An Organic Architecture
The Winery
The final stretch of a dream project becoming true, the winery’s building was completed in 2018, the year the production could finally move from the garage of the house to the winery’s premises.
With little financial resources left, design ideas were limited, imposing a simple straight-forward approach to the construction of a wine production space.
Once again, Maher drew his inspiration from the village life, going back to the way old shepherd houses were built: a rectangular-shaped concrete building with two doors, one facing east, and one west, just like old mountain architecture was done to allow a continuous flow of energy and nice breeze.
Little did he know that by looking back at tradition, he would create a unique design that levels up simplicity with modern minimalism, making of Sept Winery an iconic structure.
The main industrial concrete look of the building merges organically with the environment, recalling the oxidized limestone found in nature all around.
timeline
From Roots to Blooms
Back to the “Telouh”
Maher returns from France to a virgin land that has been abandoned for 60 years, in which his grandfather used to plant wheat and grapes to feed the family. Following his ancestors’ biodynamic practices, he embarks on terracing the land and preparing the soil for plantation by nurturing it with fava beans, weed, and peas. This small land he inherited from his father is known as “Telouh” in mountain dialect, which means the little valley.
2010
Defying the freezing cold
Compelled to leave to Saudi Arabia for a temporary job, Maher has no choice but to plant his vineyard in the coldest month of the year. With little knowledge and no financial back-up, his “villager” intuition guides him to plant 5,000 “pieds de vigne” with his bare hands under the snowy weather of January. On this day, an intrinsic and inevitable connection with the land is born, forging the essence of what was coming. The seeds of a life dream were planted.
2012
First Harvest
Back from Saudi Arabia, Maher harvests his grapes for the first time and takes a chance at winemaking in the 35sqm garage of the family house. This is where his first trials and errors will take place, and where he will keep on producing wine until 2018.
2015
The Structure
With the little savings he had, Maher initiates the construction of the building’s structure: a 99sqm rectangular-shaped concrete building with two openings, one facing east, and one west, recalling old mountain architecture that favors a continuous flow of energy and nice breeze.
2016
The Garden
The winery is sealed with black steel doors while a garden overlooking the vineyard and majestic mountains of Lebanon North takes shape beautifully. The preparations to move the production to the winery’s building have started, in anticipation of 2019 harvest.
2018
The Kitchen
While we celebrate the first official harvest in the winery’s premises with all the excitement of producing our first vintage in our new professional space, we see the interest rising in our homemade food cooking. It’s time to take things more seriously – we build a small kitchen inside the winery, becoming with that, a real “cave a manger” offering a rare “vineyard to table” experience.
2019
The Dome
The winery meets its new extension: the Dome – a winter space for dreamers inspired by the surrounding mountain landscape. A modern black architecture inviting comers with a cozy space centered around a fire.
