Grapes of worth

ENAR

"Wine is a way of living; it is your vines, your terroir… You are, first of all a farmer,” says Ramzi Ghosn, co-owner and winemaker at Massaya, one of Lebanon’s leading boutique wineries. Indeed, for most Lebanese wine producers, their work is first and foremost a passion that has also spread the Lebanese wine gospel both at home and abroad. The industry has also witnessed new steps toward regulation. This year saw the official creation of the National Wine Institute, a public-private body that will eventually control all areas of the sector. There is still much work to be done but the Lebanese wine producers Executive spoke to are confident they are on the right track. Lebanon has a rich wine history, dating back to 7,000 BC according to modern scholars. The Phoenicians began exporting wine across the Mediterranean where it developed a reputation for quality, which continued until Lebanon