Original Article at Beirut Pursuit

1.9.10

It used to be that if you wanted more land you had to go out and conquer it.

Now you can just build more. That's what they've been doing in Beirut for years now, just north of downtown.



They've recently opened sections of the new land to the public. We took the girls there to ride bikes recently. Here's the view of Beirut from what was once the sea.

For those who like comparisons, here are two maps of Beirut's north shore. The one on top was made in 1912, the one below it is current. You can see the massive expansion into the sea where the old port once was.



Posted by Mary Ann at 1.9.10

By Rana Moussaoui – ZAHLE, Lebanon

In the heart of the Bekaa Valley, a few miles from a temple dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, Lebanon's vineyards are in full bloom as the country edges into the global wine market.

"After European wine and new world wine, the wine of the so-called old world is emerging" as a market favourite, explains Ramzi Ghosn of the Massaya winery.

"And Lebanon, with its culinary and viniculture traditions, is playing an avant-garde role in the region."

Along with his brother, Ghosn is leading a new wave of Lebanese wines, using French grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay, into the global market.

From a mere five wineries in 1998, he says, the tiny Mediterranean country now boasts more than 30 labels.

Most of them are small or medium-sized establishments banking on quality to set them apart, and some have already landed awards in international fairs and are now featured on the wine lists of Paris and London.

"Lebanese wine is in fashion," Frederic Bernard, CEO of French trading company Bordeaux Tradition, told AFP.

"Lebanese wines are less standardised than those of the new world," Bernard added, referring to wines produced outside Europe in countries such as the United States, Chile and Argentina.

"There is real variety in local wines."

some people travel thousands of miles to experience this... i drive to my gym