Wine and cheese and the perfect poker family holiday at EPT Cyprus
If the poker didn’t go to plan at EPT Cyprus, there was always the option of heading up the mountains for some delicious wine and cheese…
Do you know what I learned after six small-but-not-so-small-that-I-didn’t-get-a-bit-tipsy glasses of wine?
I learned that a wine tasting at a vineyard is a bit like getting poker coaching (at least for people like me who have neither refined palettes nor extensive poker knowledge).
When asked what notes I was tasting in each glass – just like when I’m asked what I would do in certain poker spots – I only knew the correct answer once I was told it. Then it seemed so obvious.
The wine tasting I’m referring to took place during the Wine and Cheese Pairing, one of the fantastic activities organised by PokerStars as part of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus festival.
TO THE VINEYARD!
Just a 20-minute drive from the Merit Royal Diamond resort, we arrive at the Etel Winery at the Gillham Vineyard Hotel, nestled in the pine-clad mountains of North Cyprus. What awaits us is a full tour of the vineyard, a detailed explanation of how the wine was made, and, of course, lots of wine and cheese. Sounds great, right?
When we arrive we stop for a drink before our tour begins. There we meet Onur Demirci, a Turkish poker pro who is here with his wife Hayley as well as her mother and husband. The couple live in Istanbul while Hayley’s family have come from Buffalo, New York. They’re on a family vacation to Cyprus, and it’s no coincidence that it coincides with the EPT’s visit.
“My birthday was this week and I originally wanted to go to Bali,” Hayley tells me. “But then Onur showed me there was a tournament series in Cyprus. I was like, it’s my birthday, let’s go for it! You can work, I can have fun. Then I invited my family over too.”
FIRST TASTE
Onur, an online tournament professional for 14 years now, had played the Eureka Main Event as well as a side event, cashing both of them. Live poker (and, unfortunately, PokerStars) are prohibited in Instanbul, so this is his first taste of the PokerStars Live experience.
“It’s been a great experience,” he says. “It’s such a nice fit for poker players who want to bring their family. There are beaches, delicious food, and the hotel is amazing. It’s like a beach holiday but you can go play poker too.”
Onur and Hayley Denucir (front) with Hayley’s mother and stepfather
“We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into because we booked it through PokerStars Travel,” says Hayley. “But the hotel is amazing. Everything has been so great. We had no problems at all.”
I also took the opportunity to speak with Mal, a British expat whose business — Cyprus Active — organised not only this trip for PokerStars but also the Jeep Safari adventures and the boat trips.
“We’re only a small company,” he says. “In fact, I’m a one-man band. But I get to spend most of my time in the mountains with people on holiday enjoying themselves.
“There are certainly worse places to live and work,” he continues, directing our gaze over the vineyard. There’s a fantastic view of the mountains with the ocean poking through in the distance–a landscape photobomb, if you like.
The ocean hid for this one
LET THE TOUR BEGIN
Drinks are finished and we set off to learn about the history of the Etel Winery and the various products it produces (it’s not just wine, but also soaps and olive oil). We stroll through its “wall of fame” where its many awards are proudly displayed, then head down into the chilly cellar, a welcome respite from the heat up above.
There are seven enormous wine tanks, each holding up to 10,000 litres of wine. When the wine has finished “sleeping”, it’s sent through the pressing machine and then a destemming machine which removes the stems (the clue is in the name), while the grape skins are sent to the spa to be used in treatment products.
The wines are then barrelled where they will remain for anywhere from six to 22 months, before hitting the bottle.
Etel produces anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 bottles of wine a year
We won’t spoil anything else. Let’s get to the wine and cheese.
I’ve eaten cheese with a glass of wine plenty of times, but I’ve never had the perfect cheese for a particular glass of wine until this trip.
Quite the spread
WHO SMELLS A PLUM?
A glass is poured for us and first, we look for the colour by tipping the glass to its side while hovering it over a napkin, as if you’re going to pour it out. Then we swirl it around and sniff for the aromas.
“Who’s getting plum notes?” our guide asks the group. “Can you smell plums?”
“Does anyone ever smell a plum?” Hayley’s stepfather asks. He’s got a point. But as soon as plums are mentioned, that’s all one can smell.
Finally, it’s time for a taste. It’s the best part… until the cheese gets involved. We’re told what cheese to eat before the second sip and it’s quite incredible how much the right cheese can elevate the wine’s taste. Alternatively, eat the wrong cheese and it can overpower the wine.
No plums in this one
Five or six “small” glasses later (funnily enough I can’t remember exactly how many we had) and it’s time to head home.
A DIFFERENT HONOUR
While we wait for our transportation back to the Merit, I ask Onur and Hayley more about their time in Cyprus.
“It seems like it has been a big success for the first year here,” Onur says. “I’m pretty sure that whoever came here and experienced this atmosphere will definitely want to come again. It’s great that it’s all-inclusive, too. Other than tournament buy-ins, you don’t have to carry money. You can just walk around, eat, drink, whatever you want.”
Onur studied civil engineering at university but found he was playing poker far more than he was studying. He fell in love with the game and after graduating moved to Las Vegas for three months to play live, something he’d been unable to do until then.
Onur and Hayley
He’s been playing online poker professionally from Istanbul ever since but has craved some live poker experience, particularly at a PokerStars event. It’s been special for Hayley, too, seeing her husband live his dream.
“We’re living in a country that doesn’t allow live poker so it’s a different honour seeing him play in person,” she says. “He just lights up, I know it’s his passion.”
She turns to Onur. “It’s really nice to see you do this in person. I want this more for you.”
Later that night I bump into Onur and Hayley outside the Merit Royal. It’s their last night here and he’s playing the $1,050 Hyper Turbo Knockout, in which he’d already won two knockout bounties. Hayley has popped over on the break to show her support before heading back to dinner with her family.
If that isn’t the ideal portrait of what a poker family holiday can look like, I don’t know what is.
MORE ABOUT THE EPT
Official EPT site
EPT Cyprus coverage hub
EPT Cyprus activities guide
