Lebanese wine has been around a long time, perhaps thousands of years. But despite the fame of producers like Chateau Musar, only modest quantities are sold abroad. In an interview with Reuters Agency, Wine writer Michael Karam (author of Wines of Lebanon, published in 2005), explains why the small USD 25 million a year industry should carve out a wider name. According to him, what makes Lebanese wine special is its scarcity, and the fact that you are drinking wine made from grapes grown in a land that has been making wine for 6000 years, from grapes planted in the Bekaa Valley, site of the Temple of Bacchus. “So if you want to pour a glass of romance, a glass of history, you can do worse”, he says.

According to this expert, newcomers to Lebanese wine should start with the mainstream Lebanese wines, such as reds, like Le Prieure by Ksara, Les Breteches by Kefraya, the Massaya Classic, or the Les Emirs by Clos St Thomas. “Avoid Chateau Musar, he says, because it's got such a different taste, it might not appeal to all... The wine world is divided over Chateau Musar”.

At the high end of the scale, Michael Karam cites “Chateau Musar '91, '88 and '95 for the red, Chateau Musar '98 for the white. Kefraya Comte de M '96, if you can find one. Ksara Troisieme Millennaire 2000. Massaya Gold Reserve 2003 or a Massaya Silver Selection, any year. Chateau Clos St Thomas”.
Concerning the future of Lebanon's wine industry, he explains that “it can survive and thrive, but that would depend on wine producers taking a more pro-active approach to marketing. If Lebanese wine is to have an impact internationally - let's face it, output is only six million bottles a year, which is the same as one French producer - they can't really go out there individually. It must be as a country. Lebanon has to be the brand”.