There should have been no reason for me to be surprised that the lovely white wine I enjoyed this past weekend was from Lebanon. But I was taken aback, because frankly, wine from Lebanon is not exactly on everyone’s lips these days. I never see it on any wine lists of restaurants I regularly frequent…except for the list at House Red in Forest Park, Illinois. Wine Director/Proprieter, Neb Mrvaljevic, is savvy enough to add some interesting regional wines from the Old Old World not on other menus and for that reason (among others), I’ll be back to visit.
I was intrigued about Lebanese wine and you may be, too. Neb explained that wine making began in the country 5000 years ago with the Phoenicians tending vineyards, making wine, and trading with cities long before the Greeks and Romans had that opportunity. Obviously, Lebanon is one of the oldest sites of wine production in the world! Phoenician wine was a hot commodity in the Ancient World and the Canaanites were apparently avid wine drinkers. The word “wine” is derived from the Phoenician word “cherem” and refers to the fermentation of grapes. A fantastic website to learn more (because I just can’t do this topic justice in such a short article )is www.lebwine.com which includes more history, interesting anecdotes, winery and tourist information, and beautiful photographs. Please check it out!
The wine I loved in one of my wine flights (and subsequently purchased a bottle for at-home imbibement) was a white wine from Massaya Vineyard in the Bekaa Valley. Before I offer my tasting note, you may want to know a bit about the winemakers and winery.
Massaya is a boutique winery with vineyard soils of clay and limestone. The area is nestled between the Lebanon mountains and the Mediterranean Sea and thanks to abundant sunshine, frost free weather, long mild summers, and wet winters it is perfect for viticulture. It was founded by Ramzi and Sami Ghosn, Lebanese natives who returned to their country to reclaim their war torn family estate, in the mid-1990s. In 1998, Dominique Hebrard from St. Emilion in Bordeaux along with brothers Frederic and Daniel Brunier from Chateauneuf du Pape invested in Massaya and I could (and should and most probably will) write many many articles about these Frenchmen because they are amazing in their own right. The Massaya website (which you should peruse, too, for more info including some lively history about those wine drinking Phoenicians…) states that Ghosn brothers “harnessed the potential of their fabulous terroir to the know-how of two French wine-making dynasties”. And yes, they absolutely did, with delicious results~
**2010 Massaya Blanc – Consisting of 35% Clairette, 35% Obeidi, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and 15% Chardonnay grapes, this wine was the lightest of the three whites on the flight. The Obeidi grape is indigenous to the area and is fragile with a soft skin. All of the grapes were grown in their vineyards. Its color was pale gold and on the nose were white flowers and some minerality. I loved the blending of the grapes with the clairette contributing a floral note and the sauvignon blanc and chardonnay adding citrus. With a smooth and lingering finish this wine is perfect with baked fish or blue cheese or…let’s not kid ourselves…on its own! The Massaya Blanc has 13.5% alcohol and I purchased this at House Red for $14.00. A terrific bargain for a wine which is not usually available on the mainstream wine list. Thanks, Neb!
The Romans chose the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon as the site on which to build the temple of Bacchus as an homage to their god of wine and grapes! Hmmmm….they definitely picked the perfect place!
Cheers to finding something unexpected! ~ Cindy
2010 Massaya Blanc – Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
**An article about the Croatian wines I tasted at House Red is forthcoming! Stay tuned!** ~C.
