Mersel LebNat Gold Pet Nat

LebNat Gold is Mersel Wine's expression of 50% Viognier and 50% indigenous Merwah from Lebanon, made using the ancestral method (méthode ancestrale). This is Lebanon's first Pet Nat – a pioneering wine from winemaker Eddie who is passionate about making wine that is not mainstream in Lebanon and reviving the winemaking techniques used many years ago.

The Viognier comes from 11-year-old vines in Ainata, Bekaa Valley at 1,700m altitude, while the indigenous Merwah comes from over 15-year-old vines in Dimane, Qannboubine Valley at 1,600m. Both are organically farmed with low yields – Viognier at 32hL/ha and Merwah at 25hL/ha.

The wines are pressed, and stabulation happens in tank at 8°C for 5 days. This allows for the juice and pulp to spend time together before fermentation starts. The wine then starts fermentation for about 20 days at 14°C, it is then bottled at 3 PSI, and it completes fermentation in the bottle, where it rests on lees for 5 months. It is then disgorged in February.

Eddie, the winemaker at Mersel Wine, was also one of the winemakers at Couvent Rouge. He holds a degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, California. For anyone that knows and speaks to Eddie, you will know that making wine is not a hobby or job, it is a deep-rooted passion. He is passionate about winemaking, as well as preserving and reviving the land of our ancestors and the winemaking techniques used many, many years ago.

Eddie wanted to make wine that is not mainstream in Lebanon. Being born and raised in Australia, he doesn't speak French and didn't want to associate Mersel with the French influence in winemaking. He just wanted to make some f*kn good wine. His passion is to develop wine using local Lebanese indigenous grape varieties but something not common locally. Mersel Wine is the first to develop a Piquette and Pet Nat and he has been dabbling with skin-contact wines since 2016.

What you get is Lebanon's first Pet Nat with persistent bubbles, 12.5% alcohol, bone dry (0 g/L residual sugar), and a pH of 3.2. The combination of Viognier and indigenous Merwah from high-altitude vineyards creates a wine that's both aromatic and refreshing, showing what Lebanese indigenous varietals can achieve when handled with passion and minimal intervention.

Best to open at 5-8 degrees celsius as one would a Champagne due to the wine's persistent bubbles. Serve it well-chilled as an aperitif, with seafood, grilled fish, or light dishes. This is honest, pioneering Lebanese sparkling wine from a winemaker committed to reviving ancestral techniques and working with indigenous varietals, perfect for those looking for something genuinely unique and f*kn good from Lebanon's high-altitude vineyards.