"The fertile plains of Lebanon and Syria have been producing wine for thousands of years. Only recently, though, has the tradition come back in vogue.....
In the past five years, the number of vineyards in Lebanon has jumped from 15 to 33, according to Michael Karam, author of award-winning regional guide "The Wines of Lebanon."
"Global sales from the region are picking up," said Gaston Hochar, Managing Director of Chateau Musar, a three-generation family vineyard in Lebanon that's just created a new range of products for Europe.
"It's quite exciting. The trend is moving toward small producers of high quality wine, and not just in the Bekka Valley (where it has traditionally been made), but in the north by Mount Lebanon and in the south," Karam told CNN.
Next door in Syria, the first private vineyard has just been opened by the Saade brothers, who already operate a successful estate in Lebanon -- Chateau Marsyus.
"Terroir is the most important thing," said Sandro Saade, one of the co-directors of the new Domaine Bargylus vineyard, using a term that denotes the soil and climate conditions in which a wine grows.
"Lebanon and Syria are both rich in limestone, which gives wine a very unique taste," he explained. "The mix of high altitude plus the weather, the soil and the quality of grapes has given us the necessary tools to make a great wine."
Domaine Bargylus uses so-called "old world" techniques from France to make a high-end wine that sells in Europe for about $58 per bottle.
"It's stunning ... world class," said Karam of the Domaine Bargylus wine he has tasted.
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