the type of wine which the couple is mostly proud of is KARNAS Zinfandel, which has some aromatic herbs, rosemary and thyme notes.

The couple said that Turkey was the first to witness Zinfandel vineyards, and they have received several prizes from many places in the world for that type of wine they produce.

“Our wines do not give you a headache the next day, as most wines these days do,” Haluk said, adding that “low sulfur leaves one relaxed instead of tired after drinking wine.”

Haluk and Silva insist on eating and drinking, and sharing with visitors only what grows in their vineyards. “So today you find fig and mandarin jam, and the next week you might find something else freshly made from our gardens,” they said.

The couple is also very proud of their olive oil, which is obtained with 0.01 acid ratio. The olives are harvested early in the garden and are transformed into olive oil instantly.

Events happening at the vineyard and winery include weddings and other types of celebrations. The couple also welcomes visitors for wine-matching events created with natural products.

At Zinfandel vineyards, excellent food and wine are guaranteed to be on the table along with the magnificent view all around.

As they spoke, the sun was setting, announcing the end of this unforgettable trip.