Friday Night Wine School - Wines of Lebanon with James Moises

Join us for our attendance-limited, signup-only Friday night tasting!  Tastings are held on the back patio with a max of 10 people per time slot.

There is a reason that the Roman Temple of Bacchus is in Lebanon - considered one of the earliest wine-producing areas of the world, the Lebanese, at that time the Phoenicians, have been making wine in the region since 5000 BC. They enjoyed a very vibrant and productive wine culture that fueled the local economy through travel and trade until Ottoman rule began in 1516. Under Sharia law, wine consumption and production were forbidden and the once prolific region became a wine desert for some 350 years. In 1857 a group of Jesuit priests living in the area asked to plant vines to make wine for ceremonial purposes. Their plantings of Cinsault in Ksara marked the beginning of wine production in its best terroir, the Bekaa Valley, and its longest-operated winery, Chateau Ksara.

While Lebanon has had a turbulent history of conflict, political unrest, invasion and occupation, it was actually war that helped shape the modern era of winemaking in the region - with its liberation at the end of World War I, Lebanon became a French protectorate and remained so until independence in 1943. Lebanese wine production increased to satisfy the thirst of the locals as well as the 30,000 French soldiers and officials who were running the country. Those ties with France also brought its favorite varieties - cinsault, cabernet, merlot, grenache, syrah, chardonnay, viognier and more are featured in the blended wines and single varieties.

Third-generation Lebanese American, Oregon winemaker, international wine importer and local physician, James Moises represents the largest selection of Lebanese wines in Louisiana and maybe in the US!  He just received a whole boatload of Lebanese wine (literally!)  last week and he's anxious to share them with us as we discuss the main wine regions, terroir and production methods.  We hope you'll join us!

-Your $5 tasting fee is refunded when you purchase a bottle of wine from the tasting. Limit 1 refund per bottle per customer.
-Please arrive 5 minutes early for your time slot as we may not be able to move you to another spot.
-No waiting in line for your taste of wine in a plastic cup and snippet of info. During your time slot, you will have the presenter's undivided attention as you learn about and taste the wines from Riedel glassware.
-When your tasting is over you can browse and shop or enjoy a glass or bottle at our indoor and outdoor tables.