Who makes it
Château Ksara began with 25 hectares between Tanail and Zahle, where Jesuit monks started a wine project in the Bekaa Valley. Father Kirn persuaded the community to plant French vines imported from Algeria, turning an inherited piece of land into a vineyard with an international grape palette. The winery dates its foundation to 1857 and is identified as the Bekaa Valley’s oldest winery.
That early choice still shapes the bottles. Château Ksara is not built around one grape variety or one village label. It is a Bekaa Valley estate whose range uses Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and other French varieties to show several wine styles from the same high, dry region.
Where it grows
The vineyards lie in the Bekaa Valley at an average altitude of 1,000 metres, with planting reported from 900 to 2,000 metres. Summer days are hot, while evenings can be around 15°C cooler. That daily shift slows the loss of freshness as the grapes ripen, giving the reds room for body and the whites a firmer line of acidity.
The absence of irrigation is part of the same picture. George Sara links the unirrigated vineyards and high elevations to freshness and complexity, so the wines carry the heat of the valley without becoming soft or heavy.
How it is made
The cellar
The vineyards are unirrigated, and Ksara says pesticides and herbicides are not used, describing the grapes as almost organically grown. That wording does not establish certified organic farming, but it does describe a deliberate vineyard practice. Combined with elevations from 900 to 2,000 metres and cool evening temperatures, it supports grapes with freshness alongside ripe fruit.
Below ground, two kilometres of caves maintain stable temperature and humidity throughout the year. They are used to age Château Ksara’s premium wines, giving selected bottles a consistent cellar environment after the grapes leave the high valley vineyards.
What they make
Réserve du Couvent is the backbone of the range, a ready-to-drink red with medium to full body. Its role is broad and welcoming, with fruit and spice balanced by freshness. The 2022 vintage is listed as 40% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend that brings Rhône and Bordeaux varieties together in one Bekaa Valley bottle.
The single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon gives the range a more focused red position, with the producer highlighting its élevage and tannin character. Blanc de Blancs takes the white side in a different direction: it is a three-grape blend shaped by lees and oak treatment, with fruit, acidity and texture at the centre of its profile. Together, the bottles show how Château Ksara uses grape choice and cellar work to widen the range without leaving the Bekaa Valley behind.
Wines to try
First bottle
Réserve du Couvent 2022 is the bottle to start with. Its 40% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon blend puts Château Ksara’s international planting programme into a single wine, while the ready-to-drink style keeps the bottle open and immediate. Expect fruit and spice at the front, medium to full body through the palate, freshness across the finish and enough concentration to give the wine staying power. It belongs at the centre of the range, so one glass introduces the Bekaa Valley site, the grape choices and the house preference for continuity of style and balance.