{"id":293694,"date":"2021-06-01T11:42:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T14:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=293694"},"modified":"2021-06-01T13:46:30","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T16:46:30","slug":"beqaa-valley-reinvents-lebanese-wine-exports-to-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/beqaa-valley-reinvents-lebanese-wine-exports-to-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"Beqaa Valley reinvents Lebanese wine, exports to Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The history of wine making in Lebanon is ancient. But the hiatuses the country went through made the region lesser known among many wine enthusiasts. The country was marred by a wine production downtime during the Ottoman Empire and the civil war that struck the nation from the 70\u2019s through the 90\u2019s. Pictured above, grape vineyard in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Starting from the 90\u2019s, the resumption of production in the Beqaa Valley region started to change this. According to Brazilian importer Zahil<\/a>, founded by Lebanese descendant siblings, from that moment on production in the Arab country began to grow back again and the number of wineries went from five to over forty as of 2010.<\/p>\n

Neither the Old nor New World<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the wine universe, much is said about the production of Old World and New World countries. For the Lebanese wine, it\u2019s a different story. \u201cWines from Lebanon, because of the region, could be seen as wines from the Old World. But since there was a long period without production, they are not. But they aren\u2019t wines from the New World either. It\u2019s a class of its own,\u201d Mistral<\/a> Marketing manager Rodrigo Mainard told ANBA.<\/p>\n

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Ch\u00e2teau Musar has made wine since 1930<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The supplier of the importer is Ch\u00e2teau Musar, owned by the Hochar family of wine growers. During the civil war, Serge Hochar, who led the winery, was one of few growers to keep harvesting. \u201cThe point is that, during the war, it was very dangerous to work, and exporting required a ridiculous logistic. And they managed to do so in troubled times,\u201d Mainardi stressed.<\/p>\n

Beyond the country\u2019s history, the executive points out that the product stands out because of the natural conditions of the condition, which are ideal for grape production. \u201cThe Beqaa Valley is a very good region. It has some altitude but is flat. The climate and the soil also allow for a slower ripening,\u201d the manager stressed.<\/p>\n

From the same region come the wines sold in Brazil by Zahil. The brand represents the wines by Ch\u00e2teau Kefraya, Lebanon\u2019s second largest wine grower. \u201cLebanese wines are very close to those from regions such as Bordeaux and Rh\u00f4ne, as they were greatly influenced by the French during the time it was under their rule. Its wines stand between the New-World \u2013 intense and ripe fruit \u2013 and the Old-World style \u2013 elegant and with ageing potential,\u201d the importer said in a news release.<\/p>\n

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Wines sold by Alyah Sweets are also produced in the Beqaa Valley region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zahil has been active for 35 years and buys and distribute all the products without intermediaries. \u201cWe work only on an exclusive basis of representation in Brazil with the wines we import,\u201d the brand\u2019s spokespeople said.<\/p>\n

Another Brazilian brand that sells Lebanese wines is Alyah Sweets<\/a> pastry shop. The S\u00e3o Paulo-based store produces and sells Arab delicacies prepared by Lebanese chefs that are now living in Brazil, as well as Arab beverages. \u201cWe have three red, two ros\u00e9 and two white wines. These wines are very characteristic of the region. One of the white wines has a single grape that\u2019s typical from Lebanon. The Obeidy grape is the same used to produce the traditional arak,\u201d the brand\u2019s spokesperson was quoted as saying in a new release.<\/p>\n