15 Feb Wine from Lebanon to Debut Three Medal Winners at Rodeo Roundup & Best Bites Competition
Sip history. Sip life. Sip Love.
Jan 17, 2023
HOUSTON, TEXAS, January 17, 2023 – North American Wine & Spirit Importers, LLC (NAWSI) announced that they will be debuting their award-winning wines at Roundup & Best Bites Competition, Sunday, February 19, 2023. The three wines include the gold medal-winning Reserve Class Champions, Karam Maison Red, 2020, and Muse du Liban Château Ainata Rouge des Cedrès, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, as well as the silver medal-winning Reserve Class Champion, Couvent Rouge PetNat Gold from Lebanon.
An unprecedented 21 wines from its new wine program, Wine from Lebanon, recently won awards at the 20th Annual Rodeo Uncorked! ® International Wine Competition hosted by Houston Livestock Show and RodeoTM. This year’s winners were announced on November 17th at NRG Center and featured 3,071 entries from 18 countries.
“I’m elated that our curated collection of Wine from Lebanon took so many awards at the recent Houston Livestock Show and RodeoTM International Wine Competition,” said Sam Jaoude, co-founder of NAWSI. “As a very proud Lebanese American, we’re excited to share these award-winning wines for the first time at the Best Bites Competition. Best Bites has a reputation for being one of the top food events of the year in Houston. This year will be very special as wine enthusiasts can be the first to Sip history. Sip life. and Sip love.”
Karam was the first to plant grapes in Southern Lebanon and it is the only winery located in this region. A family-run business with a passion for winemaking the winery was founded in 2002 by Captain Habib Karam, a pilot who flew over the vineyards longing to be amongst the grapes. Today his children John and Thouraya run the family business. The Karam Maison Red blend is produced from Syrah and Cinsaut. The grapes are handpicked and vinified using special techniques, culminating in a fresh, fruity, supple wine with soft tannins.
Muse Du Liban, established in 2015, draws its grapes from vineyards in Aynata. Internationally renowned French winemaker and consultant, Michel Rolland, created these Lebanese wines to delight the palate. Grape varieties include 80% Syrah and 20% Cabernet. Muse du Liban Chateau Aniata Rouge de Cedres, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 has hints of light spices, black fruits and a hint of chocolate mint.
Couvent Rouge was established in 2010 in a small village in the Bekaa Valley. The winery created the first Lebanese sparkling wine, using the Méthode Ancestrale. The Reserve Class Silver Medal winner PetNat Gold’s grape varieties include 40% Sauvignon Blanc; 40% Obaideh (an indigenous Lebanese grape); 15% Viognier and 5% Muscat. Brilliant yellow gold, its floral, ethereal tupelo honey and lemon flower notes don’t overwhelm this delightful PetNat.
From the sun-swept terroir and ancient mountains and valleys, Wine from Lebanon launched in Houston in 2022, bringing the taste of 15 innovative winemakers from one of the oldest and finest wine-growing regions in the world, introducing four unique indigenous grapes to the market. The Wine from Lebanon program features 15 winemakers including, several female-owned and managed wineries, winemakers under 40 years old, and winemakers utilizing indigenous grapes like Obaideh, Merwah, Meksassi, and Sobbagiegh, some of which have never been tasted in the U.S.
Wine from Lebanon will make its debut at retail in early 2023, details forthcoming. But for now, wine and food enthusiasts at Best Bites get the first sip.
For more information contact admin@nawsimporters.com or to learn more about this curated collection of wine visit winefromlebanon.com.
SIP HISTORY. SIP LIFE. SIP LOVE.
Lebanon is the oldest wine-producing region in the world, tracing back 7,000 years to the seafaring Phoenicians. Lebanese people domesticated the grapes grown in what is recognized as one of the most geographically, ideal wine-growing regions. The country’s dry, sunny climate and landscape are ideal for grape growing. The snow-capped Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains provide protection for the high-elevation vines of the Bekaa Valley, many grown at more than 3,000 feet. Elevation plays a key role in the rugged hills of the Jezzine wine region in the south. In Batroun, a region north of Beirut, the Mediterranean Sea cools the vineyards.
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