Obaideh & Merwah: Lebanon's Ancient White Grapes

Obaideh and Merwah have been cultivated in Lebanon for thousands of years, with roots traced to the Phoenicians, who introduced wine to Europe using these very grapes around the 7th century BC. Winemaking in the region faded after the Roman period and remained dormant for centuries until French Jesuit monks revived viticulture in the Bekaa Valley during the 1850s. For most of their history, both grapes were used primarily for arak, Lebanon's traditional aniseed liqueur, rather than wine. Only in the modern era have producers begun celebrating them as standalone varietals.

• Phoenician origin, with winemaking history stretching back thousands of years
• Historically used for arak production rather than table wine
• French Jesuit monks revived Bekaa Valley winemaking in the 1850s
• First single-varietal Merwah wine released in 2017 by Chateau Ksara

Both varieties are cultivated across Lebanon's high-altitude wine regions, primarily the Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, and the foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Elevations range from 900 to 2,400 meters, with Merwah typically found at 1,400 to 1,500 meters. Soils are predominantly chalk, calcareous gravel, and limestone-clay, which combined with a Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and cold winters create significant diurnal temperature variation. Cool nights at altitude preserve natural acidity in the grapes, a critical factor for wine quality.

• Bekaa Valley is the primary growing region, with vineyards also in Mount Lebanon and Northern Lebanon
• Elevations reach up to 2,400 meters, among the highest vineyard sites globally
• Soils are calcareous: chalk, limestone-clay, and stony chalky material
• Significant diurnal temperature variation preserves grape acidity despite hot summers

Obaideh and Merwah produce quite different wines despite sharing the same ancient homeland. Obaideh delivers creamy, full-bodied whites with honey and lemon notes, high natural sugar, and relatively low acidity. Merwah produces richer, nuttier wines with floral and citrus characteristics and vibrant acidity, thanks in part to its thick skins and small to medium berry size. The two varieties have been blended together for centuries, most famously by Chateau Musar, but single-varietal bottlings are now gaining ground and international recognition.

• Obaideh: creamy texture, honey and lemon notes, high sugar, low acidity
• Merwah: rich and nutty with floral and citrus notes, vibrant acidity
• Chateau Musar has blended both varieties for decades in its signature white wine
• Single-varietal bottlings have emerged only in recent years, starting in the 2010s

For years, Obaideh was assumed to be related to Chardonnay and Merwah to Semillon, partly due to stylistic similarities in the wines they produce. Recent DNA research challenges both of these claims, suggesting the varieties are genetically distinct from their supposed European counterparts. Both are classified as indigenous Lebanese grapes, alongside Meksassi and Baladi, and both are grown predominantly on ungrafted own-root vines, a practice that has largely disappeared from most of the world's major wine regions due to phylloxera.

• Claimed relationships to Chardonnay (Obaideh) and Semillon (Merwah) are disputed by recent DNA research
• Both are classified as indigenous Lebanese varieties of Phoenician origin
• Grown on ungrafted own-root vines, a rarity in modern viticulture
• Four primary indigenous Lebanese grapes: Obaideh, Merwah, Meksassi, and Baladi