Lebanon’s new wines step on stage

Wine culture in Lebanon can be traced back to the Phoenicians, who spread across the Mediterranean between 1500 and 300 B.C. The country's long-standing winemaking tradition was revived in the early 2000s, and wine production in Lebanon increased again. Today, Lebanon produces roughly 8.5 million bottles a year, which it mostly exports abroad, including to France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Wines produced in Lebanon show variety: Chateau Ksara, founded by Jesuit priests in 1857, offers 14 different wines from grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah, in addition to the autochthonous white grape variety Obeidi. The younger and more family business-oriented Chateau Khoury focuses on organic agriculture, while Coteaux les Cedres, an organic and fair trade winery from Heliopolis cooperative, boasts of its intense and slightly fruity wines.