Collection: Château Musar

Château Musar is a leading Lebanese wine producer located in the Bekaa Valley. Vines have been cultivated in this valley for at least the last 6,000 years: the Phoenicians (seafaring ancestors of the modern Lebanese) brought both vines and wines from Byblos across all areas around the Mediterranean. Flanked by snow-covered mountains and nestled at 1000 meters above sea level, the serenely beautiful Bekaa Valley is blessed with 300 days of sunshine a year, fresh mountain breezes and an average temperature of 25°C (encompassing snowy winters and hot summers). While the Château Musar vineyards were ‘organic’ by default before the term was coined, they also became the first producer in Lebanon to achieve organic certification for its vineyards in 2006.

The winery is run by the Hochar family who arrived in Lebanon in the twelfth century and have remained ever since. Serge Hochar, the family patriarch, took over his father’s winemaking operation in 1959 after studying at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux, partnering with his brother Ronald who managed the vineyard’s marketing and finances. Together, they expanded production and began exporting their wines. By 1984, Serge had put Château Musar on the map. He was even named Decanter magazine’s first ‘Man of the Year’ for his dedication to preserving vineyards and producing superb wines even during Lebanon’s Civil War (1975-1990). Today, the winery is still operated by Ronald and his and Serge’s children.