Domaine des Tourelles
Domaine des Tourelles, founded in 1868 by French adventurer François-Eugène Brun, was the first commercial cellar in 'modern' Lebanon to produce wines, arak and other spirits. The Brun family ran the estate until the last descendant died in 2003, but two local families - the Issa and Issa el-Khoury families - came together to purchase the winery and continue its legacy.
Today this highly-acclaimed winery is run by twins Faouzi and Johanne and their sister Christiane Issa, and Emile Issa-el Khoury, son of one of the co-owners. This young team have focused Domaine des Tourelles' efforts on natural yeast ferment, no fining or filtering, and use of only a small amount of sulphur. Their 40 hectares of vines are organically cultivated and dry-farmed. Their philosophy with sustainability and hands-off winemaking has led it to become one of Lebanon's finest boutique wineries.