Eastern Mediterranean Flashcards
Lebanon’s modern wine industry can be traced to?
1857
Lebanon’s largest producer?
Château Ksara
Winemaking knowledge in Lebanon was readily adopted from?
French Algeria
French influence, still apparent today, further impacted Lebanon’s winemaking and wine-drinking culture between the World Wars, when Lebanon fell under French mandate before declaring independence in?
1943
At the outset of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, only four wineries operated within the country:
Château Ksara, Château Musar, Domaine des Tourelles, and Château Nakad
Who was influencial in terms of export markets in Lebanon?
Serge Hochar brought Château Musar to the 1979 Bristol Wine Fair, where his wines were praised by renowned critic and auctioneer Michael Broadbent, bringing new attention to Lebanon’s wines
Lebanon has yet to establish a formal appellation system, nor is one expected in the near term. Nonetheless, Lebanese wine has become nearly synonymous with one region:
Bekaa Valley
Lebanon is home to two significant mountain ranges:
The Mount Lebanon range rises from the Mediterranean coast to reach 2,500 meters in elevation, separating Beirut and nearby cities from the country’s interior. The range regularly sees snow and houses six ski resorts. The Anti-Lebanon Mountains form the Syrian border, ending at Mount Hermon and the beginning of the Golan Heights
The Bekaa Valley rests between these two mountain ranges, at roughly ?
900 to 1,000 meters in elevation
Mount Lebanon barricades the Bekaa from ?, while the Anti-Lebanon range shields the valley from?
Mediterranean humidity
the Syrian desert’s heat
Which river runs through Bekaa?
The Litani River, which frequently runs dry in the summer months, extends the length of the Bekaa Valley before emptying into the Mediterranean just north of Tyre
Much of the Bekaa’s soil is?
Alluvial, but the region is overall diverse, generally growing drier and warmer from south to north
limestone as well
Beyond the Bekaa, several new producers have established themselves around?
Batroun, a northern coastal city. Grapes are also cultivated on the mountain ranges themselves, and multi-region blending remains common.
Name the grapes of Lebanon
White
Obaideh, Merweh, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Ugni Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Clairette, Muscat
Obaideh and Merweh, both white, are Lebanon’s most notable indigenous varieties. Long mistaken to be Chardonnay and Sémillon, respectively, they are organoleptically similar to these French counterparts. Unlike the European varieties, Obaideh and Merweh are most successful in the mountain vineyards, rather than the Bekaa.
Red
Cinsault (35% of all plantings)
Cabernet Sauvignon (25% of all plantings)
Cabernet Franc, Carignan, Grenache, Merlot. Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Tempranillo, Gamay
Many of Lebanon’s wineries also produce arak:
An unsweetened grape-derived spirit. Arak undergoes multiple distillations (typically two to four), most traditionally in a Moorish copper still, with anise seed added before the final distillation. The spirit is then aged in cloth-covered clay amphorae. For serving, arak is typically cut with two parts water to one part spirit, which gives it a cloudy appearance, similar to absinthe when diluted
Name some top producers from Lebanon
Chateau Musar
Chateau de Tourelles
Chateau Kefraya
Ixsir
Chateau Ksara
Chateau Marsyas
Cyprus is believed to vinify the world’s oldest continually produced named wine?
Commandaria PDO: Raisin Wine or Fortified Wine
Name the grapes for Commandaria?
White: Xynestri
Red: Mavro
The native red Mavro and white Xynisteri are harvested from bush vines, then sun-dried for about two weeks
non-vintage, fortified wines composed primarily of Mavro made at the larger firms, and vintage-dated, unfortified examples with a higher concentration of Xynisteri.
While Commandaria must be vinified within the appellation boundaries (spans 14 villages), it can be aged?
outside the region
Name Cyprus’s four PGI wine appellations:
Larnaka, Lemesos (Limassol), Lefkosia (Nicosia), and Pafos—centered around the cities of the same names
Name the 7 PDO regions of Cyprus from east to west:
Pitsilia, Krasochoria Lemesou (the Winemaking Villages of Limassol), Krasochoria Lemesou-Laona, Krasochoria Lemesou-Afames, Vouni Panayia-Ampelitis, and Laona Akama
Which is the most planted grapes in Cyprus?
The red Mavro, whose name translates to “black,” remains Cyprus’s most widely planted grape, though it is generally considered to make inferior, dilute wine outside of Commandaria, with some producers finding exceptions. Cyprus’s most cultivated white, Xynisteri, on the other hand, has demonstrated tremendous potential for complexity and aging potential, despite its unfortunate name, meaning “lacking acidity
Is Cyprus Phylloxera free?
Yes
Name some other minor grapes of Cyprus
white grapes as Promara and Morokanella and reds Maratheftiko and Yiannoudin
What is the min Base Wine ABV for Commandaria?
9.5%
Ageing requierements for Commandaria?
2 years in oak barrels
(Additional Requirements)
The wine is fortified following the completion of fermentation
Altitude requirement: 400-900m
Minimum vine Age: 4 years
Pitsilia PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo or Min 60%: Mavro
Krasochoria Lemesou PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo or Min 60%: Mavro
Krasochoria Lemesou – Laona PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo or Min 60%: Mavro
Krasochoria Lemesou – Afames PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo or Min 60%: Mavro
Vouni Panayia-Ampelitis PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo or Min 60%: Mavro
Laona-Akama PDO produces which styles?
White: 85% Xynesteri
Red: 85%: Maratheftiko or Ofthalmo
Ageing requierements for PDO wines of Cyprus?
Min Vine Age: 5 years
Maratheftiko-based wines must age in a barrel for 6 months
Red wines must age in bottle for 6 months
Name the grape varieties for PGI wines of Cyprus?
Recommended Varieties:
White: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, and Riesling
Red: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Maratheftiko, and Shiraz
Minimum ABV:
White and Rosé: 10%
Red: 11%
Syria has received attention for one estate on its Coastal Mountain Range:
Domaine de Bargylus, where Stéphane Derenoncourt serves as a consultant
Turkey is the world’s ? largest grapegrowing nation
5th
How many wineries operate in Turkey?
200
Turkey produces mostly?
More substantial is the harvesting of table grapes, raisins, and—in near equal amount to wine—rakı, an anise-flavored grape spirit akin to arak and only a small output is reserved for wines.
Most wine in Turkey is consumed?
Domestically due to heavy import taxes on foreign wines
Which turkish grape is called bull’s eye?
Öküzgözü, whose name translates to “bull’s eye” due to its large berries, delivers softly tannic, fruity red wines with elevated acidity
Name the red grapes of Turkey
Öküzgözu, Kalecik Karasi, Çalkarasi, Boğazkere
Name the white grapes of Turkey
Sultaniye, Narince, Bornova Misketi (Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains)
Consumers in Turkey favor international grapes?
While Turkish consumers tend to favor international varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, and Tempranillo, producers have made more recent strides with Turkey’s indigenous grapes
Which turkish grape is called “throat puckerer”?
Boğazkere, whose name means “throat puckerer” for its acidity, demonstrate the greatest aging potential
Which are the major winegrowing regions of Turkey?
Marmara (40% of production)
Aegean (50% of production)
Thrace feels the influence of the Marmara, Aegean, and Black Seas. Further down the coastline, the Aegean area harvests more than half of Turkey’s production
What style of wine makes Narince and Emir?
Narince yields mid-weight, Chardonnay-like wines with an affinity for oak, while Emir has a crisper character
Kalecik Karası style of wines?
offers young-drinking wines
Which grape is Bornova Misketi ?
Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains
