The 2015 edition of Les Citadelles du vin hosted more than 1200 wines from more than thrity countries around the world.

This competition rigorously applies the standards laid down by the OIV both in tasting and monitring samples; respecting the number of non-french jurors in each jury having at least 20% of nationalities represented, blind tasting are performed, and the awards are presented to less than 30% of wines enetered.

Vinexpo 2005

Kouroum: c’est l’affiche la plus sexy du salon: une femme assise sur la plage, dos nu et tenant une bouteille de vin blanc à bout de bras. On la trouve sur le stand du producteur libanais Cave Kouroum, dans le hall 1. Le président de cette cave, Bassim Rahal, est heureux de son effet : « J’ai voulu représenter l’association vins blancs et fruits de mer. La photo a été réalisée sur la plage de Beyrouth. » Bien que propriétaire egalement dans les Cotes-de-Provence, notre interlocuteur n’a que vaguement entendu parler de la loi Evin. « Apres le salon, je mettrai l’affiche dans notre cave. » Cave Kouroum est une des six caves libanaises présentes à Vinexpo. Elle commercialise 700,000 bouteilles. Vu la fréquentation du stand, on est peu inquiets pour eux.

Cave Kouroum

The last winery born in Lebanon

1^st part: The great adventure

Since time immemorial, the vineyard has thrived on Lebanese soils, doubtless making this eastern Mediterranean country one of the oldest wine producers in the world. This historical centre of this age old tradition in the Bekaa Valley, a high plateau protected by Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain ranges in the western part of the country. Already known as the Breadbasket of Rome in ancient times, the Bekaa Valley continues to produce 90% of Lebanese wines. It is on this land, perched at an altitude of 1,000 metres, that Bassim Rahal, a Lebanese businesman who has always been involved in the grape and wine business in his country, created Cave Kouroum. Officially inaugurated in May 2002, Cave Kouroum is one of the most beautiful wineries in the Middle East where technical prowess and innovative design go so well together while setting a premium on know-how and the love of wine.

Cave Kouroum

2nd Part: The wine cathedral

From the road that winds through the vineyards in the south of the Bekaa Valley, the visitor can not miss cave Kouroum winery. It must be said that the landscape, straight out of a passage from the bible, it is an impressive sight!

Nestled into the hillside, the winery towers above the valley with its majestic modern architecture. With its “watchtower” that seems to keep an eye on the vineyards and its white silhouette that creates a striking contrast with the deep blue sky of the Bekaa, Cave Kouroum winery looks like a modern-day cathedral. This impressive building comes together at several levels in a play of natural light and shadow where aesthetics are a function of practical and technical requirements of the winery. The upper part of the building has a large elegant patio with a tasting room for visitors whereas the totality of the lower part is devoted to the vinification and aging of wines.

With maximum protection from the hot winds that constantly blow down the Bekaa Valley, conditions have been created to maintain an ideal temperature for the preservation of the wines. As for the process followed by the precious fruit, the layout of the winery sets the tone. Here, everything is done by gravitation. Each level corresponds to a work station, from the receiving platform for the grapes to the aging cellar. Entirely computer assisted, this temple of modernism is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment adapted to local climate conditions. At the centre of the vinification area, huge double walled thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks control the temperature throughout the process, while the impressive concrete fermentation cellar in the “belly” of the winery provides the best possible conditions for preserving the wines. For the aging of several selected blends, there is a huge room steeped in darkness and silence with an aging cellar equipped with big oak barrels and casks. The entire production is bottled on a bottling line located in the cellar. In keeping with Lebanese tradition, a room especially equipped to distil marc, lees and press wine is reserved for the production of Arak; the famous national drink born from a triple distillation and flavoured with green anise seeds. Natural vinification techniques are used for constant experimenting in the cellar, guaranteeing, to the greatest extent possible, a process that brings out the best aromas and flavours of the wine. White wines, “bled” roses and reds are all the result of traditional vinification techniques. For the vinification of red wines, four to five days of alcoholic fermentation precede a maceration period ranging from 15 days to a little over a month, depending on the profile of the desired wine. Thanks to a healthy harvest, mainly based on organic viticulture techniques and a combination of traditional and modern techniques used by Cave Kouroum, the natural qualities of the wines are emphasized to create a harmonious outcome.

Cave Kouroum

3^rd part: The wines

 It was one year ago that Cave Kouroum winery, the latest winery born in Lebanon, was inaugurated with a great deal of pomp and circumstance. The winery is owned by Bassim Rahal, a Lebanese businessman who has always been involved in the wine industry of his country and who is also the owner of Chateau de Mauvanne, Cru Class of Cotes de Provence in Hyere, France, where he spends a great deal of his time. We are more likely to find him in the vineyards then in a casino or one of the gourmet restaurants of the Cotes d’Azur. Deeply attached to the land, he likes to follow the work of the vineyard and does not hesitate about helping out on the bottling line.

The quality and diversity of the Cave Kouroum wines perfectly reflect the personality and no doubt the vision of its Lebanese owner. A world unto itself that will transport you to the southeast of the Bekaa plain, between 950 and 1,100 metres in altitude, to the heart of the Lebanese way of life.

Vino

Cave Kouroum de Kefraya

C’est la dernière création qui n’est pas passée inaperçue dans la quiétude biblique de la Vallée de la Bekaa, située à 20 km de Chtoura. Nous avons été invites à son inauguration en mai 2002 et assez impressionnes par cette nouvelle réalisation due à l’initiative de Bassim Rahal. Cette implantation ultramoderne, une des plus belles du Moyen-Orient a été opérationnelle en un temps record. En 1998, les raisins arrivaient sur la propriété, pratiquement en même temps que l’on installait les cuves. Le bâtiment termines en 2001 superbes et fonctionnels ont été dessines par un architecte libanais. Ils peuvent contenir plus de 10,000 hl dans ce qu’on appelle déjà la «  cathédrale du vin ». Des vins très variés ici aussi dans les trois couleurs, plus de l’Arak. Peu de futs, pour l’instant du moins, ou l’on préfère des vins de plaisir, tendres et fruite dans des cépages européens traditionnels plus quelques autochtones.

Les vins de l’amour

Cave Kouroum, à Kefraya, propriété de Bassim Rahal. Vaste cathédral moderne, à l’architecture grandiose et à l’agencement hyper rationnel, cette cave située dans un décor grandiose est l’aboutissement de sa passion pour cette terre.

Cave Kouroum de Kefraya, Liban

Les Libanais de la Cave Kouroum ont des vins qui, en bouche, sont fortement assimilables aux nôtres.

Nous avons retenu deux : Le Rose D’amour, qui est le fruit d’une macération entre la pellicule et le jus de raisin, et le Blanc Perle qui a été obtenu par pressurage direct de l’Ugni blanc, de la Clairette et de cépages libanais, suivi d’une vinification traditionnelle.

The creation of the biggest modern wine cellar in Lebanon

On May 11^th 2001, European journalists, suppliers, and other personalities were invited to celebrate the inauguration of the Cave Kouroum cellar in Kefraya, owned by Basism Rahal, a Lebanese businessman who has forever been involved in his country’s vine-growing as well as owning the Chateau de Mauvanne in Provence (Franc).

Nothing was overlooked for the creation of one of the most beautiful Middle Eastern cellars, located in the district of Kefraya, in the southwest of the Bekaa Valley. Designed by the architect Elie Abi Nassif, according to the sketches of the oenologist – consultant Yves Morard, the new cathedral like construction judiciously combines technical features and innovative design.

Built on a hillside topped by a lookout tower, the imposing structure is built around different levels. Equipped with ultra-modern machinery and built underground spaces sheltered from the hot winds of the Bekaa, the cellar offers optimal conditions for the wine making process and the preservation of its wines. This wine grower owns a hundred or so hectares and already produces a nice range of 11 wines with different styles: fruity roses, elegant whites, and typical warm reds. Even if some are already known like the Brut de Cuve 98 voted Silver Trophy at Bodreaux’s Vinexpo, discovering the Blanc reserves, rose d’amour and red Cinsault 99 are highly recommended.

Kouroum

The Lebanese producer Cave Kouroum caught the attention of The Magazine during a wine tasting at Hotel Continental in Oslo in January. Their charming representative achieved this by means of a generous presentation of all their wines. What pleased The Magazine most was the fine concentration in virtually all the wines. This suggests a good selection of grapes and it did not surprise us when it was explained that there are many good vines on the estate.

From July onwards the wines will be featuring in Vinmonopolet’s ordering catalogue, but they have already sold several thousand bottles mainly to restaurants during the last twelve months. Even though the price is higher than some French wines, this is a good wine buy in relation to quality.

Une aventure un peu folle

Elle voit le jour dans la belle région de la Bekaa a 20km au sud de Chtoura d’où l’on domine la pleine. Ecoutez son promoteur et propriétaire : Bassim Rahal : » Kefraya est le premier village entièrement viticole au Liban ou les négociants venalent s’approvisionner en raisins. Tout allait bien jusqu’en 1997 ou les négociants abandonnèrent quelques 150 tonne de raisins. J’étais le principale viticulteur et courtier de Kefraya. De nombreux petits agriculteurs comptaient sur moi … Que faire ? J’ai pris la décision audacieuse de vinifier la récolte 1997 dans des conditions invraisemblables. Elle fut sauvée ! Idem pour 1998, les cuves fabriquées le jour, transportées et installées la nuit, étaient remplies le lendemain … Malgré ses difficultés notre vin fut superbe. A Vinexpo 2001, avec Yves Morard naquit l’esquissée de ce qui serait une des plus belle cave du Moyen-Orient ». Apres des tracasseries administratives et autres, en novembre 1999 commencent les premières fondations et en septembre 2000 les vendanges dans ce pays merveilleux et tant convoité ! Le challenge semble gagne ! L’inauguration date du 11 mai dernier. Un grand vignoble prend son envol, plein de promesses.

Le vin, une culture ancestrale

Même si les libanais aiment boire de l’arak pour accompagner leur mezee (repas compose d’une trentaine de petits plats a base de crudités et féculent savamment prépares), le Liban est répute pour la qualité de ses vins. Et depuis fort longtemps : a Baalbeck, le temple dédie a Bacchus est splendide.

Kefraya, village entièrement vinicole, est le principal fournisseur de raisin destine a la vinification. Bassim Rahal vient d’inaugurer la Cave Kouroum. Ultramoderne, elle est l’une des plus grandes du Moyen-Orient. Pour l’élaboration de ses vins, il s’est assure les services d’un œnologue français, Yves Morard, amoureux de la vigne et du Liban depuis toujours.

Ensemble, ils produisent aujourd’hui une large gamme de jolis blanc (blanc perle, miss-cat), de rose très plaisants (rose d’amour), plusieurs vins rouges (7cepages, petit noir, . . . )

Cette cave se trouve dans la Bekaa, a 20 km au sud de Chtoura et se visite tous les jours.