Ksara Réserve Du Couvent 2020

Ksara estate, named so because it was the site of a ksar, or fortress, at the time of the Crusades. The property situated in the heart of the Bekaa Valley, near Baalbeck, was acquired by the Jesuit Fathers in 1857 when it was already famed as a vineyard and they perpetuated the tradition of winemaking.

No one really knows for certain when wine was first made in Lebanon, the Phoenician ancestors of today’s Lebanese were certainly among the earliest winemakers. Later, in the Greco-Roman era, a wine cult flourished, as the ruins of the Temple of Bacchus at Baalbeck in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley bear eloquent witness. Ksara’s natural wine cellar was a grotto discovered by the Romans who consolidated part of the vault and dug several narrow tunnels from the cave into the surrounding chalk. These tunnels were enlarged to their present size during World War I when the Jesuit Fathers sought to alleviate famine in Lebanon by creating employment. One hundred men toiled with picks and shovels for four years to complete an underground network of tunnels stretching for almost two kilometres (about 2,000 yards).The temperature in the tunnels is ideal for wine, varying throughout the year from 11 to 13ºC. Ksara came into the hands of its present owners when the Jesuit Fathers decided to sell the estate in conformity with the directives of the Vatican II synod. Having grown significantly since its foundation, vineyards spread around the Chateau’s complex which includes the winery, a tasting room/restaurant, and Lebanon’s first astronomy/observation tour. Located in the heart of the Bekaa Valley at an average altitude of 1,000 meters, vines grow without pesticides or herbicides. The soil ranges from chalk, to clay and chalk, to clay and limestone, but it is always stony.

A fantastic wine that kept its value humble and therefore on the right side of the price comparing to some of other wines found in the area. Enjoy this unique and great find!