A fair trade!
I have recently discovered that one of my coworkers, whom I highly respect and enjoy working with, is also a tremendous wine lover. It started as hallway conversations and brief descriptions of recent tastings.
But now, things have gone to the next level. I traded a bottle of 2004 Ramian Page One Grenache (which I think this guy will enjoy and which I’m hoping to build some local buzz about anyway) for a bottle of 2000 Chateau Kefraya, which is a Lebanese Cabernet blend that features plenty of Mourvedre and Carignane in addition to some Grenache as well.
Chateau Kefraya is an interesting winery. They are located in Lebanon, as I mentioned, in the Bekaa Valley. As you might know, the Bekaa Valley is not exactly a hotbed of tourism lately, although I believe the wine production has continued unabated at this particular winery. There’s a good article located here that talks more about this winery and their peculiar situation given the political climate in Lebanon.
I look forward to trying this wine soon. My coworker claims it has a certain port-style sweetness that is unusual for a Cabernet blend. He has an excellent palate from what I can tell, so I can’t wait to see how this wine tastes! He had some at a Lebanese restaurant in Paris recently, and at $16-$20/bottle in the US it’s a lot less expensive on this side of the Atlantic. Go figure.
March 12th, 2007 at 3:21 am
Phew, finally got logged back in! I’ve actually had that wine! One of our favorite local places is the Lebanese Taverna and they serve several selections, reds and whites, from Kefraya. I’m always interested to try them when there as they are quite different in style than the same grape from anywhere else. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:04 am
Cool! I’m excited to try this Kefraya…might be up next, we’ll see. I’ll definitely blog about it when I drink it…*)