Top 100 wines of Lebanon

Discovering the wine region of Lebanon

Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country with an ancient wine culture that has experienced a renaissance in recent decades. In 2011, about six million bottles of Lebanese wine were produced from 2000 hectares (5000 acres) of Vineyards. Modern Lebanese viticulture has moved inland from the ancient Phoenician port cities to the fertile Bekaa Valley. There are also a handful of vineyards near Jezzine, a few kilometres from the Southern end of the Bekaa, just inland from Sidon.

The majority of Lebanese wine is exported to the UK, France and the US, where receptive consumers have encouraged healthy growth in Lebanon's modern wine industry. In 1998, there were less than 10 wineries in Lebanon; there are now more than 30. Red wines account for the bulk of production; they are generally made from the classic southern French Grape varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. White wines may contain Ugni Blanc, Clairette and Chardonnay.

The modern wine industry dates back to the 19th century. As non-Muslims living in a Muslim state - which had been Part of the Ottoman Empire since the 1500s - Christians living in Lebanon enjoyed certain freedoms, including the right to produce wine for ceremonial purposes. It was on this basis that in 1857 a group of Jesuit priests founded a winery in Ksara, a small town in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon's best wine-growing area. Château Ksara deserves its own chapter in the annals of Lebanese wine history.

Discover the grape variety: Vermentino

The vermentino grape variety was widespread in Italy, Sardinia and Corsica. Today, Vermentino is grown in the regions bordering the Mediterranean, mainly in Provence (Côtes de Provence, Bellet), Corsica (Corse Calvi), Languedoc (Côtes du Roussillon, Costières de Nîmes) and the Rhône Valley (Côtes du Luberon). Because it ripens late, Vermentino requires a warm climate for its development and can only be grown in regions with good sun exposure. Conversely, cold or temperate climates do not allow it to ripen properly. Vermentino is only susceptible to powdery mildew. When vinified on its own, Vermentino produces a single-variety dry white wine that is light and full-bodied with a pale yellow color. It can also be blended with other grape varieties such as Ugni Blanc, Cinsault and Grenache, in which case its low acidity makes it light and fresh. Vermentino belongs to the grape varieties of Ajaccio, Corsica and Corbières. The aromas released by this variety are multiple. One can detect notes of fresh apple, green almond, sweet spices, hawthorn, ripe pear and fresh pineapple.

Food and wine pairing with a wine of Lebanon

wines from the region of Lebanon go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of empanadas de carne (argentina), lamb collar with mustard or chicken with olives in a couscousier.

Organoleptic analysis of wine of Lebanon

On the nose in the region of Lebanon often reveals types of flavors of earth, microbio or strawberries and sometimes also flavors of tree fruit, red fruit or citrus. In the mouth in the region of Lebanon is a powerful.