Lebanon's Thriving Wine Industry

Posted by Alan Boehmer Jun 23, 2008

Lebanon is one of the world's oldest wine producing regions. Some wine historians credit Lebanon's ancestors, the Phoenicians, with introducing wine and wine grapes to Greece and Italy. There has even been speculation that the first vineyards of France's Rhône Valley may reflect this early trade.

But with the rise of Islam in Lebanon and fanatical supporters of Hezbollah commercial wine production almost ceased. And then came the Lebanon-Israeli conflicts. Agricultural equipment was sometimes targeted by Israeli drones as instruments of war, making farming a risky enterprise. And Lebanese winemakers faced an almost impossible export trade as well as a shrinking local demand.

All this has changed dramatically over the past few years. New vineyards have been planted in the south near the Israeli border and new wine is flowing. An estimated 55,000 bottles in 2007. And the wine is good! This region is not far from the Golan Heights, Israel's most distinguished winegrowing region. There has been speculation that if Israel returns the Golan Heights to Syria, a muslim country, the sheer economics of the very successful Golan wine industry will compel the Syrian government to allow its continuation.

A most surprising circumstance is the hands-off treatment of Lebanon's wineries by Hezbollah. We will hope for the continuation of their tolerance and for the rapid reinstatement of the export of Lebanese wine to Europe, Canada, and the U.S.