Chateau Ksara

PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR

Located in the Bekaa Valley, the Chateau Ksara Winery (or 'Les Caves de Ksara') is Lebanon's oldest and best known winery.  Nobody knows when wine was first made in Lebanon although the Phoenicians were certainly among the earliest winemakers in the eastern Mediterranean. The Ksara estate was acquired by the Jesuit Fathers in 1857 when it was already famed as a vineyard and they perpetuated the tradition of winemaking. Ksara's natural wine cellar was a grotto discovered by the Romans who consolidated part of the vault and dug several narrow tunnels (pictured) from the cave into the surrounding chalk. These tunnels were enlarged to their present size during World War I when the Jesuit Fathers sought to alleviate famine in Lebanon by creating employment. 100 men toiled with picks and shovels for four years to complete an underground network of tunnels stretching for almost two kilometres. The temperature in the tunnels is ideal for wine, varying throughout the year from 11 to 13ºC.

The winery came into the hands of its present owners when the Jesuit Fathers decided to sell the estate in conformity with the directives of the Vatican II synod. Today, Ksara produces wines with strong personalities, achieving a rare condition of dry fruitiness, delicacy and robustness.  The wines have gained an international reputation and have won awards across the world.

Your visit includes exploring a section of the caves, some wine-tasting accompanied by cheese and cold meat and short video about the winery.  There's a shop where you can buy the winery's products, which include its own arak and brandy as well the wines.

Includes private transportation and guide.