DRIVING INFORMATION

Alaçatı – Ovacık: 10 kilometers

OVACIK

Ovacık is the agricultural center of Çeşme. This region has become famous for its artichoke and melons as well as the vineyards producing grapes for wine making, thanks to the climate and fertility of the region. On a trip to Ovacık at sunset, the sound of the wind on wavy hills, the sea and Chios Island on the horizon will be waiting for you. This scenery, almost as good as the views Tuscany has to offer is absolutely worth seeing.

You will see Deveci Bağları sign while heading forward through Ovacık lands, owned by the Deveci family who has been involved in agriculture for generations. Ali Deveci’s late father Lütfi Deveci was the person to start modern fruit cultivation in Turkey in 1937 with his first farm in Samsun. In new farms around Turkey, over 20 types of fruit including “Deveci pear”, apple, peach, water melon, strawberry and plums were produced. The creator of the legendary Downtown restaurant in Istanbul, Ali Deveci heard the call of the soil which had been a family tradition, when he came to visit a dear friend who was into a vineyard job, during a holiday in Çeşme. Already familiar with soil from birth, Ali cultivated the land in Ovacık with devotion, fusing his family’s 60 years of experience with new techniques. He planted the most suitable grape saplings for the land, which he had brought from France, grew and turned them into wonderful vineyards. When climate, soil, sun and patience came together; very high quality Merlot, Shiraz, Tempranillo and Grenache grapes for wine making started to grow in Deveci Vineyards. While working at the vineyards every day, he kept on searching for the secrets of making quality wine. Don’t be surprised if you come across these grapes while drinking a good Turkish wine, as grapes grown with so much love, care and patience are naturally among the best grapes cultivated in Turkey.

Ovacık is a hidden gem with its golden yellow sand, crystal blue waters and virgin sand. “Before Sunset’, a newly opened beach club, is minimalistic enough to comply with the region’s habitat, yet very enjoyable, pleasant and comfy.

(You need a car to visit Ovacık. Ovacık is 9 kms from Alaçatı village.)