Lebanon’s Domaine Wardy

It’s no secret that we at Wine Times are big fans of wines from Lebanon and we (and you) are extremely fortunate to have such a diverse selection from a handful of boutique wine suppliers here in Hong Kong. Over the past year nine different decades of Lebanese wines have been tasted here in Hong Kong and their easy, approachable character coupled with their great ability to age have seen their popularity steadily rise on the Hong Kong market over the last 12 months.

Not being one to say no to a tasting, Wine Times was invited to come and taste some Lebanese wines that, honestly, we’d never heard of before – Domaine Wardy. The wines are new to the Hong Kong market and are exclusively imported by newly founded wine supplier Evercohol. The guys and girls at Evercohol are pioneering with wines from countries such as Lebanon and Turkey (something we are going to tell you about towards the end of the week).

Domaine Wardy is situated, like most great Lebanese wineries, in the Bekaa Valley and its roots can be traced back to 1891. They make a range of red and white wines, eleven in total with wines showing off their unique character and ones that really give a sense of place – that is, they are unmistakably Lebanese on both the nose and the palate.

Their top wines include the Private Selection Red, Chateau Les Cedres and Private Selection white (the white is not here yet but it will be very soon and we are much looking forward to tasting it). We were lucky enough to taste the Chateau Les Cedres in vertical form, tasting the 2000, 2001 and 2002 vintages up against each other at local wine bar/shop Amo Eno in the IFC here in Hong Kong.

As previously mentioned all three of the wines were unmistakably Lebanese on the nose with the real differences showing on the palate with obvious vintage differences giving me the impression the wines are not ‘manufactured’ in any way and are a representation of the vintage and the terroir from which them come. The Chateau Les Cedres wines are all made of, primarily, Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with both Merlot and Syrah.

The 2000 vintage is atypical Lebanese with easy and subtle tannins that give the wine a nice, easy drinking nature. A wine that drinks very well on its own and also one that we thought would go really well with some nice Lebanese foods. Overall, an enjoyable wine that, with 13 years of aging on it already is probably drinking at its best right now.

The 2001 vintage has much higher levels of tannin and has a super long finish to it. It does have some vegetal aromas on the nose, not unlike an aged Bordeaux. Definitely a wine that evokes thoughts of red meat pairings but mellows out given time to breathe giving a nice smooth finish on the palate with some breathing.

The 2002 vintage was probably my favourite of the three tasted with a bit more fruit than the other two showing nuances of cherries and berries. It’s a nice, pleasant feminine styled wine that was, overall, extremely enjoyable.

We are looking forward to the emergence of their whites onto the Hong Kong market in the near future and, with summer approaching we reckon they will do well here as the temperatures start to soar. The proof though will be in the tasting at the end of the day. For now, the reds are available in Hong Kong and for more information you can contact Evercohol on info@evercohol.com or by phone on (+852) 3975 5695. You can also visit and purchase wines through their website www.evercohol.com