Our old friends know that before WAYANA, we ran a pizza restaurant called BEPPE in the same shop. When we started creating BEPPE's first wine menu in 2014, we certainly did not know that one day pizza would be completely replaced by wine. The twists and turns of life, and especially the pandemic, caused us to evolve to such a point, and I'm glad it happened.

The reason why I started talking about the recent past is that the world of wine, which we were just getting to know at that time, opened its doors to new discoveries every day, and I remember how we got caught up in this excitement. At the very beginning of our relations within the wine world, which has been strengthened in the following years, we were fascinated by indigenous grapes. It increased our excitement to see that there were many producers like us who devoted all their energy and existence to wine.

I guess while we were preparing our third menu, the first Merzifon Karasi wine of Likya Wines, from the 2015 vintage, came to us. We knew Likya with its wide range of wines, especially Acikara. Merzifon Karasi was a wine that made us even more excited because this grape was bottled for the first time. We did not know then that we would feel similar excitement for Fersun from Likya a few years later.

To be honest, we did not know the story which was unfolding in the backgroud. When we had a chance to read the book “In Pursuit of a ‘Nero”, written by wine-lover journalist Tayyar Öztürk, then we were able to comprehend the full story.

Tayyar Bey is a grape warrior who set out to bring Merzifon Karasi to life again. Being from the city of Merzifon fueled this passion and determination. It's a good thing it happened, otherwise we wouldn't have had the chance to meet Merzifon Karasi wine. Just as the ancient Phocaians took Bornova Misket and Foca Karasi saplings to Marseille, Merzifon Karasi also went to Italy during the Crusades and became a native of that place. It became so local that even its name was localized and became Marzemino. We should not forget to mention that Goethe, the great name of German literature, included Marzemino wine in his notes and also Mozart who was also deeply influenced by the wine, refers to the Marzemino wine in the libretto of Don Giovanni opera.

Do not think that it was easy for Merzifon Karasi to find life again in its own land. It is best to read from Mr. Öztürk’s own words how his journey started with high hopes and was interrupted by disappointments. And it hurts you on every page, how the supports are sacrificed for petty purposes, how the political attitude slows down or even prevents progress, and how the efforts spent are not rewarded.

Let's summarize our article by taking a look at the technical characteristics of Merzifon Karasi grape and wine. Merzifon Karasi, whose grapes are round, blue-black in color and grows in large, loose clusters, produces wines with an intense fruity profile, medium body, low tannin but the acidity above the average of red wines, and stands out with aromas of raspberry, pomegranate and black pepper.

Wayana Wine Menu includes Merzifon Karasi wines from Antalya producer Likya and Thracian producer Edrine Wines. We have samples from almost all the vintages of Likya, so wine-enthusiasts can even taste them vertically.