Bekaa Vally

Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley might seem like an unlikely wine region, but its history is tremendous. Home to one of the world’s best-preserved classical Greek temples which, in the second century AD, was dedicated to Bacchus, the god of wine, viticulture in this dry region has survived through centuries of conflict. Vines have been an ever-present sight here. A plateau between two mountain ranges, Bekaa is an almost ideal place for viticulture, owing to the dry, windy climate. Indeed, viticulture is mostly organic as the climate takes care of many pests itself.

Chateau Musar is Lebanon’s iconic producer, although it is gaining more international exposure as fine wine production in the country grows at a dramatic rate. There are around 50 Lebanese wine producer now, rising from the 14 present at the turn of the century. This is certainly not a product of stability in the Bekaa Valley in particular. Musar continued to produce wine through the Lebanese civil war that ripped the country apart through 1975 to 1990. Now, the valley is home to an estimate million Syrian refugees, who settle alongside the local Bedouin tribes. Still, wine production flourishes. Utilising Cinsault, Carignan and Grenache, among others, the wines from Bekaa—and Musar in particular—can be muscular in their youth, with many possessing the ability to age gracefully for decades. They are some of the most intriguing on the planet.