by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Winemaking industry is rapidly growing in Lebanon. Years ago, there were only a few well-known wineries in the country. But things have tremendously changed nowadays with Lebanese wine filling many glasses locally and globally.
Vinifest 2018, an annual four-day wine exhibition, is a clear indication on the development of the wineries that have entered the Lebanese market in the past few years.
More than 50 exhibit booths filled the center of the horse-racing venue at Beirut Hippodrome. Each represents a thriving winery in Lebanon.
However, the industry still faces challenges despite the popularity that the Lebanese wine has gained over the years.
"We want the government to impose higher custom fees on imported wine in a bid to protect our local production," Rami Chidiac, managing partner at Byblos Wine, told Xinhua.
"You can find French wine for only 2 euros (2.3 U.S. dollars) in the Lebanese market," he said.
Marie Therese Moubarak, coordinator at the Lebanese winery Chateau Faqra, said her winery is also suffering from foreign competition.
"The government barely imposes custom fees on imported wines. No one is protecting us against foreign competition," she said.
Likewise, Ramez Saliba, national sales and marketing manager at Lebanon's Chateau Ksara winery in the Bekaa valley, said foreign wine is the biggest enemy of Lebanese wine.
"Foreign wine that comes to Lebanon is not always of good quality. Our wine is much better. Foreign wine with high quality in Lebanon is very expensive," he said.
Patricia Gebrayel, representative of Chateau Musar, said some local clients prefer the imported wine only because it is imported even if it is of low quality.
For Peter Abi Younes, co-owner of Chateau Wadih, the most challenging problems are "paper work and bureaucracy."
"You either have to wait for a long time to get your papers done or pay bribes," he said.
A recent study published by Linkedin reveals that Lebanon produces around 7.5 million bottles of wine per year, of which 2.2 million are exported.
Most of the wineries interviewed by Xinhua said around 30 percent to 40 percent of their produce are exported to countries including the United States, Britain and other European countries.
They are also planning to enter the Chinese market soon.
"Lebanese wine will reach the Chinese market soon," said Edgar Maalouf, a lawmaker who represented Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil during the opening of Vinifest 2018.
Louis Lahoud, director general of Lebanese ministry of agriculture, said Lebanon is coordinating with its embassy in China to promote the Lebanese wine there through exhibitions.
However, some wine producers have concerns about their wine export to China.
"It is not easy to enter the Chinese market. We need distributors there because it is a huge market," said Mubarak of Chateau Faqra.
The government should help Lebanese wine producers in promoting their products in China and other countries, she said.
"What is also hard in China is the different language. We have to change our bottles' labels from English and French to Chinese," the Faqra coordinator added.
