When thinking about wine countries like France, Italy and Spain may come to mind, an area that you may not associate with wine is the middle east. The jewel in the crown of Middle Eastern wine producing countries is Lebanon. Modern wine production in Lebanon began in the 1920’s when vines were imported from the french colony of Algeria. The production of wine in this area dates back much further than the 1920’s however, the ancient egyptian pharaohs had their wine imported from what was then known as the Levant which is in part modern day lebanon and Israel over 5,000 years ago. 

Wine production in Lebanon focuses around the Bekka Valley, a fertile area of land in the north of the country. The most prestigious producer in the area is the world renowned Chateau Musar that has been in operation since 1930 and despite civil war and economic hardship have managed to produce a wine almost every year since they were founded. 

Another country producing quality wine is Israel who have been making wine since biblical times. Their modern wine industry was helped greatly by the Rothschild family who invested heavily in the country's vineyards in the 1970’s.