Even if you’re not an aficionado of Middle Eastern wines, you may have heard of wines being produced in Lebanon. Lebanon’s winemaking history dates back 7,000 years to biblical times. However, it is in the mid-2000s where new winemakers have started to emerge with an ideology on creating a style they feel is more “Lebanese”, less driven by a European-influenced sensibility. By using different grape varieties, techniques, and, in some ways, a lighter stylistic touch, they are creating wines with an emphatic sense of place. Many of them are based in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Wide and rugged, with a horizon that disappears in a blue haze, this vast plateau was first planted with vines more than 5,000 years ago.
The lay of the land
Lebanon sits at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, where it borders Syria and Israel. Today, near half a million refugees live in camps along the Beirut-Damascus road in the western Bekaa Valley. This area is the heart of wine country, located about 30 miles east of Beirut.
The country’s dry, sunny climate and landscape is ideal for grape growing. The snow-capped Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains provide protection for the high-elevation vines of the Bekaa Valley, many grown at more than 3,000 feet.
Elevation also plays a key role in the rugged hills of the Jezzine wine region in the south. In Batroun, a region north of Beirut, the vineyards are cooled by the Mediterranean Sea.
French influence still dominates Lebanese winemaking. Mediterranean red varieties like Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan are commonplace, along with Bordelais varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. These wines are generally powerful, with notes of Middle Eastern spices like cumin and sumac.
The region is also known for some of their native grapes, including the Obeidi.
Obeidi
Indigenous and native only to Lebanon, the Obeidi grape is one that is fragile with a soft skin. The most notable use of the grape is in the Lebanese traditional aniseed liqueur – Arak.
The Obeidi is high in sugars, low in acidity and often yields wine with a creamy texture and flavours of honey and lemons. It responds well to oak ageing and, when vinified with care, is capable of ageing for many years.
In Lebanese winemaking, the grape is typically blended with Chardonnay, Semillion or Merwah, another Lebanese variety. However, in recent years, a handful of wineries has since created 100% Obeidi wines, which truly express the uniqueness and exquisite flavours of the grape. One of the pioneers in creating the Obeidi varietal wine is Chateau St Thomas.
Chateau St Thomas
Lebanon, Bekka Valley
Established in 1990 by Saïd Touma and his family on a hill overlooking the Bekaa valley, Château St Thomas estate is a vineyard spreading over sixty-five hectares with a storehouse for fermentation and ageing.
On this very land of the Bekaa valley, the Romans had once created the Temple of Bacchus, a tribute to the Roman god of wine. Throughout history, this land still shows untapped potential to produce great wines.