Mersel 'Phoenix' Merwah Skin Contact White Lebanon 2023

Press 4 White • May 2025 Direct Press Selection

Lebanon is one of the oldest winemaking regions in the world. The Romans were used to planting vines in most of the regions they occupied but there were vines in present day Lebanon long before the Romans arrived. The French occupied Lebanon more recently, and their influence on wine is still very prominent. However, winemakers like Eddie Chami of Mersel are trying to move away from that, working with ancient Phoenician varieties like Merwah. It's thought that Merwah was taken by the ancient Phoenicians (who lived in present day Lebanon) to Europe where over thousands of years slowly morphed into Semillon. Meanwhile, Merwah is still thriving in Lebanon, and wineries like Mersel are working with 150 year-old vines.

This "Phoenix" skin-contact cuvée is made from such centenarian vines. It's organically-farmed, own-rooted, and planted on sandy volcanic soils in the cooler climate Wadi Qannoubine Valley at 1300 meters above sea level. This is an area where many of the vineyards went untended for decades due to war, land mines, and people simply leaving the country. Three weeks on the skins in a mix of steel and amphora, it's lightly orange in color but retaines plenty of freshness and just a little funk. There is a lovely volcanic salinity and crunchy texture to the wine, with notes of orange peel and dried apricot. Great with a range of foods or just on its own. Jonathan Kemp