Château Ksara is a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

of Lebanon. it is located in the town of Ksara near Zahle. It was founded in 1857 by Jesuit priests. Château Ksara wine is most popular in Lebanon, but due to a large

Lebanese diaspora Lebanese diaspora refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. There are more people of Lebanese origin (15,4 million) living outside Lebanon than within the country (6 mill ...

all over the world, it can be found and purchased in many countries. Château Ksara produces approximately 3 million bottles annually. Its wines are exported to over 40 countries. Main export markets include Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, Africa, Australia and Arab Countries.

The story

Château Ksara was founded in 1857 by

Jesuit Priests The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. In 1898, a milestone was reached in Ksara's history when a

grotto A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden fea ...

- an artificial cave - dating back to the Roman era was fortuitously discovered at the site. The caves - which now run for two kilometers - form part of Ksara's cellar network today. In 1972, the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

encouraged its monasteries to sell off commercial assets, and Ksara was bought out by a local consortium of businessmen. The company continued production during the

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

years. In 1991, a new management instigated several innovations such as changes in the company human resources, communication practices, new grapes varieties, and surface extension. In the following years, Ksara management innovated in production practices, bought new equipment, invested in new labels and packaging, then launched a marketing communication campaign to revamp the aged-image of their brand. To protect its

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

rights, the company filed a Community

Trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

for Chateau Ksara SAL (in class 33) at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) in 2003. Château Ksara is Lebanon's oldest, largest and most visited

, attracting some 70,000 visitors per year, mainly from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

but also from other countries including France, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). In 2010 Lebanese wine-producers exported around 2.5 million bottles of wine, a 13 percent annual increase, and Ksara was responsible for 33 percent of the output. The Reserve du Couvent accounted for 27 percent of all Ksara's international sales. As of 2010, Ksara produced 2.7 million bottles of wine per year, harvesting over two thousand eight hundred tons of grapes from three hundred forty hectares.

Vineyards

All of Château Ksara’s vineyards are located in the central and western Bekaa Valley: Ksara Estate, Tanail, Mansoura, Tal el Der, Tal Dnoub, and Kanafar. At an average altitude of 1,000 meters, the Bekaa enjoys dry summers and has a water table fed by the melting snow of the

and

Anti-Lebanon The Anti-Lebanon mountains (), also called Mount Amana, are a southwest–northeast-trending, c. long mountain range that forms most of the border between Syria and Lebanon. The border is largely defined along the crest of the range. Most of ...

mountain ranges.

Products

Red wines

*Le Souverain *Le Prieuré *Réserve du Couvent *Cuvée De Printemps *Cuvée IIIème Millénaire *Château Ksara *Cabernet Sauvignon *Carignan

Rose wines

*Sunset *Gris de Gris *Rosé de Ksara *Nuance

White wines

*Chardonnay *Blanc de Blancs *Blanc de L'Observatoire *Merwah

Sweet fortified wines

*Moscatel

Arak

*Ksarak

Eau-de-vie

*Vieille Eau-de-Vie

Awards

Ksara wine has been featured at wine tasting competitions all over the world. 2013: Berliner Wein Trophy 2013 (Berlin Gold) Château Ksara Red 2010
2013: Berliner Wein Trophy 2013 (Berlin Gold) Reserve du Couvent 2011
2013: Vinalies d'Argent Château Ksara Chardonnay 2012
2013: Vinalies d'Argent Château Ksara Le Prieuré Rouge 2011
2013: Vinalies d'Or Château Ksara Reserve du Couvent Rouge 2011
2013: Vinalies d'Argent Château Ksara Le Souverain Cent Cinquantenaire 1857-2007 Rouge 2009
2012: The Pan Arab Web Awards Academy awarded Château Ksara’s official website www.ksara.com.lb the Golden Award for 2012 out of 450 companies for the beverage category.
2012: Silver Medal for Réserve du Couvent 2010 in 2012 X Concurso International de Vinos - Spain
2012: Commended for Réserve du Couvent 2010 in 2012 International Wine Challenge
2012: Silver Medal for Le Prieuré, 2010 in 2012 International Wine Challenge
2010-2011: Lebanese Excellence Award
2004: Two gold medals at the Vinalies Internationales Paris in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

References

External links

Chateau Ksara official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau Ksara Wineries of Lebanon Tourism in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon Beqaa Valley