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LEBANON
DISCOVERY
products and wines, the two things they all have in
common are their love of their terroir and the passion
they showcase while producing and communicating
about their wines. This is their story.
THE WOMAN WHO INSPIRED A
GENERATION
THE TEMPLE OF BACCHUS
THE BEKAA VALLEY
Domaine Wardy is nestled in the heart of the city of
Zahlé. Zahlé is also known as the “bride of the Bekaa”
and “Dar el Salam” or the home of peace. It is a gem
in the Bekaa region and is renowned for its wine and
arak production.
The Bekaa Valley is currently the largest wine region
in Lebanon. It is 120 km long and 16 km wide with an
elevation ranging from 950m-1,600m above sea level.
It is a very fertile region situated about 30 kilometers
east of Beirut, lying between Mount Lebanon to the
West and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the East.
The valley’s climate is often wet and snowy during
winter with 600-700 mm of rainfall per year. In
summer, it is dry and warm with a diurnal shift of 15
degrees Centigrade.
This is a family-owned winery with a long experience
of producing wines and arak, whose roots date back
to 1881. Wardy (Rose) Mousallem, the great grandmother
of the current generation of the Wardy family,
is thought to have lived during the late 18th or early
19th century. Wardy’s husband, a freedom fighter
opposing the Ottoman Empire, was ambushed
and killed leaving a young widow alone with their
three children. Wardy became an inspiration and an
astounding example of strength, resilience and hope.
She assumed her role by taking care of their land and
vineyards. She was so exceptional that her name
became a symbol of pride and transcended every
element: her children were Wardy’s children, her
orchards became Wardy’s orchards, their vineyards
became Wardy’s vineyards.
Nowadays, and since 1996, Khalil, Sami, Rima and
Rida Wardy have total ownership of the holding
company, Solifed (Societe Libanaise de Fermentation
et Distillation), making it a wholly owned
family business producing the finest wines, araks
and spirits. The Wardys’ knowledge of the land, the
56 AUTUMN 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE