Taking Care of the Environment
Mersel Wine carries the story of our heritage, the passion of our ancestors, the strength of our mountains and the perseverance of our people.
The land in Mersel is a virtually untouched and unexplored territory since the land used to be snow-capped all year round. The realities of global warming have allowed us to grow grapes in regions that were once considered too cold. The rain, snow or natural springs help nourish and nurture our vines naturally.
The air is very clean and dry! Hence, no herbicides, pesticides or any toxic chemicals and pathogens need to be used. Also based on the location, one of great altitude 2000 - 2500m, we knew it would be interesting to explore cold-climate vines. Mersel is one of the highest regions for viticulture in the North Hemisphere. Mersel Wine will be the first winery in Lebanon to explore such horizons and such a unique wine-making style.
Through this project we want to replant Cedar and Juniper trees in arid lands to bring the area back to how it was once known at the time of our ancestors. This will be done in collaboration with NGO’s like Mamlaket El Lezzeb for the Juniper trees and Friends of the Cedar Forest Committee for the Cedar trees.
Looking After Our Wildlife
...and the origin of the Mersel logo
The Nubian Ibex is a desert goat species that had been extirpated in Lebanon. Mersel used to be a forest in which the Nubian Ibex sought shelter, but with urbanization, deforestation and being hunted they disappeared and instead domesticated goats took their place. We want to go back to our origins and revive the land and bring Mersel back to how our ancestors knew it, by reviving the Nubian Ibex there.
We know how important and interesting they are so we are working with NGO’s such as www.istituto-oikos.org to nurture and protect them and feed them organic waste from our vineyards. We want to keep the land there as untouched as it has been by doing what our ancestors have always done and that is farming.
Giving Back to the Farmers
At Mersel Wine we want to go back to the simple life. Our ancestors used to be farmers, these farmers have left their land and moved to cities as farming wasn’t financially feasible.
We are encouraging and supporting farmers to get back to their forgotten lands and plant grapevines, and through the Heliopolis Co-operative of Deir El Ahmar, Mersel Wine will purchase their grapes. This brings great pride to the farmers as it encourages refarming and it creates work opportunities directly or indirectly in the agriculture sector while also providing them with a sustainable living.
Empowering Women and Families
Mersel Wine is all about breaking down borders, and exploring new horizons. Mersel Wine is cofounded by three mothers with the support of our husbands, who want to showcase our passion for wine. We want to experiment with unique tastes and showcase to the world that women, children and families can work together to produce something distinctive.
Encouraging Diversity and Inclusion
Mersel Wine goes beyond wine production to reach others through giving back to our society. Our brand values focus on empowering women, being all-inclusive regardless of sex, ethnicity, status, religion or background.