Lebanese Christians, the Ghosn family fled their country in 1975 when the 15-year civil war broke out. First they went to France and then in 1984 to the United States. 

     Several times there had been offers to buy their land covered with clay and limestone soil that lies between the mountains and the Mediterranean at more than 3,000 feet up. But they always refused.

    “I knew I wanted to go back. It is beautiful,”he said, his brown eyes brightening at the thought.  “Massaya, by the way, does not refer to the Messiah. It is the Arabic word for twilight and it’s just so beautiful in the vineyard at that time of day.”

     It was not until the early-90s, when the political situation had calmed that Sami felt he could pursue his dream of taking up the family business. So he left his successful architectural practice in Los Angeles (“I gave my Green Card back when I left. I didn’t want to be tempted,” he said.)

    Wine has been made in the region since Phoenician times. “You know we joke. You have New World wines. You have Old World wines. We have Ancient World wines.”

     Indeed, the Silver Selection Red is a blend of four grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre and Cinsault, which is native to Lebanon. A medium bodied wine, it is a cherry color with a nose that smells of a spice market.

     Some of the vines are 80 years old or more, he said. These produce fewer grapes that have incredible intensity and flavor. Consider as well that the vineyard is not irrigated. 

    "My job is mostly to just stay out of the way and let nature take its course," he said.

    The 2006 harvest will be released on November 22, Lebanon’s Independence Day. It is the harvest that began just as the ceasefire went into effect at the end of the Israel-Lebanon war, when vineyards on both sides of the border were sporadically shelled. 

    “No, I didn’t buy my pickers bullet proof vests or helmets,” Sami said. “It’s not like the movies. Bullet-proof vests do nothing to protect you from shelling. Luckily, there was the ceasefire and while we lost some vines, we were able to make a harvest.”

    He then held up a t-shirt that reads:“Massaya.com Make wine not war” and said, “ I think if there are battles, it should be the battle to see who makes the best wine.”