(26 Oct 2016) LEAD IN:
Despite a long history of wine production, Lebanon has yet to excel in the international market.
But vineyards in Lebanon are expanding their operations in the hope of competing with better known wineries in Europe.
STORY-LINE:
During the end of the summer, grape harvesting season begins.
Syrian and Lebanese labourers are picking the grapes that will be fermented in one of Lebanon's wineries in the Bekaa Valley, the country's wine producing hub.
The St. Thomas winery makes quality wines using Lebanese rather than imported grapes and is thriving, despite the political turmoil engulfing the country.
Workers describe how harvesting begins in the early morning.
"We wake up at 6 am and start the work harvesting grapes and putting them into crates. We use knives or scissors. The workload depends on the season. In this vineyard, sometimes it takes us one to two hours and sometimes until noon or afternoon. It depends on the vineyard that we are working on," says Sarah Al Hamid.
After harvesting, crates full of grapes are transferred to the winery in order to press it and ferment it.
There are more than 30 wineries in Lebanon, and recently many of them have stepped out of the shadows to compete with foreign, particularly European, wines.
The St. Thomas winery's labour manager Hisham Ghannam describes the various stages of production.
He says the first phase before harvesting involves testing red and white grapes in more than one lab, in order to check and be sure they can be fermented.
Lebanese winemakers hope the distinctive natural characteristics of their wines will help set them apart in the international market.
Joe Assaad Touma is the owner of the St.Thomas vineyard and an avid winemaker.
"The natural factors help a lot in the quality of wine. In Europe, French, Italian and Spanish wines are well known. Of course Lebanese wines aren't as well known as the European ones. With our quality, we are trying to compete with foreign qualities. Of course this takes a lot of time but we can find our place in the European markets," he says.
"We are trying to compete other foreign qualities and it takes a lot of time, but we are able to have our place in the Europe markets", he adds.
All stages of wine production also help the Lebanese economy to develop.
"When the factory and business expands, we will of course need more employees, so in this way the industry creates new job opportunities. Either from labourers who harvest or the engineers who are here with us in the winery and their experience," Touma explains.
Many new wineries emerged after the Lebanese civil war in 1990. Yet winemaking is also an ancient tradition. A nearby complex based at Baalbeck features a temple of Bacchus, the God of wine.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
