The flavor of tomato leaf in wine of Bekaa Valley

Discover the of Bekaa Valley wines revealing the of tomato leaf flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).

More information on of Bekaa Valley flavors

The Bekaa Valley is the heartland of modern Lebanese wine. Almost 90 percent of Lebanon's wine is made here, as is a respectable proportion of its Arak, the anise-flavored spirit that remains the nation's favorite alcoholic drink. The original Bekaa Valley Vineyards were planted with Cinsaut, which was subsequently joined by other French vine varieties. Most of these remain in Lebanon’s vinicultural makeup today: red Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and white Ugni Blanc, Clairette and Chardonnay.

The oldest winery in the area is Chateau Ksara, which was established by the Jesuit Christians of Taanayel (Tanail), an ancient monastic settlement just down the valley from Ksara. The first Vineyard there was planted in 1857, with plants brought from France via the colonies in Algeria. At that time Lebanon was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, whose Sharia law condemned the production or consumption of wine except for religious purposes. Thus the initial winery was very subdued, and it was not until the French took control of the country after WW1 (under the League of Nations' French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon) that Bekaa Valley wine production began to expand.

Chateau Musar, founded in 1930, is another Long-established estate in the valley and the most famous in global terms. A 1979 write-up in Decanter magazine by Michael Broadbent helped to Open up export markets. By 1990, the vast majority of their production left the country. This year marked the end of the Lebanese Civil War, which had lasted since 1975.

News on wine flavors

Bordeaux winemaker turns north to make Breton Chardonnay

Lamballe, CEO of window manufacturer FenêtréA, purchased the 25-hectare property Kerfraval in the village of Baden, near the natural harbour of the Gulf of Morbihan, in March 2022. Sallaud will transform Kerfraval into a wine estate, named Domaine Lamballe, comprising a winery – where he will make still and sparkling wine – a visitor centre and six gites. ‘We will plant 10ha of Chardonnay in April this year to make still and sparkling wines,’ Sallaud told Decanter. ‘Mr Lamballe loves Chablis, he ...

‘Exceptional’ Lafleur 2021 released en primeur

Château Lafleur 2021 was released in the Bordeaux en primeur campaign this morning (27 May) at the equivalent of £6,508 (12x75cl in bond), according to Liv-ex. This sought-after Pomerol label, produced from a vineyard of just 4.5 hectares, is often sold in smaller quantities and sometimes only on allocation. UK merchant Justerini & Brooks was offering three-bottle cases of Lafleur 2021 for £1,627 in bond at the time of writing. Decanter’s Georgie Hindle gave Lafleur 2021 97 points, naming it ...

Decanter magazine latest issue: February 2022

Inside the February 2022 issue of Decanter Magazine: FEATURES: Wines of the Year An extraordinary tasting, our best ever, of 126 wines put forward by Decanter’s experts and staff, resulted in these 51 top-scorers Your choice: why you bought that wine But was it really? Rolfe Hanson uncovers a host of decision makers involved in you picking that one bottle Burgundy 2020: vintage report Charles Curtis MW on the standout wines of this exceptional if hot year Producer profile: Château-Grillet Matt ...