Handford Wines

The Ksara winery lies in the heart of the Bekaa Valley in the Lebanon. Originally founded by Jesuit monks in 1857 it is now the largest wine producer in the country with vineyards spread over four sites totalling several hundred hectares. Climatic conditions are very favourable for the production of wine with with plenty of sunshine, warm days and cool nights. There is also no need for the use of pesticides or herbicides as there is almost no rainfall during the growing season. Harvesting is done by hand and the wine is aged underground in large natural cellars dating back to Roman times. We enjoy these wines for their purity and weight of fruit, being not over extracted like some new world wines. They also have sufficient individuality and interest to make them well worth a try in an area now relatively peaceful after the awful civil war. Several new wineries have sprung up recently and I have a feeling we will be seeing more of wine from the Lebanon in years to come.

The Wine

Barbercued lamb ! This is the great new vintage of this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cinsault. Six months in oak gives a lovely blend of gentle cassis and dark spice tempered by a touch of oak. The French have been drinking Lebanese wines for years. Now that the UK market is finally waking up to the delights of their unique pedigree that lies stylistically somewhere between Italy and Spain, it’s bound to have our neighbours across the channel seething! The lush, soft black spicy plum and cassis fruit notes are pure and true to the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in the blend. Being almost certifiably organic due to the dry, high altitude viticultural practices, this wine can do nothing but impress at this price. Wine snobs move over.

Single Bottle: £6.99

In a case of 12: £6.64