Lebanese wine

Lebanon Map: Vitis vinifera evidence from ancient Rome shows wine was cultivated and then domesticated in Lebanon, at least two thousand years before Alexander the Great

Lebanon is among the oldest sites of wine production in the world. The Israelite prophet Hosea (780–725 BC) is said to have urged his followers to return to God so that "they will blossom as the vine and fame be like the wine of Lebanon, [and] their fragrance will be like that of Lebanon". The Phoenicians of the coastal strip were instrumental in spreading wine and viticulture throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times.

During the Ottoman period, wine production in Lebanon was restricted for four hundred years, except for religious purposes, which allowed Lebanese Christians to maintain viticulture. In 1857, the Jesuits founded La Maison Ksara near Zahle. The late 19th century witnessed further growth with wineries like Domaine des Tourelles and Domaine Wardy. The arrival of the French Mandate (1920–1946) spurred another period of expansion. French soldiers and diplomats created a significant local market and introduced new grape varieties. This period saw the founding of renowned wineries like Domaine Nakad, Château Musar, and Clos Saint Thomas. Following independence in 1943, the wine industry faced challenges due to the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). However, a few wineries, like Château Kefraya, were founded.

A significant revival in Lebanese wine making began in the late 1990s. As of 2014, Lebanon has over 43 wineries, with nearly half in the Beqaa Valley. Despite the many conflicts of the region, the country has an annual production of about 12,000,000 bottles of wine.

History

Antiquity

See also: History of ancient Lebanon and Phoenicians and wine

Vitis vinifera may have been domesticated in Lebanon, although it probably arrived from the South Caucasus via Mesopotamia or the Black Sea trade routes. Vines grew readily in the land of Canaan, the coastal strip of today's Lebanon, and the wines of Byblos were exported to Egypt during the Old Kingdom (2686 BC–2134 BC). The wines of Tyre and Sidon were famous throughout the ancient Mediterranean, although not all the cargoes reached their destination; Robert Ballard of Titanic fame found the wrecks of two Phoenician ships from 750 BC, whose cargo of wine was still intact. As the first great traders of wine ('Cherem'), the Phoenicians seem to have protected it from oxidation with a layer of olive oil, followed by a seal of pinewood and resin—this may well be the origin of the Greek taste for retsina. The philosophers Zeno of Citium and Chrysippus of Soli are both said to have enjoyed their wine, in fact the latter died from overindulgence.

Wine played an important part in Phoenician religion, and the Greek/Roman god Dionysus/Bacchus may have originated in the wine rituals of Canaan. Certainly the great temple at Heliopolis (Baalbek) has many depictions of vines and winedrinking, most famously captured by David Roberts in pictures such as 'Baalbec - Ruins of the Temple of Bacchus'. Such rituals may also have influenced the Greek Bacchae, the Jewish Passover Seder feast and the Christian Eucharist. The Bacchus temple in Baalbek outlines the instrumental role that the Phoenician played in the development of the Ancient World around the Mediterranean sea. through the widespread peaceful settlements that reached Spain. Genesis 14:18 mentions that the Phoenician King Melchizedek gave bread and wine (yayin) to Abraham, and Hosea 14:8 suggests "his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon".

Under Muslim rule

Once Lebanon became part of the Caliphate, wine production declined, although under the millet system it was tolerated among the Christian population for religious purposes. The Christians also developed Arak, an ouzo-like spirit flavored with aniseed.

The wine making headquarters of Château Ksara, in Bekaa, Lebanon

The first winemaker in Lebanon was Chateau Joseph Spath (Chateau Chbat) in 1847 at aaramoun kesrouan, later following of winemaker at Château Ksara in 1857 when Jesuits planted Cinsaut vines from Algeria at Château Ksara near Zahlé in the central Beqaa Valley. In 1868 a French engineer, Eugène François Brun, set up Domaine des Tourelles. In 1893, Domaine Wardy was founded.

Under French rule

The French influence between the World Wars promoted a culture of wine drinking, as did the sophisticated Mediterranean culture of Beirut at that time. During this period, a few wineries were founded, including Domaine Nakad in 1923, Gaston Hochar's Chateau Musar in 1930, and Clos Saint Thomas in 1937.

Independent Lebanon

Bottle of Château Musar 1999

Frenchman Yves Morard of Chateau Kefraya was arrested as a spy during the Israeli invasion, and was only released when he proved to the Israelis that he knew how to make wine.

The end of the conflict in the 1990s brought a new momentum to the viticulture and we could track the renaissance of the Lebanese wines to the set up of Domaine Wardy in 1997 and Massaya in 1998 that marked the active involvement of French wine dynasties in the Bekaa Valley. Back then, the number of producers was around 5 and at present more than 50 wineries are active in Lebanon.

The 2006 conflict, did not really change the trend even if some wineries were on the edge of missing the harvest (Ksara) and got collateral damages (Massaya). However, the media coverage translated into surge in demand during the fighting as British buyers in particular bought Lebanese wine as a mark of solidarity.

Grape varieties

Wine producing areas in Lebanon (red)

There are grapes that are specific and indigenous to Lebanon such as Obaideh and Merwah.

Wineries

Visitors at the chateau, on a wine-tasting visit.

Most of the major wineries have their vineyards in the southern Beqaa Valley. Château Ksara remained the biggest as of 2005, with 70% of all the country's production. It is no longer connected with the Jesuit house of Tanail, it was sold in 1972 and suffered considerably during the Lebanese Civil War, but has now bounced back.

Next biggest is Château Kefraya, whose majority of shares were bought by Druze politician Walid Jumblat from the De Bustros family in the late 1980s.

Musar achieved international recognition at the Bristol Wine Fair of 1979 and for a long time was the only Lebanese wine widely available in the United Kingdom. Chateau Musar is known for transporting the grapes across the front line during the Lebanese Civil War.

List of Lebanese wines

Wine Name	Date of Production	Origin	Founder
Karam Wines [1]	2002	Jezzine	Captain Habib Karam
Château Héritage	1888	Qabb Ilyas	Touma Family (la Famille Touma)
Domaine Wardy	1997	Beqaa Valley	Managed and Owned by the Wardy Family
Château Kefraya	1951	N/A
Château Khoury	N/A	N/A
Château Marsyas	2007	Beqaa Valley	Johnny R.Saadé family
Château Musar	1930	Beqaa Valley	Gaston Hochar
Château Nakad in Jdita	N/A	N/A
Château Qanafar	2010	Beqaa Valley	Naim family
Couvent St. Sauveur	N/A	N/A
Domaine des Tourelles	1868	Beqaa Valley, Chtaura	François-Eugène Brun
Château St Thomas	1995	Beqaa Valley, Qabb Elias	Touma Family
Cave du monastère st. Jean	1720 (Renovated 2006)	Khenchara
RIACHI [2]	1839	Khenchara	Moussa Riachi
Cave Kouroum	1998	Kefraiya	Bassim Rahhal
Clos de Cana	N/A	N/A
Domaine de Baal	1995	Zahle - Bekaa Valley	Sebastien Khoury
IXSIR	2008	Batroun	Gabriel Rivero
Château Ksara	1857	Beqaa Valley	Zafer Chaoui
Massaya	N/A	N/A
Nabise Mont Liban	N/A	N/A	N/A
Terre Joie [3]	2011	West Beqaa	Joe Saade
V Divino	N/A	Beqaa Valley	Vanessa Srouji
St. George	2010	N/A	Kabalan Abou Jaoude

See also

• Winemaking
• Agriculture in Lebanon
• Lebanese cuisine

References

• Karam, Michael (2005) "The Wines of Lebanon" Saqi Books - reference book on Lebanese wine

Jean-Pierre BEL, Les paysages viticoles de la Bekaa (Liban), Paris : BoD, 2009, 232 p

Jean-Pierre BEL, Vignes et vins au Liban : 4 000 ans de succès, Paris : BoD, 2014, 416 p

External links

• lebwine.com Wine of Lebanon
• Map of Lebanese wineries from Chateau Kefraya
• On Lebanese Wines by David Furer