Château St Thomas was created in 1990 by Saïd Touma, and has been a family-run business ever since, with his son Joe-Assaad taking the reins after training in winemaking in France. Touma originally produced arak, a strong aniseed spirit and the Lebanese national drink, but since branching out into wine the vineyard now produces 450,000 bottles a year of red, white, rose, and sweet varieties. Most famously the vineyard is known for its Obeidy, a white wine that is made from one of the only grapes indigenous to Lebanon.

Sadly Saïd Touma passed away in 2019, but his children – Nadia, Nathalie, Claudine, Micheline and Joe-Assaad – still run the winery and if you’re lucky enough you’ll meet one (or more!) or them on a visit to Château St Thomas. At their location in the Bekaa Valley you can take a tour of the property as well as try the full range.