03 May 2006
TAANAYEL: Everyone knows about the culture of Arak drinking, which has an important place in Lebanese society. Who has not sat around drinking a chilled glass with friends, or enjoyed a slightly more concentrated form as a digestif after a typically large Lebanese meal? However, few people realize the effort that goes into producing one of Lebanon's favorite drinks and it was to this end that Al-Massaya vineyards hosted the first Arak workshop on Labor Day.
Massaya is owned by the two Ghosn brothers Sami and Ramzi. One an architect living in Los Angeles and the other a restaurant owner in France, they returned after the war to the Taanayel estate that they had grown up on.
They devoted themselves to reviving the estate and soon started up production of wine and Arak. They also opened their beautiful estate to visitors, hosting wine and olive oil tasting and introducing a boutique and restaurant to the premises.
The brothers decided to initiate an Arak workshop not only to promote their product but also because they felt the need "to promote a certain image of Lebanon."
As Ramzi said: "The very idea of Massaya was to find our roots again" therefore they wished to produce Arak in the traditional way. This ethos can be discerned even in the packaging; Massaya means the dusk and in the Bekaa Valley, where the estate is located, the sky at dusk is the same dark blue that is found on their traditional Lebanese Arak bottles.
The workshop was highly informative and interesting. Ramzi explained to a select group about the process of Arak production, walking through the distillery, all the while clutching glasses of the potent white liquid which were constantly refilled. What better way to appreciate the alcohol's taste?
As the group stared at the four enormous stills each of which can hold up to 800 liters Ramzi explained the four stages of Arak production and the triple distillation technique.
The whole process commences with wine. This is created on-site, using the finest, hand-picked Obeidi grapes. The wine is then poured into one of the copper stills or "Alambic Charentais" where it is heated from underneath by vine wood embers. The alcoholic vapors migrate through the copper pipe of the still, through a cooling device where they condense and drip into a vat.
The first distillation (eight hours) creates alcohol or "brouillis," the second (eight hours) removes impurities and leaves the "heart" of the alcohol or "coeur de chauf" which is termed "eau de vie," while the third (24 hours) gives the Arak its purity and taste.
At this third stage high-quality aniseed is added to the alcohol, which gives the Arak its distinctive flavor. The liquid is then poured into clay jars made in Beit Chabeb and placed in a cooling room for 12-18 months. Each of the jars bears a label so that one can identify how long they have been there.
However, unlike other Arak producers, the Ghosn brothers do not use numbers to label the jars, but instead prefer the more personal touch, naming each of the jars after a local village.
During this crucial ageing period, a portion of the alcohol, "la part des anges," evaporates and the clay lends a faint golden clarity to the matured Arak.
"Arak al-Massaya" is then presented to the world in its distinctive blue bottle.
The tour was followed by speeches from Edgar Barakat and Fady Gemayel, representatives of the Industry Ministry, and Rabih Chaddad, from the Tourism Ministry.
They all commended the initiative, believing that it will bring a new aspect to the promotion of Lebanon and hopefully create more tourism. Sami also gave a speech, praising the hard work of all those involved.
Massaya has striven to recreate the same ambience that marked the traditional Arak-making ceremonies of years gone by that made Arak Lebanon's national drink.
