The Middle East is known to be the place where people first made wine in ancient times. Certainly not the centre of the wine world these days, but presided over by Lebanon's indomitable Serge Hochar of Chateau Musar. Even through Lebanon's long civil War, he has managed to make famously long lived dry reds from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault that have thrown many options games into turmoil. Hochar was Decanter Magazine's first ever 'Man of the Year'.
Amid the chaos in Lebanon, comes a wine that has been hailed by Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. Even the Wall Street Journal states: "This is something that's hard to find. But if you really want to impress your friends, it's worth looking for. This is a remarkable red wine from the Bekaa Valley that has the character and class of a Bordeaux but a totally different taste. We have had many vintages of it going to the early '70s and loved every one. Sometimes you can buy it for very little, because wine shops don't know what it is, and sometimes you can buy it for a lot of money, because wine shops know exactly what it is. Find a bottle of this and you will be invited to dinner again ". Limited