Merwah

The Story

Merwah is one of only two indigenous white grape varieties native to Lebanon — the other being Obeidi — and together they carry the full weight of a 5,000-year winemaking civilisation. Phoenician traders were shipping Byblian wine to the pharaohs of Egypt as far back as 2686 BC, and Merwah is almost certainly the grape behind those ancient amphorae. The variety thrives in the high-altitude villages of Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, with vines reaching up to 1,800 metres above sea level — an elevation that preserves the natural acidity that makes the grape so compelling. DNA studies suggest kinship with Chardonnay, Sémillon, and Chasselas, placing Merwah at a fascinating genetic crossroads between the ancient Levant and the classical French varieties that would later define fine wine. For centuries the grape was used almost exclusively for Arak, the anise spirit that defines the Lebanese table. Serious varietal wine production only began in earnest when Château Musar started blending Merwah with Obeidi for its iconic white — a wine fermented in French oak barriques, then released seven years after harvest. Château Ksara released its first 100% Merwah varietal in 2017, from 60-year-old vines at 1,600 metres in Douma. The result: dry, mineral, with citrus blossom, guava, lime, summer melon, and a stony, coastal-air finish. The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) devastated the wine industry, yet Merwah vines survived — tended by village families through shelling and siege. That resilience is now its greatest story and its greatest selling point.

Insider Story

Chateau Musar white is one of wine's great secrets: released seven years after harvest, it develops tawny hues and oxidative complexity that mimics old white Burgundy or aged white Rioja — at a fraction of the price. Bottles from the 1950s still exist in the Ghazir cellars. The wine was first exported to Britain by The Wine Society in 1971 and has been a cult item in London ever since. Yet outside the UK and France, it remains almost unknown — meaning bottles that fetch £150–£200 at auction in London can still be found for $40–80 retail in the US. Ksara's varietal Merwah has become a darling of the natural wine circuit without being labelled as such: minimal intervention, no oak, 60-year-old vines, extreme altitude. Wine buyers at top European restaurants are quietly listing it as a conversation-starter pairing with raw fish and mezze.

Technical Deep Dive

Merwah ripens late — hand-harvested in mid-October at very low yields. Ksara vinifies without oak, allowing the terroir of high-altitude limestone soils to express fully. Brief lees contact adds savoury spice and texture. Chateau Musar takes a different approach: fermentation in French oak barriques from the Nevers forest for 9 months, then bottling and blending at end of the first year, with no release until year 7. This extended pre-release aging at the winery means the wine arrives to market already developed, with a honeyed, waxy, oxidatively-touched character. Both approaches reveal the grape's dual personality: youthfully vibrant at altitude with clean fruit acids, or profoundly complex and tertiary with deliberate oxidative handling. Merwah's kinship with Sémillon makes it naturally suited to barrel-fermented, long-aged styles. Alcohol typically runs 12.5–13.5% ABV.

Industry Secrets

Lebanon's wine renaissance is real but fragile — the 2020 Beirut explosion destroyed millions of euros of wine stocks and disrupted export logistics for two years. Prices have risen as supply tightened. Additionally, climate change is pushing yields lower in the Bekaa, which paradoxically concentrates quality. With fewer than 5 serious producers making varietal Merwah at any scale, the category is still tiny — which is exactly why sommeliers and collectors who discover it now are positioned ahead of the curve. Domaine des Tourelles and Mersel Wine are producing small-batch natural expressions with skin contact that are beginning to circulate in European orange wine markets.

More white grapes

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• Minnella
• Misket
• Monemvasia
• Moscatel de Setúbal