Lebanon’s newest bottle

Lebanon’s long history of wine production dates back to 2,600 BC when the Phoenicians used to export the wines of Byblos to Egypt; many believe the story of Jesus Christ’s first miracle of converting water to wine at a wedding took place in Lebanon’s Qana. When the Ottoman Empire took control of Lebanon, wine production took a back seat only to be slightly revived with the French mandate, which brought with it France’s love for good wine. With the civil war, interest in wine making receded once again, and it is only in the last few years that the country has witnessed a rebirth of wine culture. Today, according to the Union Vinicole du Liban (UVL), the official association of Lebanese wine producers, Lebanon’s viticulture produces 6.5 to 7 million bottles of wine annually, with 2,000 hectares of land in the country dedicated to wine grapes. While this is but