Tag: Lebanese Wines

Review of Muse Le Rouge 2019, a Lebanese red wine from the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanese Wines: Muse Le Rouge 2019

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Name: Muse Le Rouge 2019
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet-Sauvignon
Year: 2019
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: March 18, 2024

Full-bodied red wine. Medium tannins. Black fruits, plum, blackberry. Some oak and tiny hints of licorice. Successfully paired with steak. I’d like to drink this while smoking a full-bodied maduro Nicaraguan cigar one day. Maybe next time I will. I’d give this wine a 79/100.

The taste of a muse’s kiss in my mouth,
a goddess lying naked on my tongue
making love to the stanzas
I’m about to recite.

Words dipped in wine,
words flowing, coming
from the heart, the soul,
from places as dark as cellars.

The smell of home,
the underground pubs where I spent
my early twenties,
smoking cigarettes,
sipping full-bodied wines
before and after making memories.

The memories aged like wine.
(Some of the girls I kissed didn’t.)
Bottles of good times
uncorked and emptied,
every drop of passion drunk,
every love song sung,
every fire finally extinguished.

And here I am,
a bearded man looking back
one last time
before I stride forward
and never look back again.

Ardoum Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Lebanese Wines: Ardoum Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Ardoum Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2018
Country: Lebanon
Region: Mount Lebanon
Date Consumed: November 2023

Earlier this month, my wife and I visited the Ardoum winery. We were with friends, some of whom knew a thing or two about wine and others who knew nothing. But we were all there to celebrate a birthday and have fun.

The plan was to visit a winery and then have lunch somewhere that served Lebanese Mezza. It all went according to plan, and most of us ended up at a cigar lounge, smoking cigars and discussing philosophy.

The Ardoum winery is located in Mtein in Mount Lebanon and is relatively small. For its size, though, it had a decent selection of wines. Of all the red wines I tried, I like the Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 best. Therefore, it ended up being one of the three bottles we brought home with us.

The Ardoum Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a wine for casual gatherings and cozy nights. I opened the bottle we brought with us on a weekday while my wife prepared dinner. We both had a couple of glasses, one before and one during dinner.

Chateau Nakad Coteaux 2016

Lebanese Wines: Chateau Nakad Coteaux 2016

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Description

Name: Chateau Nakad – Château des Coteaux 2016
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
Year: 2016
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley

Experience

Date Consumed: 16 October, 2022

Aged in oak barrels. Full-bodied. And I loved the bottle.

I could tell it was good wine even before I tasted it. I was smoking my cigar and listening to the lamb fillet singing on the grill when my wife exclaimed, “Wow, this is good wine!” And I said, “Then why don’t you pour me a glass?” But I only got half a glass because suddenly everyone else wanted to taste it, too.

Sometimes in life you discover things you love by accident. For example, all I wanted was to bring a decent wine to the table on Sunday. But instead I got a great wine that the whole family enjoyed, including my mother and sister.

Good stuff. I’d give it a good 88/100.