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Wine / Spirits Education in Bekaa Valley
Lebanon's high inland wine country, a broad valley around 900 to 1,000 metres between the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges, where most of the country's vineyards and its historic estates around Zahle and West Bekaa are found.
Why here
The Bekaa Valley is where Lebanese wine is grown and the best place to understand it. A high plain around 900 to 1,000 metres between two mountain ranges, it has long hot days, cool nights and good drainage, and it holds most of the country's vineyards along with estates that have been making wine since the 19th century. Two of them anchor a visit: Chateau Ksara near Zahle, founded by Jesuit priests in 1857 and the oldest and largest winery in the country, with tastings that end in two kilometres of Roman-cut cellar tunnels, and Chateau Kefraya in the West Bekaa, a benchmark producer whose terraced vineyards climb the foothills of Mount Barouk. Between them you can taste the Cinsault, Cabernet, Syrah and Grenache blends that define Lebanese reds, the crisp whites, and the aniseed spirit arak that is distilled here too. Tours run through vineyards, cellars and tasting rooms, often ending over a long Lebanese lunch among the vines. It is a compact, deep introduction to one of the oldest wine cultures on earth.
Best months
The wineries are open for tours and tastings year-round, but late spring and the September to October harvest are when the valley is greenest and most alive, with the vintage underway. Summer days are hot and bright on the open plain, and winter can be cold with snow on the surrounding peaks. Tours and tastings are best arranged ahead, particularly at harvest and on summer weekends when the estates are busy, and both flagship houses have restaurants for lunch.
Getting there & around
The Bekaa lies about 50 kilometres east of Beirut, roughly an hour to an hour and a half by car over the Mount Lebanon pass toward Zahle, with the West Bekaa estates a little further on. The wineries are spread across the valley, so a car, a driver or an organised wine tour is the practical way to link two or three in a day, and a driver is sensible given the tastings. Book visits ahead, and combine Zahle-area and West Bekaa houses rather than backtracking.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Chateau Kefraya
OutfitterChateau Kefraya lies in the West Bekaa on the foothills of Mount Barouk, its terraced vineyards spread over about 300 hectares at around 1,000 metres above the Mediterranean. Founded in 1979, it exports to more than 40 countries and is one of Lebanon's benchmark producers. Guided tours cross the vineyards past Roman ruins to panoramic viewpoints, then descend into the cellars and the arak distillery, ending at the estate's Le Relais Dionysos restaurant looking out over the vines.
Chateau Ksara
OutfitterChateau Ksara, founded in 1857 by Jesuit priests, is Lebanon's oldest and largest winery, sitting near Zahle in the Bekaa Valley with more than 200 hectares of vineyard. Its cellars run through about two kilometres of tunnels first cut by the Romans and kept naturally cool for ageing. Guided visits take in the tunnels, a small heritage museum and a seated tasting of its red, white, rose and arak, and the estate has a restaurant serving Lebanese food alongside its wines.