Ixsir is a

Lebanese wine Lebanon is among the oldest sites of wine production in the world. The Israelite prophet Hosea (780–725 BC) is said to have urged his followers to return to God so that "they will blossom as the vine and fame be like the wine of Lebanon, ndthe ...

company established in 2008. The

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

is located just outside

Batroun Batroun ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرُون '; Syriac script: ܒܬܪܘܢ ') is a coastal city in northern Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital city of Batroun District. Etymology The name ''Batr ...

, north

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The name is derived from the Arabic word for "

elixir ELIXIR (the European life-sciences Infrastructure for biological Information) is an initiative that will allow life science laboratories across Europe to share and store their research data as part of an organised network. Its goal is to bring t ...

" (Al-Ikseer). Jean-Marc Quarin awarded it "best grade for a Lebanese wine" at Bordeaux's ''La Semaine des Primeurs'' 09.

History

IXSIR was founded in 2008 by Etienne Debbane, Hady Kahale,

Carlos Ghosn Carlos Ghosn (; ; ar, كارلوس غصن; , born 9 March 1954) is a businessman who holds Brazilian and French nationality. Ghosn was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ, chairman and CEO of Nis ...

and Gabriel Rivero. IXSIR entered the Lebanese market in 2010, and quickly became the fastest growing wine on the Lebanese and on the export markets. IXSIR was one of only two Lebanese producers present at Bordeaux's famous "La Semaine des Primeurs", an event hosted exclusively for the evaluation and tasting of French and international wines. The company was present at the Horeca Hospitality exhibition as one of ten producers to compete at the event’s first-ever wine pavilion with blind wine tasting contests. Ixsir was awarded the "Revelation of the Public" for its 2009 Grande Reserve White and the Media and Press award for its 2009 White. On May 11, 2010, IXSIR joined the Union Vinicole du Liban (UVL) and participated in a wine tasting event held in Paris for international wine experts and professionals.

Products

The only Middle Eastern country without a desert, Lebanon's topography is favorable for wine production as it consists of mountains, valleys, and coastal areas that are hospitable to many different grape varieties.Agence France Presse
''Lebanon's wine-makers keeping Bacchus alive''
''The Daily Star'' magazine, September 07, 2010 Ixsir cultivates its wine

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...

in several different zones, including Batroun in the North,

Jezzine Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 950 m (3 ...

in the South, and the

Bekaa Valley The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...

in the East.
Ixsir produces a wide spectrum of grape varieties, from

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...

Caladoc Caladoc is a red French wine grape variety planted primarily in the southern wine regions such as the Languedoc. The grape is a crossing of Grenache and Malbec created by Paul Truel in 1958 at '' Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique'' ( ...

, and

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

and

Sémillon Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, mostly in France and Australia. Its thin skin and susceptibility to botrytis make it dominate the sweet wine region Sauternes AOC and Barsac AOC. History The Sémill ...

Available ranges

* Red, 2008. Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Caladoc and Tempranillo * Rosé, 2009. Grape varieties: Syrah and Caladoc * White, 2009, Grape varieties: Muscat, Viognier, Sauvignon and Sémillo * Red, 2008. 61% Syrah and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, French oak barrels * White 2009. 60% Viognier, 25% Sauvignon and 15% Chardonnay

References

External links

Jean-Marc Quarin website

The Union Vinicole du Liban (UVL)website

Lebanon news - NOW Lebanon - A toast to Lebanese wine
{{coord missing, Lebanon Wineries of Lebanon Lebanese brands Products introduced in 2008

History

Products

Available ranges

See also

References

External links