I have been talking a lot about wine these days... especially Lebanese wines and its boom locally and abroad. It makes me happy to hear people talk about us in a positive way... But to know more about Lebanese wines, a new guide has been published... The Zawaq Guide.
Lebanese wine industry is going through a rebirth. Whereas there were only 5 wineries in the early 90s, there are over forty operating today. In order to make sense of this exciting and diverse landscape, Le Commerce du Levant has decided to partner up with Tamyras to publish the first bilingual (English/French) guide to Lebanese wine. The Zawaq Guide presents every single Lebanese winery, region by region. For each region, the guide lays out the main tourist attractions, as well as tips on accommodation and restaurants in the area, so that the reader can blend the pleasures of wine with an appreciation of Lebanon’s rich cultural heritage. The Zawaq Guide tells the story of forty wineries, from the big brands to the smallest “garage wines’, detailing the characteristics of their terroir. The guide also looks at the wineries in the making and those around the world that are run by members of the Lebanese Diaspora.
The Tasting Producing wine isn’t enough to make a country eligible to join the club of quality “chateaux”. Can Lebanese wine compete against the big boys? For the first time in Lebanon, the Zawaq guide brought together international experts tasked with rating Lebanese production. At the Le Gray hotel, over the course of three days at the end of November, the jury took part in a blind taste of every wine produced in the country. The results were conclusive: Lebanese wine is very comfortably within international standards. The Zawaq Guide brings you the selection of the 100 best wines in Lebanon, giving each vintage detailed tasting notes. The jury also awarded special mentions such as “Coup de cœur” and “Best deal” to guide both the newcomer and the seasoned connoisseur.
Overview of the guide The Wineries An inventory of every cellar in Lebanon, including:
- Technical details of the vines (surface, varietals, yield...)
- Historic overview of the domaine
- A list of all the property’s wines (latest vintages)
- The Zawaq Selection rapid overview. The wineries held by members of the Lebanese Diaspora around the world . The wineries in the making . The history of the Lebanese wine industry from Antiquity to modern times
Tourism - 10 maps to help you organize day trips or longer stays in wine producing areas - Lists of unmissable tourist landmarks near wineries - A calendar of wine-related activities throughout the year - An address book of places to stay, eat and drink in Lebanon
Practical Information - Regular Retail Price: USD 25 - Language: Bilingual French/English - Number of pages: 416
The Zawaq Team The Zawaq Lebanese Wine Guide is the product of a partnership between the French-language monthly magazine Le Commerce du Levant and Tamyras publishing house. Le Commerce du Levant Published since 1929, Le Commerce du Levant is the only French economic monthly in Lebanon and the Middle East. Since 2008, it is published by the " Société de presse et d’édition libanaise “ SAL, which also owns the Lebanese French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour. The Author: Muriel Rozelier Muriel Rozelier is a journalist who has been writing for the Lebanese monthly magazine Le Commerce du Levant since 2008. She is also the author of Une Vie de Pintades à Beyrouth (Calmann-Levy).
The photographer: Grégory Demarque Gregory Demarque is a freelance photographer who has been based in Lebanon since 2006. Prior to Lebanon, he was based in Paris, and has worked for Sipa Press and had an exhibition at the French Senate about Senegalese infantrymen.
Le Gray Hotel: A Privileged Partnership with the Zawaq Guide From the very beginning, Le Gray wanted to contribute to this project: « Le Gray has continuously been promoting Lebanon to the whole world since its opening in Beirut in 2009. One of its objectives is to replace Beirut as a prime destination not only in a touristic context but to highlight the unique elements that create this country; its culture, its heritage, etc. The Wines of Lebanon guide comes to emphasize an admirable Lebanese production and we are absolutely proud of taking part in this endeavor.»
