Have you ever wondered what makes us who we are? What is it that makes us different from the rest? Is it our land? The way we talk? What about the way we dress, the shoes we wear, or the way we like our coffee in the morning?

Fabrice Guiberteau, the winemaker of Château Kefraya might not be able to answer these questions, but he will push you very adamantly to find them for yourself: “If you want to exist meaningfully, even if it’s for just one second in your life, you need to find your own identity”.

His philosophy about wine is not much different: Fabrice and Château Kefraya are a staple in the Lebanese winemaking industry. For decades, they have contributed to pushing the industry forward, making Château Kefraya one of the most respected wineries in the world. 

The secret to this success? Fighting every day to define and represent Lebanon’s identity through their wines. And the truest way to do so is by letting the soil speak for itself: not intervening, and actually letting the grapes, the seasons and the stories, express themselves freely in the wines. 

Fabrice, a Frenchman coming from a long tradition of winemaking in the region of Cognac, admits that Lebanon fascinates him, and especially Lebanese wine. According to him, Lebanese wine should never be thought of only in terms of how it’s made, but rather on the historical, traditional, geographical and cultural aspects behind what make it such a good quality wine: “You need to ask the right questions: where do your raw materials come from? How and why are they helping you make the best product possible?”

A firm believer in the identity of the terroir, Fabrice is a hands-on activist for the for the exceptionalism of Lebanese wine, and his way to prove it is by actually making truly exceptional wines.