Ganos (Lights) Mountain, on which the Melen vineyards rest, was a sacred mountain famous for its monasteries during the Byzantine Empire. The wine of the vineyards around these monasteries was consumed in the Byzantine Palace and was sent to a wide geography from Egypt to Russia with amphoras made in the region.
Today, only one of these monasteries is standing; Located within the Melen Vineyards, St. John Theologos Monastery. The vineyards that flourished with Melen's efforts caused this ancient building to be dressed like in the old days.
Located on the windy slopes of Hoşköy overlooking the sea, the vineyard leans its back against the mountains of Ganohora, reaching 945 meters. It is 600 meters from the sea and at an altitude of 200 meters. That's why it's hot during the day and cold and windy at night. The modern vineyards in the stony, gravelly, dry soil of the Monastery were established with four noble clones of the four main grape varieties. The 150-decare vineyard includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Shiraz and Öküzgözü. With the grape varieties added later, the vineyard area and grape range continued to expand. In order to produce the best grapes, only 1 kg of grapes is harvested from each vine trunk in the vineyard per year, which is equivalent to one bottle of wine.
