Tag: wine review

Lebanese wine review: Clos St. Thomas Les Gourmets Red from the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon

Lebanese Wines: Clos St. Thomas Les Gourmets Rouge 2019

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Name: Clos St. Thomas Les Gourmets Rouge
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2019
Country: Lebanon
Region: Bekaa Valley
Date Consumed: April 30, 2024

A smooth, medium-bodied red wine from the Chateau St Thomas vineyard with low tannins and medium acidity. The major notes I got were of sweet berries, ripe red cherry, iron, and strawberry-lemon lollipop.

Les Gourmets Rouge is an affordable, easy-to-drink kind of wine, made to be consumed in casual settings.

It may not invoke the muses, and it may not release poetry from one’s lips, but it does have the power to create an environment where one can initiate warm conversations with close family members and friends.

Food Pairing: Red sauce pastas, cold cuts and cheeses, nuts and chips.

Cigar Pairing: medium-bodied claro or Colorado cigars. Maybe the Chateau Fuente King T Natural, or the Juan Lopez Adon, or even the Casa Turrent 1880 Rosado Gordito.

Enjoying an Ixir Grand Reserve Red 2016, a wine from North Lebanon

Lebanese Wines: Ixsir Grand Reserve Red 2016

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Name: Ixsir Grand Reserve Red 2016
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon
Year: 2016
Country: Lebanon
Region: North Lebanon
Date Consumed: April 9, 2024

A wooden bowl filled
with black fruits and red fruits.
I feel I’m
on a hill constantly caressed by the wind
coming from the sea.

It’s a weeknight and friends are over
for barbecue
and for moments of loud laughter.

I uncorked this bottle minutes
before they arrived
and had a few sips,
looking for verses and notes
residing in the elixir,
looking for memories
I haven’t made yet.

Enjoying an excellent red Lebanese wine, the Massaya Terrasses de Baalbeck.

Lebanese Wines: Massaya Terrasses de Baalbeck 2018

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Name: Massaya Terrasses de Baalbeck 2018
Type: Red Wine
Grapes: Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah
Year: 2018
Country: Lebanon
Region: Faqra (Mount Lebanon) and Bekaa Valley (Taanayel)
Date Consumed: April 7, 2024

Love-making in the temple of Dionysus. Ripe red fruits, black cherry, jelly beans, and Coca-Cola. I could also taste oak barrels, faux leather, and subtle hints of cinnamon.

Massaya’s “Terrasses de Baalbeck” is a party wine. It is a desire to party after midnight, to flirt with the peeping moon, the stars, and the lascivious nocturnal spirits. It’s a wine I’d drink pairing it only with dance music, although it can also easily be paired with cold cuts and juicy steaks.

Excellent.