If you were to be offered by a friend a bottle of "Chateau Musar 1998" Red Wine, you'd probably leap to the chance. After all, a bottle with a name like that would remind the drinker of long forgotten holidays in warm French vineyards, with the sun, and that particular smell of Europe.

The real suprise is, that Chateau Musar is not French, in fact it is the 'opposite'.

LEBANESE!

"How can one drink wine knowing that it is not from a country of sun and happiness, but from a (stereotypically) parched land full of peasants and discontent?" said the Duchess.

To be honest, upon trying Chateau Musar I was taken aback completely! Upon tasting it, you can almost hear the Arabian music and feel the hot sun, and smell the spices being sold in the street. We are all so used to drinking cheap French and Italian wine from our local supermarket, that we almost forget that wine actually did originate in the Lebanese region. To be precise, they ought to have more experience at wine-making than any other country! (Although, as alcohol is not permitted in the islamic community, they probably don't.)

So, if you feel the urge to try something new, or impress guests with a Lebanese drink, I cannot reccomend anything other than Chateau Musar (drunk by me every weekend!) It aint cheap, and at £15 a bottle, you'd expect something miraculous. But, if you give up smoking, and begin drinking Chateau Musar, in the long run it'd probably be cheaper!

I have found that the best place online to buy Chateau Musar is this particular site dedicated to online wine sales.