Tag: lebanese wine

Review of Chateau Oumsiyat Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Oumsiyat Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

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Name: Chateau Oumsiyat Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2016
Country: Lebanon
Region: Mount Lebanon
Date Consumed: November 22, 2025

Chateau Oumsiyat’s Cabernet Sauvignon is an easy bottle to open on any night. It’s affordable, solid, and reliable. So, if you’re looking for a straightforward Cabernet character, something full-bodied with firm tannins, look no further.

Expect notes of black fruits, cocoa, and tobacco.

Pair it with red meat, grilled pork, or strong cheeses, and drink it by the fire. (‘Tis the season!) Personally, I think it goes really well with Lebanese-style home-cooked beefsteak and fries.

No big surprises here: just a confident Lebanese cabernet that does its job well.

Will I buy another bottle? Almost certainly. I’m also curious to know what it would taste like if I age it for a couple of years.

Verdict: This may not be the best cabernet sauvignon you can find in Lebanon, but I would say it’s one of the most convenient bottles in the market today.

Cheers!

Reviewer of Lebanese wines reviewing a red wine from Lebanon called Skarya Le Rouge

Lebanese Wines: Skarya Le Rouge 2021

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Name: Skarya Le Rouge 2021
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Merlot, Syrah
Year: 2021
Country: Lebanon
Region: Beit Lahia, Beqaa
Date Consumed: February 13, 2025

I had some friends over last night, and the ideal atmosphere to try new wines was created. We were sitting by the fireplace, chitter-chattering, enjoying our time. So, I went ahead and uncorked a bottle none of us had ever tried.

Here’s Skarya Le Rouge, a wine made by a distillery called Striped Hyena Distillery, which is clearly named after Lebanon’s national animal, which is, of course, the striped hyena…

Comparatively, we can say that Skarya is a new wine, a noob amongst well-established Lebanese wineries. At the time of writing this, Skarya Le Rouge as well as the other wines made by Striped Hyena Distillery are almost unknown to the general public. Their bottles aren’t commonly found in supermarkets. And when I looked them up on the internet, I found very little information about them. This may or may not change, depending on the quantity of bottles they produce and the budget they allocate for marketing.

Now, a few words about the wine itself, Skarya Le Rouge:

The Skarya Le Rouge is a casual wine that doesn’t require your full attention and can be drunk in informal settings. It comes with warm and cozy notes of friendship. It has its flaws and imperfections, but it is not sipped to be judged. It is young and promising, but it is not who it wants to be yet.

Overall, it can be said that it is an acceptably good wine. But that is all.

Review of the Lebanese Wine Chateau Heritage Cabernet Franc

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Heritage Cabernet Franc 2023

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Name: Chateau Heritage Cabernet Franc 2023
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Year: 2023
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: November 30, 2024

A medium-to-full-bodied wine with assertive tannins and notes of black cherry, raspberry, and green capsicum.

My wife and I took this bottle to a getaway in the mountains and uncorked it a couple of hours before dinner. We were a little surprised that it tasted this good. The Chateau Heritage Cabernet Franc is an affordable bottle that tastes more expensive than its price tag. We enjoyed every sip. It was a cold night, and the wine kept us warm.

I’d age this bottle of garnet-colored pleasure three to five years, and I’d pair it with a good steak and a Nicaraguan cigar.