Massaya Winemakers Ramzi and Sami Ghosn hope dynamic of peace will finally prevail in Lebanon in 2026.

Winemakers Ramzi and Sami Ghosn hope dynamic of peace will finally prevail in Lebanon in 2026

“Since the dawn of time, the people around Mount Lebanon have maintained a unique sense of humanity and developed a rich culture that has never been confined by borders.” So writes Ramzi Ghosn in the Christmas edition of the Massaya Vineyard newsletter.

Despite all the tribulations in the area, the newsletters are always brimming with hope. He lists some of those problems. “For Sami and me, those who reside on Mount Lebanon are the Guardians of the Temple. This edifice has suffered continuous shocks: occupation, endemic corruption, financial collapse, the Beirut explosion, and recent conflicts.”

“The slow, insidious erosion caused by corruption is eating away at the foundations, making our Temple fragile and vulnerable. We must find an anchor—a common ground to build shared institutions, a tangible sense of belonging, a solid Temple.”

He finishes with a call to restore the Lebanese spirit renowned for its “innate pragmatism, an infectious joie de vivre, and a rich, multicultural tolerance”. He hopes that, with fingers crossed, as they say, ‘that the dynamic of peace will finally prevail in Lebanon” and that it will be a peaceful year in and around Mount Lebanon.

And so say all of us! Let us raise a glass in solidarity with Massaya and wish the brothers and everyone there all the best in 2026. Hopefully, the newsletters will have better news in the months ahead.

Pic via roy-abi-saad-OPUCE2iGwiI-unsplash

* I first met Sami Ghosin, an architect who gave up the bright lights of the US West Coast to help brother Ramzi establish the vineyard back in 2012. He filled us in on the location and conditions at a lovely wine dinner, hosted by Conor and Ginny, in Star Anise in Cork. 

"Once peace reigns, Lebanon is a perfect place to make wine.The local conditions, no rain from April to September, but still moisture in the soil from the snow melt in the nearby mountains, the same mountains that hold back the rain clouds, plus the blue sky luminosity (a major factor in promoting growth) and the soil itself, lead to grapes of outstanding quality. Ninety per cent of the work is done for the winemaker."

Massaya Le Colombier 2021 14.5% ABV

€21.99 JN Wines 

Brothers Sami and Ramzi Ghosn continue to defy the odds and produce gems like this light and elegant red with a long finish.

A remarkable wine from a remarkable vineyard about 30 minutes drive from Beirut, yes that Beirut. Troubled Syria is also very close. Despite all the distractions, many of them dangerous, Sami and Ramzi, and partner Dominique Hébrard, continue to defy the odds and produce gems like this red blend of Cinsault, Grenache Noir and Tempranillo. Light and elegant, a little spicy and with a long finish, this easy-drinking red has it all. This door opener to the Bekaa Valley is Very Highly Recommended.

The Massaya winery and vineyards are nestled between the mountains and the Mediterranean at two locations, producing a wide range of unique wines and the local Arak of course. It is run by the two brothers, Sami and Ramzi Ghosn, in partnership with Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe and Dominique Hébrard.

Massaya Blanc Bequaa Valley Lebanon 2022, 13.5% ABV

€26.95 JN Wines 

The 2022 Massaya Blanc is crafted, according to the label, from Clairette 20%, Rolle 20%, Sauvignon Blanc 20%, Chardonnay 20% and Obeidi 20%, all cultivated in Massaya's vineyards in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley at an altitude of 900 to 1,200 metres. The Obeidi, a fragile, soft-skinned indigenous grape, “imparts a hint of easygoing eastern style” to this delightful white. 

Cradled in the shadow of the Lebanon mountain range, the rich clay and limestone vineyards are shielded from the heavy rain and snow that fall in the mountains to the west. Free of frost, the Bekaa Valley's long gentle summers, wet winters and average temperature of 25°c, have made it ideal for viticulture for over 5,000 years.

This beautiful golden hued wine has an inviting floral nose. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant.There is an almost velvety texture and it is fresh and elegant with citrus and white stone fruits hints with a good mineral balance. The finish is pleasant and silky. 

An unusual and outstanding wine, it is Very Highly Recommended. It will complement shellfish, baked fish, blue cheese and most hearty charcuterie. Light and deliciously approachable, the Massaya Blanc is always a pleasure to drink on its own. Serve at 10 degrees.

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest#2. Wines, Spirits and Beers. Pinot Noir a little off-colour? You need Rubired.

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest

Wines, Spirits and Beers

Recent arrivals at Bubble Brothers

“In the last few weeks we've received wines from the grand cru champagne house of André Clouet, a sublime organic Nero d'Avola, a bold Spanish red from Toro and too many more to fit in here.” More info online. 

Christmas at The Franciscan Well

“We are gearing ourselves up for the Christmas holidays here in the Well! 

Once again we will be turning our award winning beer hall into a winter wonderland. Through out the month of December we will have live music, cocktails & hot drinks from the MONK cocktail bar (as well as a new seasonal menu ) and Christmas markets! 

The market will run on Saturday the 8th and Saturday the 15th of December from 1-6pm. They will be run by local artists who will be selling original handmade gifts such as hats, cards, ceramic pieces, wooden cheese boards and much more! Admission is free.” More info on their Facebook.

Christmas Gin Festival

The Revolution Bar, John Street, Waterford.

November 30th from 8.00pm

Check the bar’s facebook page for tickets.

“as with Harvest Festival we have invited some of the best Gin Companies in the Country to showcase their products for you. Your Ticket will entitle you to a lovely Gin Glass (to take home). 4 Gin & Tonics of you Choice. We will also have some nice Christmas drinks to try. ALL GIN COMPANIES WILL HAVE BOTTLES OF GIN FOR SALE FOR THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT.”

Heart of Spain 1st birthday 8th December 

Lebanon’s Massaya 

I met Massaya’s Sami Ghosn in Cork a year years back, not long after he had returned from the US to help revive the family vineyards. You’d think the family would have enough on its plate with the uncertainties of the region without worrying about the future of the planet. But they do and they do something about it:

“For years now we have been treating our waste water, we have made our compost, recycled waste, encouraged our team to reduce their carbon footprints, given preference to local producers, chosen ingredients and material that were as natural as possible, planted our kitchen garden, planted bamboos to recycle water, prioritized organic treatments of vineyards, reduced to minimum the use of sulfur, oxygenated water for use in irrigation, and followed the moon calendar to filtrate and bottle our wines.” For more on the remarkable Massaya vineyard, read here   

Rioja

The Rain in Spain. 

There was a late Late Harvest in Spain for 2018 following an early on in 2017. Ripening was delayed and picking times have turned out to be the major headache of the vintage. But it wasn’t the same all over the country. Terrific insight here  from Spanish Wine Lover with no less than eight stories from around the country.

Labels Battle as California winemaker used labels that carried the Oregon AVA. Then there’s the Rubired concentrate that gives Pinot Noir more colour!!

The Feds have stepped into the middle of a simmering battle over wine provenance by ordering a California winemaker to change labels that carried the Oregon AVA, even though the wines were made in Lodi. Read more here. 

Sami at Star Anise

Sami at Star Anise

Sami Ghosn wasn't taking much credit for the splendid set of wines he shared with a packed Star Anise at last night’s Wine Dinner, part of the 10^th anniversary celebrations of the excellent Bridge Street restaurant.

Sami, Chairman and General Manager of the Massaya Company, based in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, said it was easy to make wine there. The local conditions, no rain from April to September, but still moisture in the soil from the snow melt in the nearby mountains, the same mountains that hold back the rain clouds, plus the blue sky luminosity (a major factor in promoting growth) and the soil itself, lead to grapes of outstanding quality. He maintained that ninety per cent of the work is done for the winemaker.

Still Massaya does have some work to do and does it well in this surprisingly small country, some 200 kilometres by 50. They can wait for the proper time to pick, citing this as a major difference between his wine and “supermarket wines” which are produced to a schedule. But, in Massaya, everything, including the picking for example, is done “at the optimum time”, the schedule being laid down by nature.

Our first bottle was the Massaya Blanc, a blend of Clairette, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and the indigenous Obeidi. This was fresh, elegant and well balanced, almost velvety on the palate.

Then it was reds all the way. First came the Classic Red, a blend of Cinsault (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. “This is very approachable”, he said. “The door opener to the Bekaa. Cinsault is the Southern Rhone grape and we have French partners working with us. It has good fruit and spice and is very versatile.” Just to underline that latter point, we enjoyed it with the monkfish course.

The Silver Red was another Rhone type, a bit more serious, maybe not as versatile. “But more classic. Goes well with lamb, which we have to-night”.

We finished with the Gold Reserve Red, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah. This is the top one. He advised dressing up for this serious bottle. “It has spent two years maturing in new French oak casks and will keep maturing nicely. It may need decanting and is to be enjoyed with red meat, chocolate and maybe a big cigar!”

It has 14.5% abv. “You are not supposed to sense the alcohol. ..if you do..it is unbalanced.” No danger of that with this full-bodied gem. Tasting notes on all the wines are here.

The excellent wines proved a challenge to Star Anise but one they welcomed and met by providing a brilliant matching meal. Each course was top notch, almost impossible to pick one over the other but, if pressed, I’d go for the Monkfish and the exquisite Madeleines. But I really wouldn’t want to miss any of them. Well done to Virginie and her team and a big congrats to Conor and Virginie on their ten years in business. Long may they continue!

Menu

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Gazpacho with Celery Cress and Goat’s Cheese crostini

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Scallop tartare with Shaved Fennel, Chilli and Orange

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Monkfish, wrapped in Prosciutto, with Romesco Sauce, Courgette, and Toasted Almonds

**

Canon of Lamb with Tabbouleh, Sweet Potato Puree & Pomegranate Yoghurt

**

Madeleines with lemon Curd and Strawberry Salsa

**

Tea & Coffee

Happy Birthday Star Anise

 Happy Birthday and Joyeux anniversaire Star Anise


Time to say Happy Birthday or Joyeux anniversaire to Star Anise, one of the better restaurants in the city. Next month, Virginie and Conor celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Bridge Street venue and will do so in some style. And so can you.

Conor has just told me they plan to hold a wine dinner as part of the celebrations: “Can't believe it has been ten years in May. We are delighted to have Sami Ghosn all the way from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon coming to talk about his Winery Massaya Wines on Wednesday the 16th of next month.”

“I have been chasing him for over 2 years to come and do an event with me so I must say I'm delighted. He's a wonderful speaker and really great craic, so I reckon it should be a great night.”

The format for the night will be a 5 course dinner with matching wines and a sparkling wine reception for €65.

The wines we will be showing on the night are all from Massaya :

Massaya Silver Selection White

Massaya Classic Rouge

Massaya Silver Selection Red

Massaya Gold Reserve (pictured above)