Hallgarten adds Lebanon’s Château Oumsiyat

By Lisa Riley

Published: 22 January, 2020

Hallgarten Wines has added Lebanese producer Château Oumsiyat to its portfolio.

Available now, the selection comprises five red, five white and one rosé wine and includes what Hallgarten claims to be Lebanon’s only Assyrtiko, sourced from a nursery in Northern Italy and planted in one small plot in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, said Hallgarten.

The 11-strong range has been blended exclusively for the UK on- and off-trade by Hallgarten head of buying, Steve Daniel, in partnership with Château Oumsiyat owner and winemaker, Joseph Bou Sleiman.

Hallgarten said it was “thrilled” to be working alongside Château Oumsiyat who, it said, was “far ahead of the curve in Lebanese winemaking and producing cutting-edge wines with their progressive methods and style of wines”.

“The wines are a fresh, Mediterranean style which we felt were a perfect fit into the Hallgarten portfolio. We have found that the appetite for Eastern Mediterranean style wines is growing hugely in the UK, so to be able to offer wines that match this style perfectly whilst embracing Lebanon’s rich winemaking history is invaluable,” said Daniel.

Château Oumsiyat is situated in the village of Mtein in the foothills of the Mount Lebanon mountain range where they own 78ha of vineyard that stretch to the Bekaa Valley.

From hand-harvesting to vineyard management, Château Oumsiyat maintains a constant respect for the environment in all aspects of the winemaking process to achieve wines that recognise tradition and embrace modernity.

Earlier this month, Hallgarten announced the launch of its Head Start apprenticeship programme with its first recruit.

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