Aerial view of the Karam Wines estate in Jezzine, southern Lebanon. Photo provided by Karam Wines.
Surrounded by barrels filled with last year’s harvest, James Palgé, technical director and oenologist at Château Ksara in the Bekaa Valley, fills a glass of Chardonnay. In the calm cellar, with the windows facing the estate, he contemplates the wine’s color. As soon as he has a sip, bombing raids are heard not so far away. The windows shake; James remains unperturbed. "It’s either a missile sent from here... Or a strike," he says. Then, he approaches another barrel. "Shall we taste another one?"Making wine, against all odds. The war launched in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 extended to Lebanon the very next day after Hezbollah’s involvement. Ever since, to be a Lebanese winemaker has meant to adapt, like never before. The Union Vinicole du Liban (UVL) estimates that the Bekaa and the South together account for 70-80 percent of the country's wine...
Surrounded by barrels filled with last year’s harvest, James Palgé, technical director and oenologist at Château Ksara in the Bekaa Valley, fills a glass of Chardonnay. In the calm cellar, with the windows facing the estate, he contemplates the wine’s color. As soon as he has a sip, bombing raids are heard not so far away. The windows shake; James remains unperturbed. "It’s either a missile sent from here... Or a strike," he says. Then, he approaches another barrel. "Shall we taste another one?"Making wine, against all odds. The war launched in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 extended to Lebanon the very next day after Hezbollah’s involvement. Ever since, to be a Lebanese winemaker has meant to adapt, like never before. The Union Vinicole du Liban (UVL) estimates that the Bekaa and the South together account for 70-80 percent of the...
