Keeping it small

There’s a popular joke in the wine industry which goes: “Do you know how to make a million dollars out of a small winery? Start out with five million!” The joke illustrates why owning a small winery is perceived more as an expensive hobby or an act of passion than a money making venture. At the end of the day, however, a winery of any size is a business, albeit one that might not be easy to manage or profit from, especially in a country like Lebanon. Small wineries by definition The past 10 years has seen the number of wineries in Lebanon grow from around seven to almost 50. Many of these wineries, according to wine shop Les Caves De Taillevent’s General Manager Paul Choueiry, are considered small or boutique. Although there isn’t one absolute definition for small or boutique wineries, the wine specialists Executive spoke to believe a