Blog

Lebanon and Syria, a Crossroads of Wines and Flavors (#WinePW)

 

---

For May’s Wine Paired Weekend event, Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm has invited us to explore the wines and foods of the Middle East. You can read her invitation post here. This is a region rich in history, culture, flavor, and yes, wine.

Join us tomorrow, May 8 at 6pm IST/ 11am EST / 10am CST / 8am PST by following along with the #WinePW hashtag on Twitter as we explore the wines and flavors of the Middle East.

Wine in the Middle East

To many, mention of the Middle East evokes images of deserts, pyramids, bellydancers, political instability, and religious extremism. It is those things, but it’s also so much more. For centuries this crossroads of many peoples, cultures, and civilizations evolved into a place full of flavor. Food is spiced with cardamom, saffron, rose water, orange blossom water, garlic, coriander, cumin, lime, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, mint, thyme, parsley, sumak, fennel and fenugreek. Dried and fresh fruits, preserved citrus, and nuts make frequent appearances. Add to this centuries of winemaking. Because of the image many westerners carry of the Middle East, it comes as a surprise to many to learn that wine is made in so many countries including Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Algeria… Let’s not forget how often wine rates a mention in the Bible which kind of took place around here after all.

Since this region has hosted so many cultures, many of them migratory, a lot of the foods and flavors have also crossed boundaries. While some dishes have stronger traditions in one country or another and cooking styles and exact spices might vary, there’s a deep sense of connection here in the food.

I have two Lebanese colleagues who joined me for this. We created a feast with dishes that were both traditionally Lebanese (potato kibbe and eggplant fatteh), some that were a little more Syrian (lamb kabsa), and some that cross many borders in the Middle East. All together, our feast included:

• Sides: humus, potato kibbeh, moutabal,* harissa roasted carrot tabbouleh 
• Mains: eggplant and beef fatteh, lamb kabsa

*Moutabal = babaganoush with “moutabal” being the more Syrian name for it and “babaganoush” Lebanese

Domaine des Tourelles Marquis des Beys, 2013

Founded in 1868 by François-Eugène Brun Domaine de Tourelles stands as one of Lebanon’s oldest wineries. It survived the Ottoman Empire, the Lebanese Republic under French rule, the Arab-Israeli war, the civil war, and now faces the country’s current economic, social, and identity crisis. Through all this, Domaine de Tourelles has farmed grapes, made wine, and shown its commitment to both the environment and its people.

Located in the famous Bekaa valley, the domaine’s vineyards sit at a staggering 3,280 feet in iron-rich, gravelly, and limestone soils which are dry-farmed. The bulk of the vineyards, some reaching 70 years of age, are in the village of Ammik in the Western Bekaa, while two smaller plots, in the villages of Jdita and Taanayel are in the central Bekaa Valley. Some of the vineyards are owned outright by the winery while others are under long-term contracts. Vines are typically free-standing goblet, with a few trellised vineyards surrounding the property.

The winery implements a recycling program that collects its own used bottles and reprocesses them. It also collects cartons and plastic items which it dispatches to a Lebanese NGO Arcenciel, which cares for disabled people (they sell these items to special recycling industries in order to raise funds for their own projects). Even the residues of the fermented grapes are transformed into natural fertilizers for the vineyards. In addition, Domaine de Tourelles gives hiring priority to anyone from the winery’s village, Jdita, to help create and sustain lifelong careers and revenue for the families living there.

A 50/50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, Marquis de Beys is one of the winery’s highest quality wines. Like all the reds it produces, the grapes ferment in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts. This blend then ages for 18 months in a combination of new, first, and second use French barrels.

I stuck my nose in the glass of deep, intense ruby wine and just about fell off my chair. I need to now preface this by saying I’ve had this wine several times. It’s my colleague’s favorite and she’s brought back several bottles for me before. However, the last time I drank this vintage was three, maybe four years ago. It was nice. I enjoyed it. This bottle has been collecting dust in my wine room every since then…and now I understand why people age wine. The difference was astounding. Initially big and rich aromas of dried fruits, fig, cedar, and a touch of mint exploded from the glass. The longer it sat the more profound depths the bouquet reached adding clove, Lebanese 7 spice mix, and old saddle.

Tannins, while well-integrated, flexed their muscles still and carried through the end of a long finish. A full-bodied powerhouse with 14% abv, the flavors reflected the nose. Sumptuous without being cloying, flavors of fig, coffee liqueur, cedar, and leather wrapped themselves around the tongue. The wine was so incredible that I almost forgot to eat. It definitely overpowered several of the dishes we’d prepared but went very well with the stronger flavors on the table like the moutabal, humus, and lamb kabsa.

Domaine de Bargylus, 2012

Like its sister winery, Chateau Marsyas in Lebanon, Domaine de Bargylus began its journey in the late 90s with the Lebanese-Syrian Saadé family. The wineries, founded by Johnny R Saadé are now in hands of sons Karim and Sandro. The Bargylus winery sits in Deir Touma, appropriately near Mount Bargylus known today as Jebel Al-Ansariyé. For those not up on their modern (or ancient!) Syrian geography, that’s near the border with Eastern Turkey’s Hatay. In fact, the ancient city Antioch would have encompassed both Deir Touma and Hatay. Grapes grow at about 2,950 feet in limestone and limestone and flint plots.

Winemaking may have historic roots in Syria but it’s not exactly a cake walk these days. Given the current conflict in Syria, the domaine faces a number of security and logistic issues. The Saadé brothers have not been able to visit since the conflict broke out. They conduct harvest on the phone with workers. Grape samples get sent to Beirut by cab so they can determine harvest dates. And let’s not even talk about exporting.

The winery produces two wines, the Bargylus Red and White. The red blends together Syrah (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), and Merlot (20%). Wines are raised for 12-14 months in oak (25% new barrels) before blending. It poured a deep garnet with a thin, bright rim. Dried fruits (fig and cherries), fir forest, and old leather framed by cardamom, cloves, and ras al hanout spices. Persistent, supple tannins carried flavors of figs and brown spices and left behind lingering forest floor and date syrup. Medium plus body with 14.6% abv. With somewhat less robust flavors than the Marquis des Beys, the Bargylus paired better with more dishes. It went very well with the humus, potato kibbe, moutabal, eggplant fatteh, roasted carrot tabbouleh, and the lamb kabsa.

The fun doesn’t stop here!

Don’t forget to check out the wines, foods, and pairings other #WinePW crew members discovered in this deep dive into the Middle East.

• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles is Celebrating Sauvignon Blanc Day at the table with St. Supéry and easy Middle Eastern Dishes 
• Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairing is Drinking Serious Wine from Israel’s Domaine du Castel and Eating Causal Israeli Food
• Nicole of Somm’s Table is “Indulging My Lebanese Cravings with Chateau Musar Jeune Rouge” 
• Susannah of Avvinare shares Israeli Wine From the Judean Hills and Tabbouleh Salad
• Terri of Our Good Life talks about Kofte Kebabs and Ben Ami Cabernet Sauvignon: a BBQer’s Bliss. 
• Andrea of The Quirky Cork visits Lebanon and Syria, a Crossroads of Wines and Flavors 
• Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is sharing Man’oushe + Château Musar Lebanon Jeune Red 2017 
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm made up a  Mezze Platter with Middle Eastern Wines
• Jane of Always Ravenous is “Pairing Middle Eastern Flavors with Wine” 
• David of Cooking Chat is serving Sesame Free Hummus with Wine from the Middle East 
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator shares So Africa’s Organic Reyneke Syrah and Chenin Blanc with Instant Pot