WINE and WAR - Lebanon Wine Documentary

WINE TALK
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Well done sirs, nice piece of good news in 2020.

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This looks great. Looking forward to watching it.

Can I suggest you keep the background music to a minimum. For me it added nothing, and was very distracting.

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Hey, also wanted to let you know that we are holding semi-weekly Zoom calls with Lebanese winemakers, hosted by the wine author Michael Karam. We already spoke with Chateau Musar, the recording is forthcoming. I’ll post all updates on this thread.

In the meantime, here’s a good chat with winemaker Faozi Issa of Domaine des Tourelles, which is the oldest commercial winery in Lebanon (1868):

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This Thursday we are hosting a Zoom call with the owner/winemakers of Massaya. In light of the Beirut explosion which occurred just hours ago, the Thurs. call may be postponed. Notice will be given here.

EDIT: THE WEBINAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK.

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In light of the Beirut explosions, the webinar with Massaya has been postponed until next week.

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Hope that all are safe and well as can be.

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Thanks for the heads up - can’t wait to see it -

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Hey Guys,

This is a reminder that the winemakers/owners of Massaya (Lebanon) will be on a Zoom call hosted by the Lebanese wine writer Michael Karam this Thursday if you’d like to tune in. Interestingly, Massaya unapologetically makes wines to drink now (the opposite of Château Musar). The Lebanese Civil War influenced them to make wines that are ready to drink now because tomorrow may never come (so drink up!). We’ll briefly cover the recent events in Beirut and then go on to learn more about their philosophy, story, and anything else you’d like to ask.

Thursday August 6th, Streaming Live from Beirut at 6pm (4pm UK, 12pm Sao Paulo, 11am New York City, and 8am California time).
AND please join the discussion on Zoom using the direct link here: Launch Meeting - Zoom

About the Winery:

Founded in 1996, Massaya, which in a rather lovely way, means the soft, glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon at dusk, is a unique Franco-Lebanese partnership forged between Lebanese brothers Ramzi and Sami Ghosn, the Brunier brothers of Domaine Le Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Dominique Hébrard, once of Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion. Together they have created one of the most successful Lebanese wineries to emerge in the past quarter of a century.

Story begins however at the outbreak of the 1975-90 civil war, a conflict that was to leave a lasting impression on Sami and Ramzi, who aged nine and seven respectively, they had to abandon their beloved family property in the Bekaa. ‘They were the best years of our lives,’ remembered Sami. ‘There was a lot of feasting and drinking and zajal (Arabic poetry). Back then the Bekaa was pure. There was no concrete.’

The idyll ended with the war and a mad escape from the property. ‘The foreman of the vineyards came one day in a hurry and informed my parents that they had to pack and leave in ten minutes because some people were massacred in the area,’ said Ramzi. ‘Our mother had a white Volvo,’ interjected Sami. ‘We all jumped in and drove off. Our dog, an Alsatian called Tigra, followed us the entire four kilometres to Chtaura. We were all crying. We never saw her again. We heard they shot her.’

It was the beginning of a nomadic life – from hotel to hotel, from friends to friends – to escape the war and attempt to make a living out of the situation. ‘My parents tried to explain to a kid of seven years old that he had to pack just important things and never come back to his country house. From ’75 until 1992, we couldn’t come back.’ Ramzi’s experience of having to forcibly leave would prove to be pivotal in another, shorter but brutal war, thirty-one years later.

Adapted from Lebanese Wine: A complete guide to its history and winemakers by Michael Karam.

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Mark I know you put a lot of blood sweat and tears into this film. I know you work well and I am beyond excited. Great subject.

1 Like
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Hey Berserkers,

WINE and WAR is now available to watch! All proceeds will be donated to CAP-HO, a charity providing medical care to children at St. Georges Hospital, Beirut, which was hit hard by the August 4 explosion.

Here’s a review from Wine Spectator:

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Is there a preferred platform to watch it through?

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The best viewing experience will be on Altavod (using Safari) with a 1984 Musar. :wink: Without this, a blend with Cinsault or Carignan (both of which do amazingly well in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley) would do nicely too.

While 90% of the film is in English, some viewers have enjoyed watching the film a second time with English subtitles on as there is a lot of content packed into 95 minutes. Also, Laemmle Theaters is showing the film should there be issues on Altavod. Enjoy! I’d love to hear your feedback.

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You clearly don’t watch many documentary trailers. [cheers.gif]

By the way, can’t wait to watch the film. Missed a chance to visit Musar last year when a friend was winning an alumni award at American University. Super bummed I didn’t just drop whatever relatively unimportant thing I had on the calendar.

I’ll get there. I adore that wine.

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Kudos!!!

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Good news, I enjoyed the interview with Faozi Issa and look forward to watching the film.

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The film was recently loaded into Amazon Prime and is free to members. Watched it this morning and was in total awe of the perseverance and passion winery owners & winemakers have to keep pushing ahead in difficult circumstances. Very nice glimpse of Serge Hochar the man. Well worth watching.

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I had my one bottle of 1980 with some WBers a month ago and it was brilliant. WOTY caliber bottle.

1995 is the epic vintage I’ve gotten to have more times. So good.

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I will be drinking a bottle of '91 Musar as I watch it tomorrow.

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Hey Guys, looks like you’ve already found the film, just released (Dec 21st). As Gary mentioned, it’s free for Amazon Prime members and also (for rent/purchase) on Apple TV, Google Play, and Vimeo. Links and reviews: @wineandwar | Linktree

Lebanon is currently going through some its darkest days since the Civil War. Every winemaker is dealing with hyperinflation, political instability, power cuts (worse than usual), and Covid (the least of their concerns). I urge everyone to please support and drink ALL Lebanese wines - there are many world class wines currently being made in the Beqaa Valley, Batroun Mountains, and scattered areas all over the country. There are grapevines growing from cracks in the sidewalk, the land is so suited to grape cultivation.

What are some of your favorite Lebanese wines and vintages?

Cheers,
Mark
Co-director, Wine and War

2 Likes
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That bottle was incredible.

I’ll watch this tomorrow evening. Should be a lot of “downtime” LOL