Syrian winemaker of Dar Richi, Abdallah Richi (left), Lebanese winemaker and owner of Mersel winery, Eddie Chami (right) in Wadi Qannoubine, northern Lebanon. (Credit: Olivia Le Poidevin/L'Orient Today)
Up on the hilltops of Wadi Qannoubine in northern Lebanon, Abdallah Richi is looking out across a fervently fertile valley, brimming with vines, dwarfed by the imposing mountains behind. This land is not his, nor are the vines, but they have become his home, the natural playground from which he can perform his alchemy, turning these grapes into delectable elixirs.Wine making has been Abdallah’s ambition for many years. His home country, Syria, like Lebanon, has been making wine for 8,000 years. The Romans, in their era, continued to plant vines, and the Phoenicians began shipping the grapes to Europe. Read more 2024 Vintage: Lebanese winemakers in the South and the Bekaa harvest against all odds It’s said that Swaida in southwestern Syria was known by the ancient Greeks as Dionysias after Dionyssus, the god of wine, later named...
Up on the hilltops of Wadi Qannoubine in northern Lebanon, Abdallah Richi is looking out across a fervently fertile valley, brimming with vines, dwarfed by the imposing mountains behind. This land is not his, nor are the vines, but they have become his home, the natural playground from which he can perform his alchemy, turning these grapes into delectable elixirs.Wine making has been Abdallah’s ambition for many years. His home country, Syria, like Lebanon, has been making wine for 8,000 years. The Romans, in their era, continued to plant vines, and the Phoenicians began shipping the grapes to Europe. Read more 2024 Vintage: Lebanese winemakers in the South and the Bekaa harvest against all odds It’s said that Swaida in southwestern Syria was known by the ancient Greeks as Dionysias after Dionyssus, the god of wine, later...
