Batroun Mountains
- Goodness from Our Family to Yours
"The
journey began with a passion… it all started with
love of wine. Wine became part of my life… always
seeking more knowledge about the origins, the way
it's made, and the health benefits that wine offers",
says Assaad Hark, owner of Batroun Mountains, the
family-owned and operated organic certified winery
established in 2003 in Batroun.
At
Batroun Mountains, making wine is a family mission,
with Assaad's wife Katy and their six children all
doing their part in producing these wines. He explains:
"Our daily work is a true family affair where
every member of our family is involved either in
the growing, producing, bottling or marketing of
our products. For us, winemaking has been a true
passion, a pursuit of the heart, which you will
experience when tasting our wines".
The
vineyards are located in the mountains of Batroun
District. We produce nine styles of wines (5 reds,
3 whites, 1 rose) using only our estate grown grapes,
35 thousands vines in 11 hectares on altitudes ranging
from 250m. to 1500m in six different towns.
Batroun,
a coastal city, is fifty kilometers north of Beirut.
Growing grapes in the mountains is challenging due
to the rocky nature of the fields, and labor intensive
mainly because grapes are grown on narrow terraced
vineyards. Vines struggle in this dry, well-drained
stony soil, producing superior quality grapes of
well-concentrated juice with intense flavor and
color. This struggle is what makes the grapes and
the wines dynamic.
The
mountainous region of Batroun District hugs the
northwestern coast of Lebanon and continues east
into the mountains. At elevations ranging from sea
level to 2000 meters, the air transitions from the
salty taste of the sea to the cool and fresh crispness
of the mountains. Winding roads sneak through the
ridges and valleys, as if disguising secrets of
the landscape from the visitors. The vineyards of
Batroun Mountains line the hillside, on meticulously
designed terraces to give maximum sunlight exposure
to the grapes. Olive trees sway as the vines reach
for support, for each other, for the sky. Each element
of the landscape adds personality to the bottle
of wine. When opening a bottle of Batroun Mountains
wine there is the taste and smell of the mountain
cool, the secrets of the hillside, the struggle
of the vine, a neighboring olive branch and the
faintest hint of sea below. Each bottle tells a
story.
