The DOSELUNA story begins in 2000 if we have to choose a starting date. Following a long and tiring 7 hours drive from Istanbul to visit a friend who has recently purchased a piece of land on the shores of northern Aegean, our first glimpse of Porsuktepe “Wolverine heights” on the way down to our destination at Yeşil Liman was so breathtakingly beautiful that we had to park and get out of our car, enjoy the silence and vast panorama it offered and wished we had some wine with us to accompany the joy of that moment. Little did we know that this place would become our second home, an inspiration for the rest of our lives, introduce us to the art of growing a vineyard and making pretty decent wines. Call it serendipity if you will.
“Bakarsan bağ olur, bakmazsan dağ olur”
“Take proper care and you will create a vineyard out of a mountain”
When we finally reached the shores of YEŞİL LİMAN, we were greeted by a group of locals gathered by the fountain, brewing tea and enjoying the calm mild spring afternoon. We complemented the wild beauty of the region and mentioned the awesome view atop the hill. I mentioned one field which was located so strategically that one could see 270 degrees of uninterrupted views from the most western point of the Greek Island of Mitillini all the way to Behramkale/Assos, one of the most antique and intact sites on the shores, dating back to 900 BC. “I think you are talking about my field, doktor bey” said Osman, one of the locals, “it’s for sale, why don’t you buy it.” We have indeed spent the last 4-5 years looking for a piece of land to buy and start a small vineyard on it, but it was a fantasy that we have given up slowly and sadly because we were unable to find any land which matched our budget,or expectations. Just as we were giving up looking for land, it seemed like the land has found us.
The rest happened very quickly, 3 days later I was back in Ayvacık and money and title has changed hands with one signature. After having finalized the sale, Osman and I drove back to the land to enjoy the view one more time. “You know we take pride in not selling our land in this village” said Osman, “they are a gift from the previous generations and our duty is to pass them on to the younger ones, especially if they have olive trees on them. This one as you can see, has no olives on them, many Oak trees though, you should keep them as they are very old, but with the rest, if you take care of it well, it can feed a family of 8, try tomatoes, fava beans, or keep some goats, it is a very generous piece of land.” Little did he, or Lucienne and I,knew that within a few years we would be farming every little corner of it as well as we could and be proud of what we have done.
