Musar have done some interesting ‘diffusion’ lines — Levantine is very good, sold through M&S around £19, which became our ‘house’ wine until supplies ran out…
A fine piece, richly detailed. I didn't know about Elie's experience. As you undoubtedly know, many other Lebanese winemakers also suffered during the civil war and the Israeli invasions - 1978 - and the far more significant one, in 1982. In the latter case, an Israeli tank company parked itself at Chateau Kefraya and arrested its long-haired French winemaker on suspicion that he might be a member of the radical international left, whatever that might have meant (Michael Karam explains that well in is Wines of Lebanon). A couple of corrections, though. The Maronites were not a majority at independence. At best, they were a plurality; the last census, conducted in 1932 by the not-disinterested French, said they were the largest single community in the country, and that Christians - Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics (Melkites), and others - composed a thin minority of the country. By the time independence was declared in 1943, and positions were allocated across communities, it is unclear that this majority in fact remained intact. It was certainly close, but not clear. Nonetheless, as you note, the presidency - then the most powerful official position, was designated for Maronites, the prime ministery, for Sunnis, office of parliament speaker to Shiites, etc. While the arrival of majority Sunni Palestinian refugees in 1948 was potentially disruptive to the country's demographic balance, it's important to remember that 1) the balance was already a fiction 2) a large percentage of these refugees were Greek Orthodox who were given a far easier path to naturalizing as Lebanese citizens than the Sunnis were. In any case, it's important to note that Christians in the country have rarely been united as a force, not even in opposition to Muslims, who, as you also note, are themselves divided. And, even within the Maronite community, there were important divisions. All to say, the conflict cannot be reduced to Christians versus Muslims. While the quip you cite from the Lebanese "Christian" saying it would have been better if Israel defeated Hizbullah in 2006 is a sentiment held by some, even Sunnis, it wasn't generally shared by most Lebanese of all confessions. In fact, following Hizbullah's victory in 2006, there was tremendous elation across Lebanon's multiple communities for Hizbullah's resistance (hard-core partisan opponents of Hizbullah, notwithstanding). Inevitably, the country's deteriorating situation has been ascribed, in part to grotesque corruption in the country in which Hizbullah leaders, at minimum tolerate (and certainly benefit from) that reached a crescendo with the port explosion in August 2020, has amplified anti-Hizbullah sentiment, but again, it isn't a Christian/Muslim thing. People of all communities are simply fed up and with no resolution in sight, the idea of an external power taking out the corrupt leaders (be it the US, France, Israel) might seem, rhetorically, at least, appealing. Anyway, a fine piece. I look forward to the next.
Musar have done some interesting ‘diffusion’ lines — Levantine is very good, sold through M&S around £19, which became our ‘house’ wine until supplies ran out…
I was surprised at a recent trade tasting how good the Musar Jeune was. I'll have to check out the Levantine range.
A fine piece, richly detailed. I didn't know about Elie's experience. As you undoubtedly know, many other Lebanese winemakers also suffered during the civil war and the Israeli invasions - 1978 - and the far more significant one, in 1982. In the latter case, an Israeli tank company parked itself at Chateau Kefraya and arrested its long-haired French winemaker on suspicion that he might be a member of the radical international left, whatever that might have meant (Michael Karam explains that well in is Wines of Lebanon). A couple of corrections, though. The Maronites were not a majority at independence. At best, they were a plurality; the last census, conducted in 1932 by the not-disinterested French, said they were the largest single community in the country, and that Christians - Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholics (Melkites), and others - composed a thin minority of the country. By the time independence was declared in 1943, and positions were allocated across communities, it is unclear that this majority in fact remained intact. It was certainly close, but not clear. Nonetheless, as you note, the presidency - then the most powerful official position, was designated for Maronites, the prime ministery, for Sunnis, office of parliament speaker to Shiites, etc. While the arrival of majority Sunni Palestinian refugees in 1948 was potentially disruptive to the country's demographic balance, it's important to remember that 1) the balance was already a fiction 2) a large percentage of these refugees were Greek Orthodox who were given a far easier path to naturalizing as Lebanese citizens than the Sunnis were. In any case, it's important to note that Christians in the country have rarely been united as a force, not even in opposition to Muslims, who, as you also note, are themselves divided. And, even within the Maronite community, there were important divisions. All to say, the conflict cannot be reduced to Christians versus Muslims. While the quip you cite from the Lebanese "Christian" saying it would have been better if Israel defeated Hizbullah in 2006 is a sentiment held by some, even Sunnis, it wasn't generally shared by most Lebanese of all confessions. In fact, following Hizbullah's victory in 2006, there was tremendous elation across Lebanon's multiple communities for Hizbullah's resistance (hard-core partisan opponents of Hizbullah, notwithstanding). Inevitably, the country's deteriorating situation has been ascribed, in part to grotesque corruption in the country in which Hizbullah leaders, at minimum tolerate (and certainly benefit from) that reached a crescendo with the port explosion in August 2020, has amplified anti-Hizbullah sentiment, but again, it isn't a Christian/Muslim thing. People of all communities are simply fed up and with no resolution in sight, the idea of an external power taking out the corrupt leaders (be it the US, France, Israel) might seem, rhetorically, at least, appealing. Anyway, a fine piece. I look forward to the next.
Thank you for your fascinating comment. It's really interesting getting a knowledgeable perspective.