Cooking for Lebanese wine. Ancient grapes, a young winemaker.

Maher Harb and the story of Sept

Maher Harb grew up in Lebanon during the civil war and lost his father when he was seven. At 18 he moved to France, studied mathematics and economics in Lille and built a career in consulting in Paris. A sense of missing purpose, and a bike tour in Spain, brought him back to plant vines on his father's forgotten land, where his ancestors once grew grapes.

The name Sept, French for seven, honors his father: in numerology, Maher explains, they share the number seven. The winery is small, starting with 5,000 bottles in 2016 and now around 20,000. Maher says it is the first and so far only biodynamic winery in Lebanon. For him, biodynamics means living in harmony with nature, and he believes you can feel that energy in the glass.

Merweh and Obaideh: Lebanon's own white grapes

Merweh is one of Lebanon's most important native grapes, and Maher says it is found only there. His comes from the mountains of Batroun in the north, from vines around a century old that climb up oak, olive and fig trees in forests and valleys. He tracks them down, talks to the owners and picks the grapes, helping to revive a variety that was disappearing. The wine is fermented with native yeast, without additives or filtration.

Andreas finds bold spice, dried rose and exotic yellow fruit, but also striking freshness thanks to the 900-meter altitude. Maher also pours an Obaideh from the other side of Mount Lebanon, which he calls discreet and elegant, a wine that takes time to understand. Andreas compares its aroma and texture to Burgundy.

Sea bream, saffron fennel and tahini

To match those oriental aromas, Andreas cooks seared sea bream with fennel slowly cooked with saffron, smoked paprika, butter and white wine, and a cool tahini sauce with crème fraîche, cumin, coriander, parsley, lemon and chili. For this Mediterranean dish he swaps his beloved butter for olive oil, garlic and thyme in the pan.

The pairing works for clear reasons. The Merweh has no oak, so spice is no problem, and it has enough freshness to handle the creamy tahini and the many flavors on the plate. Andreas likes the contrast of warm fennel and cool sauce, and Maher says it tastes like the Batroun shores next to his vineyards.

What to eat with Lebanese wines

Maher points out that Lebanese food is much richer than its international image. Between the sea and the mountains you find raw fish, raw meat, mountain tabbouleh and kibbeh, and he believes his wines go well with these traditional flavors.

For aromatic, spicy whites like Merweh, think grilled fish, mezze, herbs, lemon, sumac, tahini and gentle warm spices. Unoaked, high-altitude whites with good acidity are among the most flexible wines for Middle Eastern food.

Maher is optimistic about the future. Lebanese wine is improving and becoming better known, young people are taking up winemaking, and more native grapes are waiting to be identified and studied. Andreas adds a message for every wine lover: drink what you like, but always challenge yourself to try something new.

A blind wine with a personal story

Maher then brings a surprise: a wine he chose to honor the man who made it. Andreas finds a mature, silky red with wild raspberry, rose hip, cherry, truffle and tobacco, and improvises roasted quail with lardo, cognac and a ginger, honey and soy glaze, served with sautéed mushrooms. Watch to see whether Andreas identifies the wine, and where Maher lands on the wall of fame after the memory game.