Domaine des Tourelles

Meet the Producer

Domaine des Tourelles was founded in 1868 by French adventurer François-Eugène Brun and is one of the most highly acclaimed and oldest wineries still operating in Lebanon. It was also the first commercial cellar in 'modern' Lebanon to produce wines, arak and other spirits. This place has history! The Brun family owned and ran the winery up until the last descendant died in 2003 but luckily two local families - the Issa and Issa el-Khoury families - joined forces to buy the property and continue the fine tradition of winemaking.

Today, this Bekaa Valley estate is run by the three Issa children - twins Faouzi and Johanne and their sister Christiane, alongside Emile Issa-el Khoury, son of one of the co-owners. This young and dynamic combination have introduced a handful of practices in the vineyards and cellar including the use of indigenous natural yeasts, no fining or filtering, and only very small amounts of sulphur. These techniques along with fruit from 40 hectares of ancient, organically cultivated and dry-farmed vineyards (among the oldest in the valley) and a winery perfect for hands-off winemaking, make Domaine des Tourelles one of the finest boutique wineries in the Middle East.

A Note on Sustainability

Domaine des Tourelles are steeped in history and tradition, but this hasn’t stopped them from revolutionising the way they operate so they can practice growing and winemaking in a sustainable way. Thanks to over 300 days of sunshine and high altitudes in the Bekaa Valley, Domaine des Tourelles became fully solar powered in 2024. The switch to solar power is particularly significant because Lebanon does not have access to 24-hour electricity, meaning that generators fill the gaps in the supply. During harvest this means a particularly high demand for fuel, which over recent years has often been in short supply in the country. Their switch to solar energy accompanies several other green initiatives which have been implemented over the years, which include a switch to lighter weight bottles (410g instead of 560g), using grape and aniseed (from arak production) pomace for compost to fertilise the vineyards or given to local shepherds and using dried thistles harvested from the mountains for the first filtration from the tanks. The winery also provides employment opportunities for people from the villages surrounding the winery who would otherwise have to emigrate to the city or abroad to find jobs and ensures that only local produce is served during tours and tastings.