November 2022 Rosé Club

Wine is probably not one of the first things people associate with Lebanon, and that’s a shame. The second smallest country by area in continental Asia, the Levantine nation squeezes an atlas worth of languages, faiths, and cultures into a quiver of space between the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Syria to the north and east, and Israel to south. And like many other regions with a long history and an overabundance of things people value, it has also experienced way too much conflict, plunder and appropriation over the years. But Lebanon’s viticultural practices go back almost as far as the cedar trees on the flag (see below for more details), and have been a relative constant through all the upheaval. So while not a skeleton key of course, wine is one way into this fascinating place that is relatively unencumbered by all the assumptions and competing agendas that mediate most of our information about it. The two Lebanese roses we are featuring  this month are just a  taste of a very rewarding tradition, definitely worth exploring further. 

French in origin, the Hochar family arrived in Lebanon in the 12th century.  In 1930, Gaston Hochar Sr. planted his first vineyards after returning from Bordeaux and founded Chateau Musar. In 1959, his son Serge Hochar became Chateau Musar’s winemaker while completing his winemaking studies at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux under the tutelage of Jean Riberau and Emile Peynaud.  Musar’s vineyards were certified organic in 2006, making it the first winery in Lebanon to receive the designation. Most of the vineyards are located in the Bekaa Valley, between two parallel mountain ranges and stretching to Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline. Grape vines have been cultivated here for at least 6,000 years: the Phoenicians (navigators of modern Lebanon) introduced vines and wine from Byblos to all areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Serge Hochar's natural approach to winemaking means that the 180 hectares of Musar vineyards are managed with a minimum of human intervention, and all wines are made with this in mind. For example, all the grapes are picked by hand by Bedouins between August and October. In Musar winery, the fermentation is done by wild yeast, using as little sulfur dioxide as possible, and Musar red wine has never been clarified and filtered.

Ever since it was founded in 1857, Château Ksara has embodied the core values of Tradition, Nobility, and Modernity. As Lebanon’s oldest winery, they have made it their mission to not only continue their centuries-old practice of winemaking, but to also implement the newest and most innovative processes to set standards in winemaking for generations to come.

Chateau Ksara was started by Jesuit monks who inherited a 25-hectare plot of land situated between Tanail and Zahle in the Bekaa Valley. Resident priest Father Kirn recognized the potential of the terroir and convinced the other priests to plant French vines imported from Algeria. In doing this, the Jesuits produced Lebanon’s first “dry wine,” and laid the foundations of the country’s modern wine industry. In the 1920’s, the Bekaa Valley saw the arrival of tens of thousands of French civil servants and soldiers, all of whom needed a regular supply of wine. The Jesuits, who until this point had made wine for their own consumption in Lebanon and abroad, began to sell their wine under the label Caves de Ksara.

In the early 1970’s, The Vatican encouraged its monasteries and missions around the world to sell off any commercial assets. But by then, Château Ksara was producing 1.5 million bottles annually, and the monks’ success is now deemed to be at odds with their religious work, so Château Ksara was optioned to a consortium of wine loving investors who are keen to preserve the heritage of the historic winery.

Think Pink!

Carrie Upson-General Manager