Viktor Levi Wine House - Istanbul - 1914

Viktor Levi was the son of a Gallipoli sardine salesman. When he went to Bozcaada to buy sardines, he began selling grapes, and then later started selling wine. As he collected his money from the places he sold sardines to in Istanbul, he realized the demand for wine was greater than the demand for his other goods. That was how he first got started in the wine business.
Around that time, there were four main wine houses in Istanbul. Pano, Diamondi, Izmirli, and Sofraki. The owners of these establishments told Viktor Levi that they sold the most wine, and tried every way they could, to avoid paying him the asking price for his wine. However Viktor Levi decided to teach these people a lesson, and in 1914 opened his own wine house.
Viktor Levi was amazed at the demand he faced for his wine, though the demand showed; people appreciated quality. He no longer had to sell sardines or grapes, and concentrated on producing good wines up until his death in 1967. His cousin Yasef Levi continued to successfully run the 'Viktor Levi' wine house until he left for America in 1985.
At this time the business closed, and was later turned into a cafe, then in1999 it was bought by 'Adakarasi Bagcilik Ltd Sti'. Work began to restore the building to its former glory. It took almost a year to bring 'Viktor Levi' back to life, with the decoration completed, it looked much like it had when it first opened. Once again, Viktor Levi was providing the people of Istanbul and his visitors with quality wine, in an atmosphere steeped in history...