Assyrian merchant Yuhanna Aktas no longer has to hide from villagers in his conservative corner of southern Turkey that the grapes they harvest are destined to become wine.
A member of the shrinking Christian minority in Mardin Province, Aktas has been waging a lonely battle for acceptance by his Muslim neighbors and local officials, who frown on alcohol sales.
“Winegrowing and reviving the disappearing Assyrian culture were my childhood dream,” Aktas said, next to barrels of wine fermented from green grapes in Midyat, a town 50km from the Syrian border.
Only about 3,000 Assyrians still live in the wider Mardin Province, which is

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