Académie Internationale du Vin appoints Lebanese winemaker

By Lisa Riley

Published: 21 January, 2019

Prestigious wine body Académie Internationale du Vin has announced Elie Maamari - long-serving winemaker and export manager for leading Lebanese winery Château Ksara, has joined the fold.

Dedicated to upholding the highest standards of all aspects of the wine trade production, Académie Internationale du Vin counts less than 100 members, including some of the most influential figures in the world of wine.

Having joined Château Ksara 1981, Maamari went on to study winemaking at the Pharmacy University – Paul Sabatier in Toulouse in 1994.

In 1997, he was appointed Chateau Ksara’s export manager and has since taken its wines to over 35 countries on all continents.

In addition, he teaches in the Lausanne/Sagesse University and the Notre Dame University in Beirut and is a respected wine judge on the international circuit and has awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Merite Agricole Distinction by the French Government – Ministry of Agriculture for services rendered to the wine world.

“Wine is my life. I have had the privilege, through my work, of showing the positive side of Lebanon and the tremendous quality of our wines, which are a mark of tradition and civilization,” said Maamari.

Established in 1857 and situated in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley - the centre of the country’s wine making industry, Château Ksara claims to be Lebanon’s biggest producer, with an annual production of 2.7 million bottles.

It makes 14 wines, an arak and an eau de vie with its wine exported to 40 countries.

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