The philosophy
A Biodynamic Approach
A strong admirer and believer of the spiritual-scientific teachings of Rudolf Steiner, Maher abides strictly by the guidelines of biodynamic and natural agriculture to work his soil, grow his grapes, and make his wines.
Believing in nature’s way, he rarely intervenes in the organic growth of his grapes or the vinification process. For him, Nature is a perfect example of a successfully thriving environment where the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are in harmony.
Maher’s approach aims at respecting and preserving this same natural balance in his vineyard through a glorious combination of sun, soil, air, and water.
Totally chemical free, Sept’s vineyard in Nehla, Batroun, at 950m facing the Mediterranean Sea, is worked according to the lunar calendar and biodynamic principles to guarantee the yielding of a high-quality fruit, producing 500 bottles of biodynamic Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
To date, Sept remains the first and only
biodynamic vineyard in Lebanon.
the motto
Un Vin de Lieu
Sept’s philosophy is committed to producing Lebanese wines that express the rich diversity and exceptional character of the Lebanese terroir.
Alongside Nehla’s biodynamic terroir, Sept outsources grapes from different “lieux” in Lebanon. By not blending and working these grapes together, Sept is the only winery in Lebanon to produce monovarietal wines that showcase the honest expression of Lebanon’s terroirs “singly”.
This is how Sept proudly carries the motto “Un vin de lieu”.
winemaking
A Natural Fermentation
In order to further support the authentic expression of Lebanon’s terroirs, our fermentation process strictly relies on natural practices that lay the ground for the artisanal making of our unfiltered terroir wines.
These practices mainly include a wild yeast fermentation, natural stabilization and minimal filtration of wine, zero additives during fermentation process, no use of oak barrels, lees aging, skin maceration, and a minimum of sulfite added before bottling (below 25 mg/l total SO2).
This natural fermentation approach helps us in optimally manifesting the expression of the soil, climate and fruit every terroir is made of, while creating a unique identity for Lebanese wines. After all, what’s wine other than the expression of a land?
GRAPES
Reviving Indigenous
Sept Winery is a “vin” that offers the authentic taste of Lebanon. There’s no better way to do that than through a country’s own grape varieties.
At Sept Winery, we are proud to be amongst the first Lebanese wine producers to believe in the importance of championing indigenous grapes as mono-varietals, becoming the first winery in Lebanon to produce the three indigenous grape varieties of Obeideh, Merweh, and Zitani.
We are always at the lookout for ancient terroirs and vines that contribute to our mission of offering the world a rare and unique taste of one of the world’s oldest winemaking countries.
Pairing these native grapes with our 100% natural vinification process, including artisanal manual methods, the use of indigenous yeast and a zero-additive approach, we are able to produce wines that offer the closest taste of Lebanon’s heritage.