£17–£21, Great Grog, WoodWinters, The Wriggly Tin Wine Company, Borough Wines Old vines, old winery – Lebanon's first commercial one in 1868 – but a new wine, Domaine des Tourelles' first Carignan made from vines more than 50 years old. They lie at over 1000m asl in the western Bekaa Valley and they're organic and unirrigated: the Mediterranean climate keeps them happy. Winemaking is oak-free and simple: hand-picked grapes with thorough selection in the vineyards, fermentatio

£12.99–£15, All About Wine, Strictly Wine, Corking Wines, Whole Foods, Harrods, Handford Wines Unless you've had this wine before, I can confidently say that you've never drunk a Merwah. Château Ksara, Lebanon's oldest and largest winery, is the first to release a wine made entirely from this centuries-old, indigenous white grape variety (it's been suggested that it could be a local clone of Sémillon but without DNA testing there's no way of knowing). Ksara's Merwah vines are

£27.99 (£24.99 in a 6-bottle mix), Majestic; £27.99, Waitrose I'm as guilty as anyone of being seduced by new and unusual wines, overlooking old favourites in the process, especially when the new wines come with heart-warming back stories. So it was good to be reminded recently why I fell in love with Musar way back: the 2003 stood out like a beacon in a tasting of wines from all corners of the world. As it happens, of course, Chateau Musar came along with a very human story