12 Apr Karam Wines

Posted at 02:18h in Female Owned/Managed, Region: South Lebanon, Under 40 by
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Virtual Tasting Room:

Almost as good as being there!

  • Karam Winery View
    Karam Winery View
Karam Wines

In the late 50s in a small town in the South of Lebanon, a young boy would help his grandmother pick grapes to make Arak, the national drink of Lebanon, an aniseed-based Eau De Vie. He would gaze at the sky, watch aircraft pass by and dream about flying. The dream turned reality: “I flew for 43 years and never worked a day in my life. During my years of service, while flying over the Southern mountains of Lebanon, my passion for vineyards made me long to be amongst the vines. And so, Karam Wines was founded in 2002 in my beloved home town of Jezzine. We were the first to plant wine grapes in the South and are the only winery located in this region of Lebanon.

This passion was passed on to my children, John and Thouraya, who spent their summers as teenagers in the vineyards harvesting grapes. John’s first love was the vine; he is an agricultural engineer and an enologist from Université de Bordeaux. After those milestones, John worked under the tutelage of Château Angélus and is currently working with the prestigious Château Latour. We are proudly, and solely, a family business.” – Captain Habib Karam, Owner and Winemaker at Karam Wines

Saint John 2014
Four carefully selected varietals, come together in an uncommon blend, a subtle liquid work of art, with a wide spectrum of aromas from dried prunes to smoke to cherries and spice. This wine offers fresh entry to the mouth. Integration of wood is well balance by the ripe red fruits with a touch of sweetness. In the midpalate, the soft tannins announce themselves. In the aft-palate, it offers fruit-filled length. This unfiltered wine offers outstanding balance and structure, making it perfect for ageing or immediate enjoyment.
Tasting Sheet
Cloud Nine 2020
This wine exudes an aromatic bouquet of passion fruit, green apples, pineapples, hints of lychee and grapefruit coupled with a fully fruity palate and a trademark crisp acidity, resulting in great balance, length and depth.
Tasting Sheet
Maison Red 2020
Our aim is to produce a red wine that would be enjoyed within a year of its birth, while also having serious potential for ageing. This wine can be enjoyed in winter at room temperature or chilled during summertime. The varietals grown at high altitudes are handpicked and vinified using special techniques, culminating in a fresh, fruity, supple wine with soft tannins.
Tasting Sheet
Les Raretés Meksassi 2020
Meksassi is an ancient versatile Lebanese grape associated with the Jezzine area where the Karam family have been farming grapes for generations and is often found wild, trained around the huge Jezzine oak trees.
Tasting Sheet
Maison White 2020
High altitude handpicked grapes at optimum maturity give this dry white wine its marked freshness, rounded acidity and fruit filled length. It has white raisin aromas with citrus fruits, lemons, acacia and hints of bergamot.
Tasting Sheet
Download the Winemakers’ Tasting Booklet

Fun Facts

  • It is a Karam family staple to shout at the top of our lungs, to argue with thorough conviction, followed by drinks and a lot of experimentation with wine. This explosive atmosphere led us to plant exotic varietals never tried before in Lebanon: “Les Raretés” series – French for Rarities – was born and came to complete the full range of Karam Wines. It is a collection of mono-varietals based on, Albarino (Spain), Touriga Nacional (Portugal), Saperavi (Georgia) and last, but definitely not least, Meksassi an indigenous grape of Lebanon and more specifically of the Jezzine area. “Les Raretés” is a world journey from the comfort of a dinner table.
  • In Sep 2021, Karam Wines was named the Best Vineyard in Asia and ranked #14 worldwide by World Best Vineyards 2021, and in 2015 we won the Special Prize Sommerliers Award at Citadelles du Vin for our white wine “Cloud Nine” with the connotation of Best White Wine in the Mediterranean Basin.
  • Karam vineyards are situated at high altitudes up to 1,400 meters above sea level, looking to the west and facing the Mediterranean Sea giving our wines a rounded acidity, unique freshness, moderate alcohol levels, and minerality particular to the Jezzine terroir. Each varietal is planted in its ideal terroir, thanks to the geological diversity in the South, and is maintained using specific agricultural practices. We also use the small, unique lot approach, vinifying each parcel on its own to reveal its true identity and terroir character thus creating the optimal blend.
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