Mike Best MW, PM for Lebanon, gives us an overview of the current situation facing Domaine des Tourelles and let us know about their online tasting on the 30th of October. 

Faouzi Issa at Domaine des Tourelles is a man who is determined to write his own story. He is an inspiring figure who has always had one message: That they make great wine in  the Bekaa valley which deserve their place on the world stage.

The wine has always been the focus. Faouzi always wants to talk about his wines and about the terroir of Bekaa over anything to do with politics or crises. The Domaine des Tourelles White has the balance of richness and freshness that you can only really get with 300 days of sun but 1000m of elevation. Personally, I am a huge fan of their Rosé, it has that blood orange twist, paleish in colour but with guts, like if a Negroni was a rosé this would be it. The winery is most well known in the UK for their flagship Red wine. Having tasted some previous vintages like 2009 and 2014, it is wonderful to see the contrast to now, where Cinsault plays an ever-increasing role. A focus on varieties that were once less fashionable, but far better suited to Bekaa, is something very important to Domaine des Tourelles. Their old-vine wines are testament to this, with Cinsault, Carignan and the native Merweh, a white variety that gives a fresh saline taste. There are many other wines in their range, like their fabulous skin contact wine, or indeed their Gin, and if you don’t know them, please do try them. It is always Faouzi’s wish that these wines stand out on quality and value.

Faouzi and Mike in the winery

Crisis doesn’t really sum up the situation in Lebanon. In 2019 the Lebanese economy collapsed and they lost 90% of the value of the currency. They struggled with Covid as it hugely impacted tourism. In 2020 the port explosion in Beirut killed over two hundred people and again kept tourists away. There are a little under six million Lebanese in Lebanon, but the country has an estimated two million Syrian refugees within its border. Now there is a brutal war with a great deal of collateral damage and it seems that for them things just cannot get worse. At the Domaine des Tourelles winery in the Bekaa, a bomb recently exploded just three miles from the winery. People are leaving and have left Lebanon, and those affluent enough to do so are often wine drinkers too. It is a dark time and it seems things have never been harder.

Faouzi

Where is the hope in this? The strength of Faouzi is fundamental. He is clearly a leader in all sorts of ways. Still, the winery is more than one man, they employ 85 people and through his family’s charity work they also support many hundreds more. They are such a force for good in a place beset by so many problems. The population of Lebanon may be small, but the diaspora is enormous with Lebanese communities in many major cities around the world. Their mercantile nature sets them up for success and they tell the story through their culture, their food and of course the wine. Speaking on the phone with Faouzi recently he remains optimistic and positive for the future. There is no reason Lebanon cannot be a successful and popular place and Beirut could return to the buzzing jewel of the Middle East again, its nickname was the “Paris of the middle east”.

For that to return, Faouzi and Domaine des Tourelles just need some help now so that they are still there when this is over and they can rebuild. The wines we have in the UK now are better than ever and so versatile and delicious. Faouzi is hosting an online tasting featuring 6 of his amazing wines on the 30th of October, so if  you are a wine lover and want to take part, or in the trade and want to get involved, please get in touch, we would be very glad to help.

You can follow Domaine des Tourelles’ journey on Instagram here .