MAP! Wine regions of Lebanon with Google Earth.

In honor of the late Serge Hochar of Chateau Musar, I created this Google Earth Map of the main wine regions of Lebanon, highlighting the Bekaa Valley.

A few notes from the Wines of Lebanon Website:

Native grapes: A few wineries (especially Château Musar) grow Obaideh and Merwah, although these are more often used for aniseflavoured arak

Wine regions: Most production is in the Bekaa Valley. The vineyards sit at an altitude of 1,000-1,200m, similar to Argentina’s Mendoza

Timeline

• 7000BC Modern scholarship is cautiously confident that early Lebanese create a vine and wine culture

• 3000BC – 330BC Phoenician traders begin making and exporting their wines to Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and Rome as well as what is now Sardinia and Spain

• Lebanon’s reputation for producing fine wines continues into the Middle Ages when those produced in Tyre and Sidon are coveted in Europe and traded by Venetian merchants.

• 1517 What is now Lebanon is absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. Winemaking is forbidden, except for religious purposes. This allows Lebanon’s Christians, mainly Maronites and Greek and Armenian Orthodox, to produce wine.

• 1857 Jesuit missionaries introduce new viticultural and vinicultural methods as well as new vines from French-governed Algeria, laying the foundations of the modern Lebanese wine industry.

• 1918 The French civil and military administration that govern Lebanon between the wars create unprecedented demand for wine, while Lebanon’s post-independence role as a cosmopolitan, financial hub sees the country enter an economic golden age, presenting further opportunities for a new wine culture to take hold.

• 1975 Lebanon descends into a 15-year civil war that stunts the development of the sector

• 1992-present with peace come new opportunities and unprecedented growth.

Today there are 33 wineries in Lebanon.

Lebanese Wine Regions!

Map! Interactive detail of Communes of Barolo and Barbaresco

I just finished mapping the communes of Barolo and Barbaresco. Working on adding some of the famous vineyards to this map so stay posted.

 

Barolo Communes

  • Province: Cuneo
  • Communes of Production: 
    • Entirely included in DOCGBarolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba
    • Partially included in DOCGMonforte d'Alba, La Morra, Diano d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Cherasco, Roddi
    • Almost 90% of the DOCG zone is contained within the five core townships of Barolo, La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, and Monforte d'Alba 

Barbaresco Communes

  • Region: Piemonte
  • Province: Cuneo
  • Communes of Production: Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso (a frazione of Barbaresco), San Rocco Senodelvio (part of Alba)
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Barolo and Barbaresco!

MAP! Detailed Google Map of Alsace with all Grand Crus.

One of my favorite white wine producing regions in the world is Alsace. Capable of crafting many different styles from dry sparkling to lusciously sweet, Alsace is an often underrated. Noble varieties like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat deliver each a unique expression of the terroir.

The Alsace Grand Cru classification, like in Burgundy is a designation given to the best vineyards. The regulations are the following:

Varietal Wines: labeled by Grand Cru Vineyard and varietal (100% of the stated variety is required in the assemblage)

  • Riesling
  • Gewurztraminer
  • Pinot Gris
  • Muscat (Muscat Ottonel, Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains, and/or Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains)
  • Muscat Ottonel
  • Sylvaner (Zotzenberg Grand Cru only)
  • Muscat is not authorized for varietal wines from Zotzenberg,Altenberg de Bergheim, or Kaefferkopf.

  • Blends:

  • Altenberg de Bergheim: 50-70% Riesling, 10-25% Pinot Gris, 10-25% Gewurztraminer, max. 10% combined Chasselas, Muscat, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc
  • Kaefferkopf: 60-80% Gewurztraminer, 10-40% Riesling, max. 30% Pinot Gris, max. 10% Muscat
  • Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf may also produce varietal Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling.

As usual, I've tried to find detailed maps of these vineyards then decided to map them out on Google Earth. Click on the map below and each vineyard to view the name and information for the AOP.

  • Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Wolxheim AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Brand AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Bruderthal AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Eichberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Engelberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Florimont AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Frankstein AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Froehn AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Furstentum AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Geisberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Gloeckelberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Goldert AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Hatschbourg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Hengst AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kaefferkopf AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kanzlerberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kastelberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kessler AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg de Barr AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Kitterlé AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Mambourg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Mandelbourg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Marckrain AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Moenchberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Muenchberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Ollwiller AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Osterberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Pfersigberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Pfingstberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Praelatenberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Rangen AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Rosacker AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Saering AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Schlossberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Schoenenbourg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Sommerberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Sonnenglanz AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Spiegel AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Sporen AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Steinert AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Steingrubler AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Steinklotz AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Vorbourg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Wiebelsberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Winzenberg AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé AOP
  • Alsace Grand Cru Zotzenberg AOP

Notes from http://www.vinsalsace.com

Click for large image Alsace

Click for large image Alsace