209 Hot Stories
Let's Celebrate 'World Heart Day' with Wine!
Wine is the only living beverage and fermentation, a natural process is behind this beneficial drink. It is loaded in antioxidants and when consumed moderately, can strengthen your immune system, promotes a longer life span, protects against certain cancers, improves mental health, provides benefits to the heart, reduces the risk of depression specially when paired with the right foods and music, it could make you instantaneously more relaxed. Within a balanced diet plan, wine could curb your sugar cravings and assist weight loss.
Heart Healthy
- Wine dilates arteries and increases blood flow thus lowering the risk of the kind of clots that cut off blood supply and damage heart muscles.
- Drinking wine in moderation could lower bad cholesterol levels and increase good ones (HDL). Phenols found in wine limit the oxidation of LDL’S making them less capable of damaging the lining of arteries thus reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
- Phenols also play an important role in slowing the growth of some cancer cells and Resveratrol (an antioxidant) in wine has specifically been found to slow the growth of liver cancer cells.
- A glass of red wine has been found to curb sugar cravings and increase levels of the good cholesterol (HDL). Moreover, a Harvard University study of 20.000 women found that those who drank half a bottle of wine a day had a 70% reduced risk of obesity compared to nondrinkers!
- Red wine is loaded with antioxidants and Resveratrol- “an ingredient that increases gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won’t be overloaded. Resveratrol converts white fat into beige fat which burns lipids off as heat, helping to keep the body in balance and prevents obesity and metabolic dysfunction”
Avoid drinking if you’re under 18 Years old!
Your body will be less well equipped to cope with the effects of alcohol, physically and emotionally; your liver is not fully developed and neither is
your brain!
- Dietitian Nicole Maftoum
SPOTLIGHT ON: Mystic Grove
Step into the magical and mysterious world Mystic Grove 🔮✨
A 4 generation-old gin recipe conceived in Belgium and masterfully distilled in the Mtein region of Lebanon.
A journey of 12 carefully selected botanicals handpicked from all different corners of the world, for the ultimate mystical gin experience.
Blending spring water from the highlands with slow vapor infusions, Mystic Grove tells the story of how tradition and modernity can come together in a perfect harmony of taste, flavor and fragrance.
✨Join the magic HERE!✨
Grenache Day!
SPOTLIGHT ON: Arak du Marje
SPOTLIGHT ON: SATYR de Marsyas!
SPOTLIGHT ON: SENDIÄNA
Check it out HERE!
SPOTLIGHT ON: Cuvée St. Elie Chardonnay
" When we bought the building that is now the Chateau Heritage winery in 1997, the first vines that we cultivated were in the vineyard next to the winery. These vineyards are watched over by the statue of Saint Elias the patron saint of our winery. The summer of 2014 was the last harvest that our father Elias Tanios Touma participated in, before he passed away in January 2015.
As an homage to the founder of this company, a beloved and respected father and a great man, and to commemorate the last harvest we celebrated together, we are releasing this special Chateau Heritage Cuvée St. Elie. Saint Elie is the patron saint of our father, our family and our winery and this wine is intended as a celebration of our father’s passion for life.
Now, 20 years later we decided to ferment the grapes of these vineyards with oak staves and the result was an amazing white wine we are extremely proud of"
Chateau Heritage Cuvée St. Elie White has a brilliant pale yellow color. Intense nose of yellow fruits and dried fruits with fine spices. Beautiful full mouthfeel.
Discover more HERE!
How Sweet!
Sweet wines are often overlooked and reduced to being desert wines instead of being enjoyed for what they are.
In our book, they are a sweet and delicate surprise that should rightfully remain on the list of any true wine-lover.
What are sweet wines?
Historically, sweet wines used to be the envy of the whole world! Before the advances of technology and refrigeration, and before modern winemaking techniques, sugars were added to wine to stabilize its taste and prolong its life.
If we want to go at it simply, wine is made by converting the natural sugars found in grapes into alcohol and carbon dioxide by using yeast. Usually, to obtain a dry wine, nearly all of the sugars are fermented out of the grapes in the process.
If any sugar remains, then the wine is considered sweet.
How is sweet wine made?
In the past, grapes were left out to dry in the sun after harvest. The water of the grapes then evaporates, leaving them with a high sugar level that makes the wine sweet.
With today’s modern techniques, other methods are used to produce sweet wine such as filtration for example: when a winemaker has obtained the level of sweetness he wishes, he can filter out the yeast, thus controlling the level of sweetness of his wine.
A winemaker can also decide to stop the fermentation process before all the sugars have turned into alcohol, keeping some residual sugars in the wine.
The world of Sweet wine is so versatile, creating space for more experimentation and creativity. Sweet wine can be obtained using white or red grapes. Their varietals are endless, so are their types, colors and origins.
As Lebanese wine lovers, we are in love with everything eclectic, and there isn’t a more eclectic world than those of Sweet and Lebanese wines.
Discover what we mean HERE!
Go Organic!
Simply put, organic wines are produced with organically grown grapes, free from pesticides, herbicides and GMO yeasts.
Although sulfites levels might differ, the most common point to highlight is that organic wines should not contain any added sulfites.
What are sulfites you ask?
Sulfites, also known as sulfur dioxide, occur naturally during the fermentation process, to work as a preservative against certain yeast and bacteria- things that can ruin a wine instantly if they grow.
However, the amount of sulfite produced naturally during fermentation is not enough to preserve a wine’s life, so wineries have taken upon themselves to add some in order to protect their wine.
In fact, Sulfites are widely used in the Food and Beverage industry as a flavor enhancer and food preservative. In wine, sulfites are used to maintain the flavor of the wine in the bottle, prolong its shelf life, and especially prevent the wine from browning - something that could instantly change the color and flavor of the wine.
So, in order to grow organic grapes, a winemaker must implement a different set of practices to maintain its vines. Practices that might make the winemaking process more challenging, but the end result is a simpler, more natural product, that is equally dynamic in flavor and taste.
Lebanon has a few organic wineries spread across all regions, that produce amazing organic wines unique to their terroir.
We've compiled a list for you to discover the world of Organic Lebanese wine, so just click HERE and explore!
Château Qanafar: The Detailed Work of a Meticulous Winemaker
A fascinating sight in the West of Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, Château Qanafar greets its visitors with a pleasant blend of architectural ambition and rich valley landscapes. Château Qanafar is a young winery but has earned a rightful place in the market as one of the best wines in the region.
Château Qanafar today is the meticulous masterpiece of winemaker, Eddy, a well-travelled yet purely Lebanese family man, whose passionate approach doesn’t take away from his sharp focus on the craft. A winemaking genius, Eddy’s subtle disposition presents a brutal contrast with the intensity and minimalistic exuberance of his wines.
According to the winemaker himself, the key is to carefully monitor the winemaking process:
“We like to have full control of every step of the vinification process. The wine is made solely from our own vineyards ensuring that there are no added chemicals or unwanted biological processes. We follow a simple doctrine: grow great fruit and respect from berry to bottle. The winemaker’s role is to shepherd the quality of the fruit into the bottle, preserving the natural flavors and aromas rather than “create” a wine”
At Château Qanafar, all of this monumental innovation is designed carefully to enhance, never interfere with the inherited traditions of Lebanese winemaking. Château Qanafar, exemplifies that the careful focus on the vinification process, from soil to bottle, is what delivers the true Lebanese wine experience.
This is worth fighting for.
No matter what our description is, the true scope of its genius is best experienced first-hand, through its wines:
CLICK HERE to discover!