Turk creates “wine of the Apocalypse”

A Turkish businessman has produced a “wine of the Apocalypse” to be drunk on 21 December, the date when the world is due to end according to the Mayan calendar.

Erkan Onoglu created the wine, which has gone on sale in Turkey, especially for superstitious survivalists, according to Turkish daily newspaper Radikal

Believers of the “doomsday” Mayan prediction have flooded into a small village in western Turkey, near the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, AFP reports.

Sirince, a village of around 600 inhabitants, has a positive energy according to doomsday cultists, who believe it is close to an area where the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven.

An ancient Greek village in the province of Izmir, Sirince is well known for its fruit wines made from apples, raspberries, mulberries and blackberries among others.

The tiny village produces several million bottles of fruit wine a year, with German-owned Artemis producing over 3 million bottles alone.

Artemis also produces grape-based wines from local varieties like Bogazkere, Öküzgözü, Emir and Narince.

The Mayan doomsday prophecy has sparked a tourism boom in Sirince, which is expected to host more than 60,000 visitors next week, according to local media.

“It is the first time we have witnessed such an interest during the winter season,” Ilkan Gulgun, a hotel owner in Sirince, told AFP.

“Tourists at my hotel believe the positive energy of Sirince will save them from an apocalyptic catastrophe,” he added.