12 Apr Mersel
Mersel
Virtual Tasting Room:
Almost as good as being there!
Mersel
Founded by three women, Mersel makes wines that are 100% organic, with no additives, fining, or filtering. Winemaker Eddie Chami and his team tend the vineyards in Bousit, the Wadi Qannoubine Region, and the Maksar Mersel Region. Chami, an Australian, formerly served as one of the winemakers at Couvent Rouge, where he helped to create the first Lebanese sparkling wine, Petillant Natural. He continues this tradition at Mersel creating a LebNat Pet Nat Gold and a LebNat Pet Nat Pink Rose. Other wines include a Phoenix Merwah; Dar Richi-Hanan, a red wine created by a Syrian refugee; Lebnani; and Piquette Sparkling Wine. The owners are not only committed to sustainable farming they support and buy grapes from local farmers, and are shepherding herds of Nubian ipex, a desert goat on their property, the symbol of Mersel Winery.
Lebnani Ahmar 2020
Hand-harvested in September , destemmed into a concrete tank. The tank is thensealed and a native fermentation slowly goes on for up to two weeks at 25 degreescelsius. The skins are pressed off and the fermentation continues for an additionalweek. The wine is then left to go through MLF.
Lebanani Abyad 2020
Sauvignon Blanc picked first week of August, partially destemmed, partially pressed, free-runjuice added back on skins in stainless tanks. Punch down occurs twice daily. It ferments forthree weeks at 17 degrees celsius. An additional two weeks of maceration is done. Merwah is harvested in the first week of October, it goes a slow ferment on skins for threeweeks. It is then pressed and blended with the Sauvignon Blanc. The wines go through MLFnaturally, they are racked twice before being bottled in late spring.
LebNat Gold 2020
The wines are pressed, and stabulation happens in tank at 8c for 5 days. This allowsfor the juice and pulp to spend time together before fermentation starts. The wine then starts fermentation for about 20 days at 14c, it is then bottled at 3 PSI, and it completes fermentation in the bottle, where it rests on lees for 5 months. It is then disgorged in February.
Phoenix Merwah Skin-Contact 2020
Picked in middle of October and crushed into 2-proportional lots, then fermented in stainless tanks and amphoras. The wine is fermented on skins for 3 weeks, the cap is gently broken by hand a fewtimes a day, and is then racked off skins in the middle of November into half neutral barrels and halfstainless tanks. The temperature at the winery reaches -5 degrees celsius, consistently in winter, allowing for natural cold stabilization of the wine. MLF happens in Spring, the wine is bottled in May.
LebNat Ruby 2020
The wines are pressed, and > stabulation happens in tank at 8c for 5 days. This allows for the juice > and pulp to spend time together before fermentation starts. The wine > then starts fermentation for about 20 days at 14c, it is then bottled > at 3 PSI, and it completes fermentation in the bottle, where it rests > on lees for 5 months. It is then disgorged in February.
Phoenix Field Blend 2020
Picked in middle of > October and destemmed into stainless tanks, the wine is fermented on > skins for 4 weeks and racked off skins in November into stainless > tanks. The temperature at the winery reaches -5 degrees celsius during > the night, consistently in winter, allowing for natural cold > stabilization of the wine. I think by the time the wine is bottled, it > would have been through MLF, otherwise mind the bubbles!
Fun Facts
Our Phoenix line comes from the rise of the Lebanese national bird, the Phoenix. The firebird that keeps rising, using its passion and determination to try something new. We are one of the first wineries in Lebanon to produce a completely natural, organic wine that is free from additives and that is unfined and unfiltered. - Our wines are 100% organic with no additives, no fining, and no filtering.
- We grow our own grapes but also buy grapes from local farmers to encourage the revival of indigenous Lebanese grape varieties. At Mersel Wine, we wanted to embed our culture with our wines. Lebanese people are warm and hospitable, they open their hearts and homes and welcome those around them. We wanted to create wines that fit with the Lebanese character, wines that are for everyone to enjoy, and wines that help our local farmers that is why we have created ‘Wines with our farmers…for the people’.
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