Tag: Bekaa Valley

Review of the Lebanese Wine called Chateau Khoury Symphonie

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Khoury Symphonie 2010

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Chateau Khoury Symphonie 2010
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah
Year: 2010
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 8, 2025

I uncorked the bottle during a casual family dinner. This was my first time trying anything by Chateau Khoury, and their Chateau Symphonie 2010 turned out to be a wine worth returning to.

It’s the kind of bottle that wins you over slowly. The first sip is nice, but the second and third sips are much nicer. The Chateau Symphonie is very approachable yet expressive, it is refined without being showy…

The palate is smooth, with medium acidity and matured, well-integrated tannins, and its name really suits its spirit as it offers a symphony of notes, including ripe red fruits and black cherries, and subtle touches of cocoa and oak.

Review of the Lebanese Wine Reserve Ammiq Cuvee 2020

Lebanese Wines: Reserve Ammiq Cuvee 2020

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Name: Reserve Ammiq Cuvee 2020
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault
Year: 2020
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: October 24, 2025

Let me start by saying that my wife and I both agree that Reserve Ammiq’s Cuvee was even better than their Chateau. How can this be? I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out.

The Reserve Ammiq Cuvee 2020 is an excellent blend with remarkable balance and structure.

It is a dry, full-bodied red wine. The tannins are assertive, but they don’t overpower the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon, which is 70% of the blend, reveals itself through classic notes of black fruits, cassis, and tobacco, and hints of leather. The other grapes, the Carignan and the Cinsault, softer the edges and make the blend a little gentler, smoother.

What I love about this wine is how approachable it is and how it doesn’t demand an occasion. You can open it on an ordinary night, pair it with a simple home-cooked meal, and it still feels like something special.

Review of the Lebanese Wine Couvent Rouge Petit Couvent 2020

Lebanese Wines: Couvent Rouge Petit Couvent Red 2020

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Name: Couvent Rouge Petit Couvent Red 2020
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo
Year: 2020
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: October 8, 2025

50% cabernet sauvignon and 50% tempranillo, this bottle was amazingly (and for its price, even unexpectedly) good.

I uncorked the Petit Couvent 2020 to pair it with the red sauce pasta my wife prepared for lunch. To be honest, we didn’t have high hopes. I even told my wife, “I’m not sure how good this wine will be, but it’s made with grapes we like, so it shouldn’t be horrible.” The bottle has been lying in my collection for months, but I postponed opening it because the bottle was so cheap compared to other Lebanese wines that I didn’t think I’d enjoy it so much. And guess what? I was wrong.

Never judge a wine by its price.