Château Marsyas

Chateau Marsyas in the Beqaa valley

Château Marsyas is a vineyard located in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. The name of the property stems from the ancient Greek name of the Bekaa valley known as the Marsyas valley in Hellenistic times.[1] The estate's surface area is around 600,000 sqm, situated in the village of Kefraya and Tell Dnoub. The Saadé family, who runs the vineyard, also owns and operates the Domaine de Bargylus estate in Syria.

History

The Saadé family is a Greek Orthodox Christian family[2] from the coastal city of Latakia in Syria, known in ancient times as Laodicea ad Mare ("Laodicea-by-the-sea"). The Saadé family traces its mercantile roots to the 18th and 19th century, with prominent representatives such as Gabriel Saadé (1854-1939) and Rodolphe Saadé (1900-1956).[3] With an initial involvement in commodities’ trading and various industries, the family developed maritime and land transport activities on the initiative of Johnny Saadé, Rodolphe’s son, in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and France.

The winery was established in 2007, at which date it produced its first vintage.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Grape varieties

Red wines are made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot.

References

  1. ^ Thuillier, Vincent (1753) Histoire de Polybe (traduite du grec)
  2. ^ "Making wine in a war zone: Syria's 'dream' vineyard". BBC News. 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ Ḥakīm, Yūsuf (1980). سورية والعهد العثماني (in Arabic). دار النهار للنشر،.
  4. ^ "Au Liban, les raisins de l'espoir". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  5. ^ "'Very old world' wine makes a comeback in Lebanon and Syria - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  6. ^ "Marsyas, l'avenir du Liban". Les Echos (in French). 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  7. ^ "Les Saadé, touchés mais pas coulés". La Revue du vin de France (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  8. ^ "Les frères Saadé, vignerons malgré tout". avis-vin.lefigaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  9. ^ Huyghe, Cathy. "The Beirut Explosion, Twelve Weeks Later: A Closer Look At Its Continued Impact On Lebanon's Wine Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  10. ^ "After the Beirut Blast: 'We will continue to make wine in these difficult times'". The Drinks Business. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  11. ^ "Video: Beirut explosion filmed from Ch. Marsyas' offices". The Drinks Business. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  12. ^ "Q&A: Karim Johnny Saadé, Bargylus and Château Marsyas - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News". harpers.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  13. ^ Dupont, Jacques (2021-02-27). "Vin : l'étonnante histoire de la famille Saadé". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-22.